crash course on Education grants

What are Education Grants

Education grants are monetary help from the government to people who are more or else in need of support regarding education. There are various types of education grants all of which has its’ own set of targets. A complete list of this as well as the details may be found in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) website at www.cfda.gov.

How to apply

Application details are usually included in the description of each grant at the CFDA website, however, in general, an applicant needs first to be eligible for the grant, in order to do that, she must have proof of her eligibility.

In addition, almost all grants require an application process that includes writing a grant proposal to the respective to the grant giver, in this case the U.S. government

What are the Grants?

The CFDA offers list f several grants that are outlined into different subcategories, these are:

* Dental Education And Training
* Education Equipment And Resources
* Educational Facilities
* Elementary And Secondary
* General Research And Evaluation
* Handicapped Education
* Health Education And Training
* Higher Education General
* Indian Education
* Libraries And Technical Information Services
* Medical Education And Training
* Nuclear Education And Training
* Nursing Education
* Resource Development And Support Elementary, Secondary Education
* Resource Development And Support General And Special Interest Organizations
* Resource Development And Support Higher Education
* Resource Development And Support Land And Equipment
* Resource Development And Support School Aid
* Resource Development And Support Sciences
* Resource Development And Support Student Financial Aid
* Resource Development And Support Vocational Education And Handicapped Education
* Teacher Training   

If you’ll look at the website, you’ll see that there are a lot of grants to choose from, however, for the general purpose of furthering your education the four sub categories, Elementary and Secondary, Higher Education General, Resource Development and Support Higher Education and Resource Development and Support Student Financial Aid, would probably be the most common sub-categories to choose.

Each category is also subdivided into individual grants; these contain the details, application process, eligibility information and financial support outline of each grant.

Here are a few examples for each of the four categories.

Elementary and Secondary

There are 58 grants in this category, one of which is the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Grant Program.

Eligibility:

Applicant: These are for state and local agencies.

Beneficiary: The teachers, students, agencies of higher education as well as non-profit firms may benefit from this grant.

Application:

Application forms may be obtained from the website, http://www.ed.gov/programs/javits/index.html

Awarding:

This is a competitive grant so better go all out on it. The Assistant Secretary for Educational Research reviews each application and is the one who decides grant awardees.

Higher Education General

This section has a total of 115 grants one of which is Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to College undergraduates who wish to pursue studies in other countries.

Eligibility:

Applicant: Any U.S. citizen student who is enrolled as an undergraduate who is currently receiving a Pell grant

Beneficiary: The student

Application

The website http://exchanges.state.gov/ provides further information on this subject however; scholarships are announced by IIE (Institute of International Education) through their publications. Applications should be sent to the IIE office.

Resource Development and Support Higher Education

In this section, there are 36 grants listed. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, one of the 36, is a scholarship aiming to support academically excellent students who are inclined to pursue mathematics, engineering and natural sciences with a permanent trust fund.

Eligibility:

Application: the Goldwater faculty representative of his or her college may recommend a junior or sophomore, provided that the course is a two or a four-year course.

Beneficiary: the beneficiary should be a student enrolled in a college or university that has been accredited by the Department of Education.

Resource Development and Support Student Financial Aid

The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation is one of 23 grants under this category. It aims to give opportunities for students to choose environmental courses and also for Native Americans and Natives of Alaska to engage in courses including tribal public policy and health care.

Eligibility:

Applicant: Sophomores or Junior with excellent academic standing who are pursuing careers of environmental aspects as well as Native Americans with inclinations towards tribal public policies and health care.

Beneficiary: Sophomore or Junior U.S. citizens may benefit.

Application:

There will be an appointed Udall Faculty Representative for every institution who chooses the student to be awarded the grant.

Getting An Online Education

Today, online education is growing in popularity, chosen mostly by people who want to get additional education (finishing college or getting another degree). The topmost reason is its flexibility.

Free of real-time constraints like attending on-campus classrooms, online education is tailor-made for people who are into full-time jobs, or engaged in other full-time commitments (housewives with children to care, etc.)

However, there are certain things to prepare yourself first before you consider getting an online education. They can help you balance things out and make the right decisions.

