Find Free College Grants
Government college
grants come in several flavors. Federal, state, and local governments provide several
grant, scholarship, and loan
programs for students. Some of these government college grants are described below.
College grants and college loans
are different - grants do not require repayment, loans do.
The free college grants outlined below are those offered through the Federal
government through the US Department of Education. There are a host of other
college grant and scholarship opportunities available from a number of
other public and private sources. The trick is to find the free college
grant that best suits your needs.
1) Federal Pell Grants
This grant program is the biggest college grant programs around, and
recently, the government decided to increase their funding for this
program. "Under the proposed 2011 budget, the maximum Pell Grant increases
by $160 to $5,710 and would automatically rise by rate of inflation plus 1
percentage point annually over the next decade." (Source: US Department
of Education Press Release, February 2010) These grants are targeted to undergraduate students who have not
yet earned a bachelor's or higher. Pell college grants often provide the
foundation from which students build on other sources of financial aid.
Read more about Federal Pell Grants
2) Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships (LEAP) (104 million)
This program was enacted in 1998, replacing what was formerly known as the
State Student Incentive Grants program. It provides dollar for dollar
matching funds to contribute to need-based postsecondary assistance by
state. LEAP funds are awarded to individual states, and they are targeted to fund
state level grant programs assisting needy students to pay college tuition
and support community programs. Work study programs fall under this
category.
The Special LEAP (SLEAP) Program
This program requires two to one (State to Federal Government) matching of
funds. These programs target a variety of programs, including scholarships
and early intervention programs.
3) The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) (193 million)
Started in 1993, this yearly grant allocation by the Federal Government is
given to institutions, where the programs are operated on campus. This
grant program uses a particular needs analysis system to determine
students with financial needs that are eligible for funds. The
contribution from the Federal Government can account for no more than 75%
of the funds for SEOG, with the institution matching the other 25%.
Undergraduate college students who can demonstrate financial need can get
assistance of up to $4000 each academic year.
4) Trio Programs
These programs do not provide grants to students in the traditional sense.
This funding is allocated to institutions who voluntarily compete for
grant money. Over 1,200 universities, community colleges and colleges
presently offer TRIO programs. There are current several programs included
in TRIO and all target programs designed to assist students from
disadvantaged backgrounds, low income students, disabled students and
first generation college students.
These programs include:
-
Educational
Opportunity Centers
-
Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate Achievement
-
Student Support
Services
-
Talent Search
-
Training Program for
Federal TRIO Programs
-
Upward Bound
-
Upward Bound
Math-Science
Learn more about
Trio
Programs.
Grants for College
Students
The government college
grants programs described above barely scratch the surface of the free
college grants available to students from all backgrounds. For example,
another excellent method to find free college grants is to access private
funding. Numerous businesses, charities, and other organizations provide
grants for college students. Many college students do not realize that
these grant programs even exist. Learn more about alternative
college funding
sources.
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