The Obama Administration Gives Mothers Federal Funding For College

Who would have thought in a few short years the economy would have went from one of the most amazing spurt of economic growth and to the recession that we have now. No one could have predicted its occurrence, just like no one could have predicted that the stimulus package was going to help single mothers go back to college.
If you would like to avoid the backlash of this current recess of time, this time to consider making good choices that will lead you in a direction of financial security. Single mothers should make a decision to earn a college education that, despite our economy, will be paid for in full by the federal government.


You have heard the saying that we need to be thankful for what we have. This is also true in regard to what is available for college students today. The Pell Grant has been increased to over $5000 per student allowing most students, male or female, to go to college without any concern or need to pay back a long because this grant money is 100% free. Think about that. A complete two-year college education but you don’t have to pay for.
The Obama administration wants to send the public back to school. Without an education, the future may not be as bright. That is why all students, specifically single mothers, are part of the unified front by this administration to send these women into the university system to earn your college degree. Now more than ever, more funding is available than ever before.
Through using scholarships and grants, you don’t have to pay for tuition, books, or unit fees. To take advantage of this aspect of the economic stimulus package, applied for this free grant and Scholarship money as soon as possible. Without any question, this is one of the best times in history to be a college student. Apply for college funds, and once you have received the government money, you will be on your way to success.

Visit our sites for more information on finding federal funding for single mothers or obtaining scholarships for college students through the Obama administrations stimulus package.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Thompsan

Single Parents In College – How to Successfully Pay for College

Beth found herself in a hopeless situation. She was divorced, the sole provider for her family, and the mother of three little kids. Although she was determined to make it, every step she took ultimately meant trouble. Beth knew that a college education would afford her with more opportunities. She didn’t have the money. She wondered if her life would change.


Impossible Dream
Are you pursuing your own dreams or the pipe dreams of someone else? Do you want a college education but it appears impossible? Do you feel it is already too late? If you answer “yes,” this report can assist you in fulfilling your dreams by completing college. As a personal coach and online advisor to families, I frequently get questions from single parents on paying for college. However, it is really more than getting the money. How does a single parent get the emotional and physical support for completing college? The college experience is a challenge in itself; single parents also have to consider their children and in many cases, working a day job to make ends meet.
This article provides single parents with a proven method of getting financial and emotional support for obtaining a college degree. This strategy will be helpful to most individuals. However, if you want more details, I highly recommend you review my special books for a more comprehensive analysis. I have spent countless hours reading books, searching websites, and reviewing past advice to clients to provide my readers with credible solutions to paying for college. Let’s explore this matter more closely.
The Financial Aid Mystery
Understanding the process of federal financial aid can appear like a jigsaw puzzle. The first step for most federal financial assistance begins with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available at your local college or high school. You can apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You should complete this form even if you feel you don’t meet the financial need requirement, based on your income. The U.S. government Financial Aid program includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Loans, Plus Loans, Federal Consolidation Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Perkins Loans. Scholarships and grants are not paid back by the student; however, loans are expected to be repaid by the student to the lending institution. It is important to work with the financial aid office where you plan to attend college. Remember, the process can appear to be difficult. However, it is to your benefit to be patient and follow through with the process.
The Single Parent Strategy
To be successful in obtaining free money, single parents need to develop a strategy. However, the problem is that many single parents get discouraged in the face of their hectic life and the additional stress of embarking on a college education. If a person had his or her own personal planner, life would flow a lot easier! In the absence of this assistant, having a strategy for college becomes even more crucial. After conducting extensive research and providing personal coaching, I have come up with a simple strategy for addressing these problems:

• Check out www.fastweb.com to set up a profile for possible scholarships.
• Contact your potential online college or a local college in your area for financial aid advice.
• Check out the latest college scholarship books at your library, such as Peterson’s Scholarship.
• Check out more non-traditional colleges. Go to Jonnie’s Distance Learning Website at http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/dluniv.html.
• Submit at least 100 scholarship applications.
• Send letters for financial help to friends, co-workers, and other key people.
• Write a letter or call local community groups in your area and ask them about scholarships.
• Be persistent and patient.

