Federal Grants And Education

Education is something that we find worth not sacrificing. Education trains our mind and prepares our body, mind and spirit in putting our skills in maximum use. A lot of people is sacrificing to be able to finish their education. But not everybody is capable of getting into a school and successfully graduate from college. There are a lot of students facing financial difficulties but still want to pursue their education. This where federal grants provided to different colleges come into the picture.

Here are four grant programs that you can apply to:

• Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant provides financial aid to those students who have low-income so that they would be able to pay their tuition fees. Unlike the a loan, students would not be paying the money given. This grant is considered to be the foundation of federal financial aid.

Who are qualified to apply for this grant?

Applicants should be United States citizens who are studying. Applicants should have at least graduated from high school and are pursuing a undergraduate degree. Male students should register first with the Selective Service.

Pell Grants are only awarded to students once a year. For the year 2008-2009, the highest amount given by the Pell Grant was $4,371. While for the year 2009-2010, the grant's maximum amount would reach to $5,350. the amount that you would receive depends not only on your need, but also the cost of pursuing your studies, if you are a full-time or part-time student and plans to continue your education for the next year.

To apply for the Pell Grant, the students can get the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from their school's scholarship and financial aid office. The students would be informed of the application results within two to four weeks.

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

Another federal aid offered to students having financial difficulties would be the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Students who are qualified for the Pell Grant are actually also qualified to get the FSEOG. This kind of program is campus-based and the amount is limited between $100 and $4,000. Since it is campus-based, its sources are limited.

Students with low expected family contributions are the top priority and those who have already the Pell Grant. Students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA), they would be later on informed by the amount of financial aid they would need.

• Academic Competitiveness Grant

This federal grant is just a new financial aid and became available for first-time students during annual year of 2006-2007. Students would only receive the financial aid during the first and second years of the student's college life.

Usually, students would be getting $750 for the first year and $1,300 for the second year.
This grant can also be awarded to students who already have the Pell Grant. Once getting the grant, they should also maintain 3.0 average of their grade on their second year of college.

• SMART Grant

The SMART grant is also known as the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant or the National Smart Grant. This is made available for students who were already in their third and fourth years of undergraduate education. There are courses that are qualified for the SMART grant, and also they should have 3.0 GPA for their major. They should be US citizens and received the Pell grant during the academic year and should also be enrolled full time.

The National SMART Grant could provide up to $4,000 for each year of the third and fourth years or $1333 every term.

Federal grants are government budgets which are reviewed and approved by the House and Senate annually. Since they come from the people's money and taxes, they should also be able to provide service to the people. Federal grants and financial aids exist to assist those who are unable to finance their education but are willing to make sacrifices for it.