Financial Aid Information: NextAdvisor.com Launches New Resource

Getting ready to apply for (or go to) college, but have no idea where you're going to get the money to pay for it? Never fear, NextAdvisor.com has put together a whole section on financial aid information and helpful links. This is an excellent place to start your search for cash to pay for your higher education.

Regardless of whether you're going to be attending online college or a brick-and-mortar institution, we'll guide you through the steps you'll need to take and give you some tricks and tips to remember.   We even included a bunch of links to useful financial information sites.  Check it out!

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Project Working Mom Scholarship

If you're a working mom in need of a full scholarship to get your degree and achieve your dreams, help is here.  eLearners is continuing their Project Working Mom full-tuition scholarship program.  They've already given away over $5 million to moms and dads and are still looking for parents who need a helping hand.  Project Working Mom is a completely legitimate scholarship opportunity and has even been featured on the Tyra Show.

Project Working Mom will be awarding 285 scholarships throughout 2010.  It's quick and easy to apply for consideration:

1. Go to the Project Working Mom website website.
2. Complete the application.  You'll need to provide some basic information about yourself and specify what degree you'd like to pursue.
3. Write a short essay explaining why you'd like to go back to school describing “how earning an online degree/program would make my mother proud” or “how earning an online degree/program would make me a better mom/dad.”

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FAFSA is required for Student Financial Aid

As everyone knows, a higher education is costly.  For those who are interested in financial aid for college, you must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as FAFSA).   The FAFSA is run by the Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education.  It's the application most colleges use to determine eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid.  Filing your FAFSA is the first step in applying for the more than 170 billion dollars in aid available.

The FAFSA is a necessary step but people often find it to be very complicated, confusing and time consuming to fill out.  You'll be required to gather a number of documents such as your Social Security Number, driver's license, income tax returns, bank statements, and investment records. You'll also need to complete a lengthy online form that requires student info, dependency status, parent financial information and student financial information.  You should set aside several hours to do this.

Applicants often feel overwhelmed by the FAFSA application process.  Student Financial Aid Services simplifies the process and will get you on your way to achieving the financial aid you need for your education.  They will review your FAFSA personally using their unique 450-point FAFSACheck™ error detector and human review.   We recommend Student Financial Aid Services for those who would feel more comfortable having personal help with their FAFSA and would like to make sure they maximize their eligibility for student aid.

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Free Scholarships for Working Moms

If budgetary restraints are holding you back from achieving your degree, Project Working Mom is reaching out a hand to moms who want to advance their education.  To do this, PWM is providing full-tuition scholarships to busy moms by partnering with a select group of colleges. And the best part of all is that you can apply for the scholarship and get your degree online.

Project Working Mom was founded in 2008 by eLearners.com and a group of colleges. Since then PWM has granted over $6 million in scholarships. Their goal is to help working parents obtain their educational goals and raise awareness about issues facing many working parents who want to further their education. It's easy to apply for consideration to a full-tuition scholarship. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to the Project Working Mom website.
2. To complete the application you'll be required to fill out some basic information, such as your name what type of degree you're seeking.
3. You'll also need to write a short essay talking about why you want to go back to school.

Project Working Mom will be awarding scholarships to 285 recipents throughout the year. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges, and winners will be selected based on the strength of the application and essay as determined by the scholarship committee.

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The Advantages of Online College

It's time to put the distractions of the holidays behind us and get back into the grind. We've all made New Year's Resolutions to do good things in 2010 and improve ourselves, right?  What better way to do that than to try a new challenge. So, for those considering going back to school to further your education, get that degree that you never got, to get another degree, or to just broaden your knowledge on any subject – do it now.

Life is short.  It's a really good feeling to test yourself and realize that you still have abilities. I am a regular Georgia gal, soon to turn 50, sharing my story of going back to school.  I'm happy to be pursuing my education online, and if I can do it, anyone can do it!

Since schools have just started back after the holidays, I'm really glad my classes are online for many reasons.  And yes, I have a list.

