Government Financial Aid Available For College!
When students consider college, one of the things they usually apply for is a Pell Grant. Why shouldn’t they? After all, a Pell can cut the cost of a higher education, both on campus and online degrees, quite a bit. At the same time, the Pell is only under $6,000 and that might not cover the entire amount of tuition and fees, much less the other costs of living while going to school.
What many students don’t know is there’s another federal program, one that’s been around longer than even the Pell. Entitled the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, or the SEOG, it was introduced back in 1966. It can give a student as much as an additional $4,000 towards tuition and fees. In fact, this year the U.S. will give out over $700 million through the SEOG, making it the second largest grant program in the country. If you need more information about degree programs online, look on the internet.
Like the Pell, an applicant must fill out a FASFA form to determine if they are entitled to an SEOG. This form will ask about not only their own, but particularly if they are minors, their parent’s or guardian’s financial condition. This will include income, expenses and any other factors that affect need. An important point is the same FASFA form is good for both the Pell and the SEOG.
Where things start to differentiate the Pell from the SEOG starts now. The SEOG applicant must meet some additional factors. For starters, U.S. citizenship is mandatory. Next, that what the Pell Grant hands out still doesn’t meet basic school costs. It should also be noted that the SEOG are only for Associate’s or Bachelor’s degrees. Another thing is the applicant has to have acceptable grades both before and during their college years.
Students who dropped out from college once can still be eligible for additional SEOG money. Also, very important for students going back to school after dropping out is that they must not be in default with any college loan (or loans).
Another thing is the money never goes directly to the student. Instead, the college sets up an account where the check is deposited. Where it gets fancy is when a term (whether it’s a semester or trimester) starts, the Board of Education issues a check through the college. Upon receipt, the applicant goes to the school’s bursar office and signs over the check. It is deposited to the account and provides the tuition payment in this manner. There is an abundance of information about distance degree on the web.
Understandably, there can be a bit of confusion about all this. That’s why it’s always a good idea to do this with the assistance of a financial aid officer. They are quite proficient about the entire financial aid process, particularly when it comes to navigating the sea of paperwork and explaining it all as clearly as possible.
The federal government offers a supplemental program and students who qualify will find this of the utmost help in getting their traditional and online degree education. If these two aren’t enough, there are other avenues for a student to explore. Start with government grants for college and the SEOG and then discuss what else is available with a financial aid officer.