The Path Forward
Paying for college is possible for the single parent if he or she is committed to his or her goals. The process of attending college is not an easy one. However, you have determined that you need additional education to improve the quality of life for yourself and your child or children. This is one of the biggest decisions that you will make. With my approach you have a simple strategy for success. Do you have the energy and the desire? This is the critical question you must ponder now. Start today and improve the quality of your life.

Daryl and Estraletta Green, who have been noted and quoted in USA Today and AP, provide personal advice all around the country. Want a better life? Get a copy of FREE copy of Paying for Single Parents College at http://www.lulu.com/content/892452
You can also contact them at http://www.darylandestraletta.com

3 Ultimate Benefits of Government Grants For Single Moms

Single moms face face a lot of tough challenges raising up a family all alone. Kids need to go to school, bills need to be paid, food must be prepared on the dinner table and silently warming up the family is no easy task. We all understand what single moms are going through, especially the government. This is why there are quite a number of government grants for single moms available out there.
No Financial Burden
Government grants for single moms is a totally different form of finance source as compared to a household loan. Repayments are not required and I would say this is the best benefit for single moms out there. Raising cash will be an issue now and probably in the future. Thus, applying for a grant is always better than raising cash through loans that require repayment and interest payments.



How much will be the amount that you might be granted? Well, over the past few years, people are being granted from a couple thousands to a few hundred thousands depend on the type of grants that they applied for.
Higher Approval Rates
The government is lenient when it comes to approval of single mom government grants. All you need to do is to prove that you are indeed a single, which is by providing the birth certificates of your kids, proof of divorce or death of husband and you are very likely to be rewarded with the grant.
However, due to the widespread of the information that you are currently reading, the terms of government grants for single mothers may be tighten. Thus, you may want to prove to the department that you really need the grant to improve the quality of life of your family.
More Than One Application
Case studies have shown that there are indeed people who receive grants from the government for more than one occasion and this might happen to you as well. There are multiple government grants for single moms out there and if you are able to satisfy the terms stated, it will definitely be a plus to apply for all of them.
Also, if you run a small business or you have kids that are currently studying, you can always apply for government grants for small businesses and government grants for education. On the other hand, if you find it hard to pay your health insurance bills on time, there are always health care government grants available for application.

Looking for a complete database of government grants for single moms that are available for application? Click on apply for free government grant now and get the FREE government grant report today.
Of course, knowing the database is not enough. How about revealing to you the top methods that people have been using over and over again to get their grants approved? Second doubts now and the report may be gone forever due to high demand. Click on http://www.supergreatoffer.com/apply-for-free-government-grant-free-us-government-grants/ to check it out today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Bradley

How to ask for more financial aid

Focus on Financial Aid

Is there such a thing as negotiating your financial aid award package? Yes and no. No in the sense that your school’s financial aid office is not like a car dealership with a dean of admissions in the back room who will give you the manager’s Wednesday special. Yes in that if you can prove beyond question that your financial need and circumstances are greater than what’s provided via the usual financial aid paperwork like the FAFSA, schools can be flexible.

Before we get started, I recommend strongly reading this article on StudentLoanNetwork.com about how to read a financial aid award letter.

Get Your Budget In Order

If you don’t use any kind of personal finance software, be it a desktop application like Quicken or a web-based application like Wesabe, Mint, or Geezeo, I strongly recommend starting with one. The web-based applications are free, so if you’re trying to save money from every angle, start with one of those.

Start by importing any electronic records of your finances and your family’s finances for at least 90 days. You’ll want to take the time to categorize your expenses in terms of mandatory and discretionary, followed by breaking them out into individual categories, like mortgage or rent, utilities, etc.

Once you’ve got your budget broken out, you’ll want to compare it against your award letter, especially looking at what kind of discretionary income you have compared to the expected family contribution, or out of pocket expenses. If your EFC from your award letter divided by 12 (for what’s essentially a monthly EFC) is greater than your discretionary expenses budget (dining out, entertainment, etc.) then you’ve got a good starting point for a conversation about what you can and cannot afford.