1. Schedule – I have a crazy schedule, as do a lot of other students, so the online classes allow me to fit my classes into a busy day.  There are many students attending AIU that are also working full time jobs and/or have children at home, but can attend at their convenience.
2. Convenience – This may go along with "Schedule", but deserves its own acknowledgement for a couple of reasons.  Again, you don't have travel time, so you can have more quality time with loved ones, or more study time, rest time, etc.  Also, you can attend archived classes 24/7!
3. Location – For those that don't have a brick and mortar campus close by, online classes are the way to go.  We have students attending from all over the country and around the world.
4. Weather – Right now, even in Georgia, there is snow on the ground and temperatures range from the teens to the thirties.  Later in the week, we'll warm up into the 40's, but still, I don't personally like to get out in that kind of cold!  We've also had several days of continued rainfall, and it's dangerous to drive in the rain.  Personally I would HATE to have to find parking and wade through puddles far away from the entrance to a brick and mortar campus, while trying to tote my necessary books, purse and umbrella, just to ruin my favorite shoes and catch a cold from getting wet!
5. Illness -  Whether you're sick and don't want to spread to someone else, you need extra R&R,  or you just don't want to catch someone else's sickness, online classes are the way to go.  Let's not forget those highly contagious, illnesses, like Swine Flu.   I must confess that after I toured a couple of brick and mortar campuses, I started thinking of having to share the schools computers, limited breathing space, etc, with students who may be contagious with who knows what.  That was a big determining factor in my decision to go with the online education.  Does that make me OCD?  No, just careful.
6. Gas/etc Prices – If you don't have a campus close by, then you would need to spend a LOT of money on gasoline to get back and forth to a physical campus.  And if the uncertainty of gasoline prices isn't scary enough, there's also the cost of the new tires/brakes/brake pads/transmissions fluids, etc that you would have to invest in if driving to campus.
7. It's Green -  This goes along with numbers 1, 2, and 3 above.  Remember, when you're taking classes online you're not just saving money.  The impact on the environment is greatly reduced.  You're going green!

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Getting financial aid for online college

In my first blog about attending an online college, I mentioned that I did a lot of research on all my higher education options.  To be more specific, I mean a WHOLE LOT of research.  I compared them ALL and compiled lots and lots of notes about each school.  I also called area brick and mortar colleges that are physically close to me, and researched them online.  I wanted to give both online colleges and brick and mortar colleges equal consideration, depending on what they had to offer me in terms of cost, financial aid, accreditation, etc.

I found out during my initial calls that I was indeed eligible for financial aid.  All of the school reps I spoke to assured me that their Financial Aid Department had a multitude of financial aid opportunities.  Between all the available grants, scholarships, student loans and personal loans, I felt very encouraged.  Plus 90% of the schools also had a payment plan!

I learned that one of the first things to investigate in your quest for financial aid is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  FAFSA is the application used by nearly all colleges to determine your eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid, including grants, educational loans, and work-study programs. The FAFSA form is submitted to, and processed by a federal processor contracted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the results are electronically transmitted to the financial aid offices of the schools that you list on your application.

The FAFSA form requires you to provide information about your family's income, which will be used to determine your Expected Family Contribution toward paying for the cost of your education. The difference between your EFC and the costs of attending school is calculated as your financial need.  You can search "FAFSA" and get several links to specific sites or just go directly to:

www.fafsa.com
www.fafsa.ed.gov/
studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/fafsa.jsp

As part of the FAFSA process, you will need to acquire a PIN.  The PIN is your US Department of Education identifier that you use to electronically sign the FAFSA. If you do not have a PIN, you may apply for one at http://pin.ed.gov

While researching financial aid opportunities, I was amazed and thrilled at all the info at my fingertips on the web. In Google (or your favorite search engine) just start typing keywords to search for.  Remember that you will get some differing results from different search engines.  Some suggested search terms are:

Unsubsidized Stafford, Subsidized Stafford, Perkins, PLUS, Grad PLUS, Pell Grants, ACG, SMART, SEOG Program, grants, scholarships, student loans, and other Title IV grant and loan programs.

Once you decide on a college, they should have a Financial Aid Department with a list of places that you can get financial aid.  If they don't have a FAD willing to help you find financial aid… then find another school!

