So you’re a bright young high school student with ambitions to be a scientist or enter into some other technological profession. Your grades make you a top candidate. At the same time, you’ll be in over your head in student loans before graduating. You’ve heard about Pell grants and state aid, but may be wondering what other sources of financial aid are out there.
The U.S. is indeed suffering from a shortage in just about every aspect of the technological professions. It’s been said that the measure of a nation is based on the number of people in technology it can support. Colleges – both online and on campus – are receiving a lot more financial aid to produce more Bachelors of Science. Others, from public corporations to private societies, have also signed up with grants, if only because they realize their own survival is dependent on it. If you need more information about college grants, look on the internet.
Financial aid candidates looking for grants and scholarships should start by sitting down with a college’s financial aid officer. Whether it’s an online college or on campus, every school has a small army of them. It’s part of his/her job is to stay abreast of all these new programs. Not that it doesn’t hurt to also do one’s own research. A quick scan of Google or any other search engine will show there are a number of sources they might never have heard of. These sources include:
(1) Pell Grant – At the moment, this federal grant is capable of supplying up to $5,350, although that might be going up to $5,900 by 2011. All that is required is filling out a FASFA form, and then wait for response. Don’t forget the state you reside in. That’s what most state lotteries are supposed to finance.
(2) S-STEM Scholarship – This program was created by the Federal government specifically to help students get their Associate’s, Bachelors and even their Masters of Science degree. As of 2009, it awards one hundred students anywhere from $100,000 to $600,000, based on both academics and need. To find out more about this program, one should contact the National Science Foundation or the web site Grants.gov. There is an abundance of information about online college grant on the web.
(3) Corporate Scholarships – Many technological and similar corporations find it in their best interest, both for tax reasons and as a source for recruiting, to set up scholarship funds. This includes companies such as Microsoft, which has its own scholarship/work-study program for computer engineers, to Mobil Oil, where there is a very high demand need for petroleum engineers.
(4) Professional Organizations – Every vocation has its society or professional organization. In turn, they almost always have some sort of scholarship program. It’s a good way of maintaining the ranks. Some of them include such august operations as the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
In total, with a little work, a student can find more than enough leads, such as Pell grants, for financial assistance. With a bit of patience and persistence, getting the needed financial aid is obtainable.
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