Get All Your Paperwork Together

If you’re going to be asking for more financial aid based on changed economic circumstances, have ample paperwork available to back up your claims and requests. Did someone lose a job in the family? Have termination notices, unemployment insurance, or other papers ready. Did your income change? Use any of the budgeting software described above to graphically illustrate your monthly cash flow, along with things like pay stubs, tax returns, etc.

Know What To Ask For

It’s not enough to ask for more money. That’s way too generic. Ask for specific amounts, ask for specific assistance, and try to know some of the different types of things financial aid administrators are permitted to do. Financial aid administrators are permitted to make professional judgement overrides on:

- dependency. If you can prove that you are an independent student due to the involuntary dissolution of your family (i.e. parents in jail, social services removed you from the home due to abuse, etc.) a financial aid administrator can override the dependency requirements for undergraduate students, letting you complete the FAFSAand other financial aid paperwork without parental income information.

- future earnings and income. If you can prove that you or your family has had a significant change in income that impacts your ability to pay for college, a financial aidadministrator can grant you more assistance. Be prepared with termination notices, tax returns, and every scrap of paper you can find to make your case.

Updated April 2, 2009: The Department of Education has offered additional guidance for this scenario. See this post at FinancialAidNews.com about the changes.

- cost of attendance. If you can prove that expenses in your student budget (transportation, medical, disability, dependents, and a few other select cases) do not reflect your situation, a financial aid administrator can alter your student budget, allowing for additional aid. If you pursue this override, again, be prepared to document every step of the way to show why, for example, traveling to and from your school requires a transportation budget greater than allotted.

- special circumstances. In some cases, parents divorce during the financial aid award year, but the FAFSA cannot be changed to reflect the divorce. With appropriate court documentation noting the dissolution of the marriage, a student can ask for a special circumstances override that will let them use the income of the custodial parent.

There are other, more narrow circumstances that apply as well. If you don’t know what to ask for, haul as much documentation to your financial aid administrator as possible so that they have as complete a picture of your finances as possible.

Be Polite

The single thing that will do the most good or harm in getting additional aid is how you approach the financial aid office. The best time to approach them is before you need their help, as is the case with virtually all professional networking. Stop by from time to time casually, and say hello. Ask if there are any new scholarships that have been posted. Check in. If you find a scholarship that you’re not eligible for but other students at your school might be, let someone in the office know about it so it can be posted in the office. If you want a real education in financial aid, apply for a work study job in thefinancial aid office.

If you know your parents are, shall we say, less than diplomatic, then try to mediate any discussions with the financial aid office so that overly aggressive or insistent requests don’t harm your chances of getting help.

Check Your School For Scholarships

One of the tips in our Scholarship Search Secrets eBook talks about using keywords for finding scholarships in Google. Another tip is to restrict your search to your school’s web site using the site: restrictor. Go to Google.com and try out this search:

scholarship site:yourschool.edu

For example, if I wanted to search for scholarships at Franklin & Marshall College, I’d type:

scholarship site:fandm.edu

This restricts the search only to F&M, showing scholarships for this particular school. I’d bet that the financial aid staff at F&M probably know about half of these – and even the individual professors in the departments awarding the scholarships may not necessarily know about them.

Try it at your school to see what’s lurking on the college’s web site that could help you pay.

Ask!

Above all else, ask. Ask politely, ask frequently, but ask. There’s an old joke about God and winning the lottery:

One Sunday, Shane walks into a church and kneels down at the altar and begins to pray to God, stating that he owes many people money and asks to win the lottery. After he is done praying, he gets up and walks out. The next Sunday he goes to the same church and pleads with God through his prayers to let him win the lottery so that he can pay these people back.

The next Sunday comes around and Shane enters the church very upset and close to tears, he kneels at the alter and asks why God is doing this to him and say’s that he has asked to win the lottery for three weeks now and nothing. Suddenly there came a loud bang of thunder and God spoke, “Shane, meet me halfway: Buy a bloody ticket.”

If you don’t ask, you’ll never get the opportunity for more financial aid. Schools andfinancial aid offices are swamped right now with people needing additional help – make sure you ask for help if you need it!