Helpful financial aid websites:

www.onlinestudentfinancialaid.com
www.ifap.ed.gov
www.studentaid.ed.gov
www.salliemae.com/before_college
www.nasfaa.org/redisign/parentsstudents.html
www.knowhow2go.org
www.going2college.org/StateResources
www.nslds.ed.gov/
www.simpletuition.com/home
www.finaid.com
www.fastweb.com
www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/scholarships-and-aid/8936.html
www.collegescholarships.org/grants/

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Introducing Carlisa, our Online College student

I'm a new "blogger" and like most people today, I had personal goals and dreams that changed as life happened around me. In this blog, I invite you to follow along in my journey of getting an online college degree through AIU (American Intercontinental University).

I graduated high school in Alabama in 1979 (OMG, I just realized, it's been 30 years!).  To make long story short, "Life Happened".  I met a guy, got married, had children, became a gymnastics/ballet/girl scout/soccer mom, a Sunday school teacher, and worked in various radio stations.

Jump ahead 27 years.  I'm now divorced, my kids are grown and I have 2 grandchildren.  The state of the economy caused the group of radio stations that I worked with to downsize, so I lost my job.  I moved to Georgia to be near my parents and tried desperately to find another radio job.  In my attempt to find "work" I saw the same requirements, over and over.  It was quite apparent that to get a good job – a career – I needed to get a Bachelors Degree. All of a sudden I realized that the ringing in my ears was actually my dad's voice in my head – something about having a "back-up plan"!

The thought of going back to school seemed crazy, but exciting!  I mean, I barely graduated high school (again, 30 years ago!).  I'm not a particularly "scholarly" person and just couldn't imagine myself being able to follow through.  Plus, I'll be turning 50 on my next Birthday. "Is there really any sense in getting a college degree at this age", I asked myself.   Also "isn't college expensive"?  But everywhere I looked, there were ads enticing me "Moms, Go Back to School"!  All the talk about getting government grants, student loans and scholarships to further my education peaked my interest.

My first step was to start researching all the possibilities.  I'm not one to make quick decisions.  I had to do a lot of investigating and compiling and comparing of information.  It turns out that I was indeed eligible for grants, scholarships and student loans.  I started calling area schools and researching the many online college and "brick and mortar" college options.  I took lots of notes as I asked loads of questions and compared the details for all the colleges that I was considering.  My phone was ringing off the hook as admission advisors were constantly calling me back trying to win my enrollment.

I weighed the pros and cons of being in an actual classroom with other students for classes, vs being at home alone with my computer for online classes.  There were many decisions to be made.  In my next blogs, I'll walk you through getting into AIU and my online college experiences.

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Washington Post predicts a "virtual revolution" for colleges

A recent article in the Washington Post argues that the business model for private colleges in the United States is unsustainable, and that for future generations, undergraduate education may entail a different model altogether. The article points out that online classes are cheaper to produce, making online education a more cost effective option, as well as being more efficient. The Post makes a compelling argument for the increased influence of the Internet on educational institutions, standards and expectations, and predicts a cultural shift in the way employers perceive online degrees.

If you are considering pursuing a degree over the Internet, you may find our reviews and comparisons of the top online colleges and universities helpful.

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New study reveals the benefits of online education

The U.S. Department of Education recently released a report on online education. The study, which examined the comparative research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008, concluded that, "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction." Most of the comparative studies focused on colleges and adult continuing education programs.

Barbara Means, the study's lead author, said, "The study's major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing — it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction." The New York Times points out that new online tools such as instant messaging and web-based video have helped to enrich the online education experience in recent years, and that online education fostors learning opportunities that are more specifically tailored to individual students.

NextAdvisor.com has reviewed many of the most prominent online colleges and universities. If you are interested in learning more about online education options, take a look at our helpful and informative reviews, comparison chart, and answers to frequently asked questions.

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A cat earns her degree online

A Georgia cat named Oreo was recently awarded a diploma from Jefferson High School Online. In reality, Oreo's owner, Kelvin Collins, paid the $200 fee and answered the test questions on the cat's behalf. Collins works for the Better Business Bureau and enrolled Oreo at Jefferson High School Online, which is based in the Carribean, in order to expose diploma mills. There are many online institutions that are more than happy to provide meaningless diplomas for a relatively low price. But those diplomas, and most of the time spent earning them, are utterly worthless.

Online education can be a valuable and worthwhile option, but it's important to do your research and select a reputable institution. A degree from a reputable online college or university can help you advance your career, increase your salary or break into a new field. To learn more about some of the top rated online degree programs, take a look at our reviews and comparison chart.

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