A Guide to Student Grants and Scholarships

 by: John Mussi

Colleges and universities can be expensive… sometimes getting accepted into the school of your choice can be the easy part of the educational journey of the new student. It isn't always easy to find the money that you need to pay for your education, but there are ways to make paying for school much easier. Two of the more common ways to ease the cost of continuing education are student grants and scholarships, both of which provide certain amounts of money that can be applied toward the cost of further education without the need to repay them.

Student grants and scholarships aren't always easy to find or to win, but the extra time taken in researching and applying for them is well worth it if you are awarded any of those that you apply for.

Defining Grants and Scholarships

The first thing that you need to know when looking for student grants and scholarships is exactly what the difference between grants and scholarships is. Both grants and scholarships are funds that are given to students based upon academic performance, financial need, or other reasons, and do not require the student to pay them back after graduation unlike student loans.

The major difference in grants and scholarships are their origins and the ways in which they are used. Grants are usually given by government offices and non-profit organizations and can generally be used to cover a variety of different expenses. Scholarships, on the other hand, are usually created by businesses or private individuals and are used to cover specific costs such as tuition or dormitory costs.

Both grants and scholarships must be applied for, and are generally considered to be highly competitive since there's only so much grant or scholarship money to go around each semester or each year.

Finding Grants and Scholarships   (continued...)

A Guide to Student Grants and Scholarships
  Page 2

About The Author John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Additional Government Grants Resources

Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program
In keeping with this mission, the National Institutes of Food and Agriculture has recently established the Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program in an attempt to conduct agricultural research studies that address high priority concerns of tribal, national, or multistate significance.

---

Department of Homeland Security: 2011 Earthquake Technology Transfer
The Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA), under the DHS, has constituted the Earthquake Technology Transfer Cooperative Agreement program.

---

Conservation Innovation Grants Program
The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state of Michigan has recently established the Conservation Innovation Grants(CIG) Program wherein it intends to stimulate the creation and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and initiatives.

---

Developing and Strengthening Services and Systems that Support Family Cohesion and Respond to the Separation of Children in Democratic Republic of Congo
USAID-DRC has established a program entitled Developing and Strengthening Services and Systems that Support Family Cohesion and Respond to the Separation of Children in Democratic Republic of Congo.

---

Nonprofits: Should You Hire a Professional Writer for Your Fundraising?
If you’re a nonprofit—especially one with a small budget—you may be wondering if you can justify the expense of hiring a professional writer for your grant proposals and fundraising letters. The answ...

---

Connecticut Housing Finance Agency Mortgage Programs for Military, Police and Teachers
The Connecticut Housing Finance Agency has established the Mortgage Programs for Military, Police and Teachers so as to provide reasonable housing opportunities to veterans and active duty service members of the United States Military, the National Guard, along with teachers and police officers who are assigned in under-served areas.

---

United States Institutes for Student Leaders on US History & Government
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has recently established the United States Institutes for Student Leaders on US History & Government Program.

---