Single Mother Grants Versus Scholarships

When it comes to financial assistance for school, there are a wide variety of terms thrown around, including grants, scholarships, and FAFSA.

Single mothers who want to further their education should know that they may be eligible for financial aid. This takes some worry off the mind of the prospective student because working to support a family often stretches finances very thin.

Neither a scholarship nor a grant needs to be repaid. This makes both options great for single mothers and other cash-strapped individuals.

What makes most scholarships differ from grants is the criteria used to determine who receives the money. In most cases, a grant has financial need at its core, while a scholarship is an award based on merit.

A scholarship is usually offered by a higher education institution or by a scholarship foundation. In addition, some companies offer scholarships to employees or other qualified individuals. Grants like the Pell Grant are offered by the federal government. Private grants like the $10,000 scholarship for mothers can be found online.

To apply for a federal government grant, single moms must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. This document can be completed online or in paper format within about 20 minutes. When filling out the form, the single mother designates which schools should receive the resulting financial summary information. From there, the school determines how much grant money will be afforded to the eligible applicant.

In the case of scholarships, the applications often must be completed individually. The single mom should apply for as many scholarships as she can because this can increase the total amount of financial assistance. The State of Michigan also offers several financial help programs to help single mothers can get by.

There are books and online resources i.e Grants.gov that assist people with finding and applying for scholarships. An investment in one of these may save time and result in a more positive financial outcome.