Education and College Grants for Single Mothers

Many single mothers dream of eventually going back to school to earn their degree. Having a degree is a gateway to better career choices, but sometimes single mothers feel that they are too financially unstable to begin with to even consider going back to school. This is not true though.

There are lots of grant options available for single mothers who want to go to college. These are sponsored by both public and private organizations, by individual schools, and every level of government.

These are the different types of college grants that are available to single mothers. Competition is stiff, so it is a good idea to apply to as many different grants as you can.

Public and Private Organizations

One of the most common ways that single mothers can afford to go back to school is through grants that are offered by both public and private organizations. There are a lot of non-profit groups out there that specifically focus on sending single mothers back to school.

Colleges and Universities

Another way that you can find out more about educational grants that are available to single others is to get in touch with the financial aid office of the school that you are attending. They will have the best information about the resources that they offer to ease your financial burden.

State and Local Governments

Many state and local governments sponsor programs that can help single mothers go back to school. The type of grants that are available vary from place to place, so you should get in contact with your state’s educational board in order to find out what grants are offered in your area.

National SMART Grants

If a single mother earns a 3.0 grade point average as a first year college student, she can apply for an Active Competitiveness Grant. This grant provides $750 in aid, and is only eligible to students who have earned the Pell Grant.

Students who have earned the Active Competitiveness Grant can also apply for the National SMART Grant. This is the Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant.

Both of these grants require students to have earned the Pell Grant, and they have stricter eligibility requirements than the Pell Grant.

American Association of University Women

This is an organization that promotes women getting a college education. They do this by offering grants for single mothers that can help them achieve upward mobility in the workplace and achieving a college education.

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant

One of the programs that the federal government provides to help people with low incomes afford college is the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant. This program offers between one hundred and four thousand dollars every year, depending on the financial needs of the applicant.

Pell Grant

The Pell Grant is the best option for single mothers who are trying to go to college. This is a grant that gives low-income people who want to go to college up to six thousand dollars to put towards their education. This is often given to working and single mothers.

This is not the only government grant that is available to single mothers, but this is one of the most accessible.

Capture The Dream

Capture The Dream is a nonprofit organization that offers two different scholarships that are available to single mothers and other low income families so that they can afford to go back to school.

The scholarships that Capture The Dream award are the Single Parent Scholarship and the and the George Geng-On Lee Minorities in Leadership Scholarship awards.

Live Your Dream Awards

The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards are a collection of resources that struggling single mothers can use to find the financial assistance that they need to pay for their education. This program also offers job training opportunities that can help improve a single mother’s chances of launching her career after she finishes her education.

Program for Continuing Education

The Program for Continuing Education is a needs-based program that provides single mothers with temporary cash assistance to help them get their education. This is a particularly good option for single mothers who have to complete an unfinished degree but cannot afford to pay out of pocket.

Education Support Award

This is an award that is sponsored by the Patsy Takemoto Education Foundation. This is a program that provides single mothers with up to five thousand dollars in education grants every year, so that they can go back to school.

If you need help going back to school, you can take a look at their website to see their eligibility requirements and see if you qualify.

Cal Grant Program

Single mothers in California have an extra option that residents of other states do not have access to. Eligible single mothers in California can apply for this transition assistance program that will help their children cover the cost of tuition.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant that helps college students fund their education by giving grants to students with low incomes. If you are a single mother who is trying to go back to school, you should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to see if you are eligible to receive this grant.

You can also get started by finding out more information you can get in touch with the Federal Student Aid Information center to see if you are eligible to apply.

National Security Language Initiative for Youth

This is another scholarship program that gives the opportunity to study language abroad to low income students. Students that meet the program requirements can take advantage of these scholarships to study in any of a variety of different foreign countries.

You can find out more information about this program by visiting the American Councils for International Education.

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant, also known as the TEACH Grant, is a special grant that can help out single mothers who aspire to become school teachers. Students who meet the program’s eligibility requirements can receive up to several thousand dollars in financial aid to pursue their education.

You can find out more information about this program by getting in touch with the financial aid department at the school you attend. They will be able to give you more information about whether or not they participate in the TEACH Grant program and what your benefits would be.

Upward Bound Math and Science Program

The Upward Bound Math and Science Program is a special program for students who intend to study the fields of math and science. This is a good program for single mothers pursuing a career in the STEM fields, because students who earn this grant get help with counseling, advice, and summer training programs for math, science, and computer programming.

Final Thoughts

Going back to school as a single mother is hard. However, there are plenty of grants available that can reduce the financial burden of resuming your education. There is a lot of competition for these grants, so keep your chin up and keep applying to as many as you can. Eventually you will find a way to afford the degree you need.

Learn more about Grants and Government Assistance Programs for Single Mothers.