Single mothers have a multitude of financial aid options to choose from. We present them in this post.
Single parenting is never an easy job. Single mothers have to shoulder multiple responsibilities of caring for children, managing a home and completing their education to further a career, besides managing a job on the side. For such women, financial aid is provided by the US government, some private non-profit organizations and some wealthy individuals.
There are many programs which can finance the educational expenses of single mothers. College grants can be the best form of financial aid. The program named 'Moms Return to School' is considered one of the best one for women.
The amount of money received in the form of grants under this program is very impressive, up to USD 10,000. Student can apply for a Pell Grant through the 'Free Application for Federal Student Aid' (FAFSA) program. Under these grants, the amount which you receive ranges from USD 400 to USD 6,000.
For all those who wish to complete their higher education and work as a teacher in government-run or private educational institutions, the Teach Grant can be the best option. Again, for this grant, you need to fill up the FAFSA form and the amount of grant money which you may be eligible to receive is USD 4,000.
Then, there is the SMART Grant for all those mothers who are in their third of fourth year of undergraduate studies. The eligibility criteria for this grant is that you should have a GPA of at least 3.0, on a 4.0 scale, in the second year of your college.
You can also benefit from the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) if you are an undergraduate student falling short of cash to complete your education.
The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) could be the ideal for those who have already enrolled themselves for full-time courses in college and are studying in the first or second year.
Meritorious students are preferred when it comes to scholarships. Project Working Mom is one of the best scholarships offered. This scholarship will take care of the study material, tuition fee and other general expenses which are too much of a financial burden for single mothers.
The Women's Independence Scholarship Program (WISP) was created to help women who have been victims of domestic violence. The ROSE fund also aims at helping domestic abuse victims complete their college education. The Single Mothers Scholarship Fund and The Denny's Single Parent Student Scholarship are also great options.
Despite all the initiative by government authorities, many single mothers fail to receive grants due to lack of information and interest. Awareness programs can help in improving the overall situation to a great extent.
Applicants need to be aware that submitting age proof, residency proof, income proof, and occupational details, along with the application form for scholarships and grants is a must. Also, your forms must reach the concerned government offices before the declared last date.