Because nearly 40% of single mothers live at or below the poverty level, single mother scholarships are necessary in order to pay for higher education. It’s often difficult for single parents to manage a family, a job, and still afford to pay for the ever-increasing costs of tuition. Educational loans are easy to get-especially for single mothers who have very low income or no income at all. But the prospect of being tens of thousands of dollars in debt after graduation is distressing for these women who clearly have a great number of stressors already. In order to alleviate this concern, single mother scholarships and grants are available as forms of free educational funding.
Single mothers and single parents in general may find it hard to return to school for a number of reasons. Often, these reasons all ultimately relate to money issues. For instance, one major reason that single mothers don’t attend college is that they can’t make the time because they work too much. Another issue is that daycare expenses are too high. But both of these issues and many others like them may be relieved with the proper application of single mother scholarships. Money received from scholarships may be used for tuition, books, transportation, and any other expenses that a single mother will incur while attending college.
However, single mother scholarships should not be confused with grants for single mothers, as there are some key differences. Grants are available to single mothers from a great number of sources, but they can be used for many different purposes- not just for education. Grants are usually awarded once per year, and may have a significant application process that weeds out fierce competition. Scholarships, on the other hand, are specifically for educational purposes, so a single mother will know she’s getting specialized funding. Scholarships also often target recent high school graduates, first year students, or those who have not yet achieved their bachelor’s degrees, making them especially easy for undergraduate single mothers to obtain funding.
Where can Single Mother Scholarships be Found?
The best source for scholarships for moms is through the federal government. By filling out a FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a single mother can apply for subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, work study, grants and scholarships. Most scholarship programs will require that a single parent meet certain requirements, such as field of study or grade point average. Some scholarships have even more stringent requirements that must be met before and after the award process. Therefore, single parents should be careful when researching for scholarships.
The FAFSA will also provide an opportunity for students to apply for scholarships that are awarded by colleges, universities, trade schools, technical schools, and nursing and vocational schools. These single mother scholarships are not offered by the federal government, but schools use information provided on the FAFSA to make award determinations for in-house scholarship programs. Schools will also use this information to determine if a student is eligible for other in-house programs, including grants and work study.
Other sources of single mother scholarships should be researched independently, as there are many different groups, businesses and organizations that offer different scholarships for different purposes. Businesses and professional associations may offer scholarships for specific field of study or research. Church, religious, and charitable groups may provide scholarships for affiliations or special achievements within those groups. Civic groups, private individuals, and even city and county municipalities may also provide single mother scholarships. Many groups and organizations have a vested interest in providing scholarships and other forms of aid for single parents, because a better education not only helps the parent and their community, but it also helps their children to develop into more educated adults.