Single mothers wishing to go back to school in order to better support their families often find it hard to do so financially. There are quite a few resources out there from both government entities and private organizations designed to help single mothers with this sort of thing. Although it's not easy, it is possible for a single mom to earn a degree, land a better paying job, and raise her children.
One of the options available is to look into any Pell Grants for single mothers. The Pell Grant was established to help those with legitimate financial need pay for college related expenses. It is by no means an all-inclusive program that will pay for your college education entirely. But depending on your needs, you can receive between $400 and $5,500 annually. Combined with other federal grants, state financial aid, and a variety of private grants and scholarships, most single moms should be able to fund their education.
Pell Grants Not Just for Single Mothers
The Pell Grant is designed for anyone who can meet certain requirements, such as legitimate financial need, the ability to benefit, and continued academic progress. Yet despite what you may have heard from other resources, single mothers do not have any advantage over others in terms of receiving Pell Grants. All applications are looked at equally to let anyone who has legitimate financial need have a fair shot at receiving the funds.
With that said, there are small handfuls of other federal and state programs designed specifically to help single mothers complete a college education. Many of these college grants require that candidates first be eligible for a Pell Grant. Therefore, even if the Pell amount you're eligible for is very small, it could be the key to unlocking the door to many other grant opportunities.
The FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the process by which a single mother, or anyone else for that matter, would apply for federal student aid. The process includes a lengthy application which is filled out and submitted online. Only after completing the FAFSA application will a student be considered for any type of federal financial aid for college. For every subsequent year that you apply, a new FAFSA application will need to be submitted.
There are organizations that offer to help students find the funding they need and include help in filling out the FAFSA application. Although the application may seem complicated and daunting at first, it really isn't if you take the time to simply slow down and read. In reality, you can apply for all your financial assistance on your own without the need to pay a service hundreds of dollars to do it for you. Besides which despite what some of those services promise they cannot guarantee you that you'll be approved for anything.
Grant versus Student Loan
A Pell Grant is vastly different from a federal student loan in many ways, but primarily in that it does not need to be repaid. Grant money is given as a "gift" of sorts from the federal government. A student loan on the other hand, is funded either by the federal or state government and must be repaid under the terms and conditions agreed to at the time the loan was originated. Federal and state student loans are no different than a mortgage or car loan except that the government cannot repossess your education. Nonetheless, failure to repay your student loans could cause you big trouble when it comes time to buy a house or secure other forms of credit.
Regardless of the specific process a single mom uses to fund her education, there are enough resources available to make it possible. If you're willing to invest a few hours of research on the Internet, and then make some phone calls and write some letters, you'll be able to find just what you need for your situation.