Questions to answer

If flexibility is your only reason for an online education, why not consider night school or weekend programs at regular schools? On the other hand, if wanting to work makes you choose online education, why not go into blended learning courses at your nearest college?

Is online study your best choice for what you want? What is your career goal? The degree you want to finish should be the perfect one to make your personal goal a reality.

Online schools

For your online institution, the first consideration is its reputation. To confirm that reputation, the school must of course have the proper accreditation.

Next would be checking which of your prospective schools can further your own career in tandem with your personal educational goals. For instance, if you are an elementary school teacher, you would need to have a program that completes your credentialing requirements. 

Every school has a different set of programs. Be on the lookout for those that are perfect fits for your schedule and learning style. (You can discuss this with your online college counselor.)

Credits and transfer policies

Some online colleges have good transfer policies and it will be advantageous if you have finished some college coursework or some AP high school classes. This will greatly reduce the amount of your coursework.

On the other hand, some schools accept few (or none at all) previously completed courses from other institutions. Discuss this with your counselor.

Another possibility of reduced coursework could be your work experience. Ask if you can get college credits by completing a portfolio, presenting a letter from your employer or perhaps taking an exam to prove what you already know.

Tuition fees 

Check out if you qualify for either a federal grant, subsidized or unsubsidized student loan. You may even be eligible for a school-based scholarship or payment program.

Discuss this with your financial aid adviser for a thorough assessment.

Outside help

Ideally, your studies and your employment responsibilities are not to interfere with each other. However, it is a good idea to give notice to your employer regarding your going back to school.

There might be instances when you have to request time off for exams and some in-person school requirements.

Challenges

As the cliché goes, online education is not a walk in the park. It will take up much of your time, effort and attention. This is especially true to people with family responsibilities. It is always a good idea to discuss this phase of your life with the other members of your family. 

Preparing For Your Online Education

Preparing For Your Online Education
For some specific reasons (work, family life, commitments), you may not be able to pursue further education in the traditional route. Thankfully, online education is now a viable alternative.

Like traditional on campus education, you also must follow some tried and tested procedures. This is to preclude waste in haste and faulty decisions, and generally, just to be in the safe side.  

Choices 

Like most decisions, your choice in your field of study must be firm and good. This early, you must know your subjects of interest related to your future degree.

Like what most experts emphasize, learning should be enjoyable. If you choose a field you are not really interested in, the momentum would lose steam later. Studies had shown that we learn more (and retain knowledge better) if we are interested in the subject.

Review

Once you have made your choice, the first thing to do is conduct a personal review. Scour the Internet and review all the programs offered by schools and universities.

Make notes on the variety of the courses, the various differences in subjects under them, and each of the processes involved. Weigh the differences and similarities. It will help you make your choice better.

Comparison     

After the thorough review, it is now time to compare your notes on each of your candidate-schools. You will compare the requirements and the amount of work needed.

Review the courses that you must complete, the credits involved, the length of study and the corresponding costs. You may have to request further information from each candidate institutions you are looking into. This is the time to narrow down your choices.

Accreditation

In online education, accreditation is very important because it is a form of a quality control check on the schools. It means they have met the criteria set for their obligations as a school.

For students applying for grants and loans, accreditation is an important requirement. It means that you will spend your money wisely on a reputable institution and not a diploma mill.

Accreditation makes credit transfers between colleges and universities smoother and easier. Very important, too, is the fact that employers look for accreditation status when evaluating job applicants or offering financial support to employees who want to get further online education.

Costs

Part of your previous review of each institution is to find out if your candidate university-of-choice is Title IV funded.

This would mean that a student in that institution can qualify for student loans that are federally-funded. This is crucial if you have no funding available from your employer and everything comes from your own pocket.

Decision

It is time now to complete the online form of your chosen school and send it. However, list down all your questions before the school returns your call.

When they contact you, be sure all your questions are answered. You may request to put it in writing even in an email form. This is the time when further clarifications are clarified.

This is also the time to re-evaluate your choices. Some schools might hound you to make your decision. They are also in the business of making money and would want to get you first.

Make yours only when you are completely comfortable. Online education is one important life decision you have to make.