Single moms have big responsibilities. They have the complete responsibility of running a household and taking care of the kids all on their own. While these responsibilities can be rewarding, they can also be very difficult. If a single mom is not able to secure a good job that pays enough for her and her family to live comfortably it can be very difficult indeed.

Many times the key to being able to secure a better job and to create a better life for your family is to get a higher education. However, it can be very difficult for a single mom to afford the additional expenses of going back to school, not to mention the difficulties in splitting time between work, kids and school. There is also the additional expense of child care during the time she is taking classes. These challenges are often what stops a single mother from trying to go back to school. It just seems to complicated and expensive to do it.

However, the truth is that the sacrifice will pay off. The time spent furthering your education can be the best thing for your family. It can help you get into a good career that can provide all of the things that you and your family need. Even though it may seem difficult at first in the long run it can be well worth it.

Most people know that it is possible to get financial aid to attend college. However, most people do not know how much and what types of financial aid is available. Most people also dont know exactly how to apply for financial aid. With a little research, some planning and attention to detail, almost any single mom can get financial aid to assist them to go back to college so they can improve their lives and the lives of their children.

Paying for Tuition

If you have checked it out recently you are surely aware that tuition costs for colleges are quite high. Add in the cost of books and other resources, child care and more and it can look overwhelming. However, it is better for everyone in the long run for the government or others to help pay for schooling for a short time for single moms than to have them stay a minimum wage jobs taking government subsidies for a long time.

There are several Government backed grants that are available to help single moms and other low-income families pay for tuition, books and other expenses associated with higher education. The benefit of receiving a grant is that you dont have to pay it back. Yes, thats right. You will be able to get an education without incurring student debt. And that would be great for anyone and especially nice for a single mom with so many responsibilities.

The Pell Grant is likely one of the best known grants that are available. This grant is provided by the Federal government o n a need-basis to low-income undergraduate and a few post baccalaureate students to promote access to college and post secondary education. A Pell grant recipient can use their grants at any one of as many as 5400 participating colleges. The amount of the grant is dependent upon the students expected family contribution (EFC), the cost of tuition as determined by the institution, whether the student is part-time or full-time and whether the student plants to attend for a full academic year or less. Pell grant funds can only be used for one school at a time.

Financial need for the Pell grant is determined by the U.S. Department of Education using a standard formula established by Congress. The applicant must submit the FAFSA or the Free application for Federal Student Aid. The formula are the students income and assets (if the student is independent) or the parents income and assets (if the student is dependent), the household size and the number of family members currently attending post-secondary educational institutions. The EFC or Expected Family Contribution is based upon a percentage of net remaining income after basic living expenses and taxes and a percentage of net assets after subtracting an asset protection allowance. Different assessments are made for different situations, for example dependent students and independents students and whether the students have dependents of their own. After filing the FAFSA and it is evaluated the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) or the institution that they are planning to attend will receive an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). These reports will notify the students of their eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant.

A Federal Pell Grant is a direct grant awarded through the participating educational institution to students with a financial need who have not yet completed their first bachelors degree or who are enrolled in specific post baccalaureate programs which will lead to teacher certification or licensure. The participating institution will either credit the students school account with the funds from the Pell grant or they will pay the student directly by check or a combination of these. The student will be paid at least one time per term, whether it is a semester, a trimester or a quarter. If the schools does not use formal terms the student must be paid at least twice per academic year.

In order to qualify for a Pell grant the student must:

    1. Not be in default on any federal student aid. 2. Take at least six credit hours for each term that they will be using the Pell grant money. 3. Be a U.S. Citizen with a valid Social Security number 4. Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA with an acceptable attendance record. They must also be careful not to fail any class while they are using Pell grant funds. Poor grades or failure to attend classes could adversely affect future financial aid. 5. Meet certain income requirements, which will vary based upon the situation, such as the state of residence, annual income, family size and dependent status. The highest Pell grant award at this time is $5550.00 per school year. 6. No criminal history of drug charges for at least one year. Applicants with multiple drug convictions may be declared ineligible for funds or they may have to complete a further requirement of completing a drug rehabilitation program. 7. Never have earned a bachelors degree in the past. 8. A student can only attend one school at a time. This also includes summer or Internet based classes. All education must be completed at the school where the Pell grant was issued.

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