One of the most challenging road blocks faced by trade school students is working out how to pay for their education. The cost of tuition at a vocational school can be prohibitive for some prospective students, and many of them do not have the academic history to be eligible for scholarships, nor the desire to assume the burden of a student loan. Sadly, most of these prospective students are not aware that they might already qualify for a grant that can solve many of their difficulties.
What?s a Trade School Grant?
As with every other type of grant, vocational college grants are basically free money given to qualified students to assist in paying for their vocational education. They do not have to be repaid like a loan, and most do not have any type of requirement for past academic achievement. If you?re lucky enough to be granted this variety of assistance, your sole obligation is to use the funds on your schooling.
What Kinds of Students are Qualified for a Trade School Grant?
Grants are offered by a wide variety of groups for the purpose of supporting the career development of specific kinds of people. Trade school applicants who meet the following demographics are often eligible for some type of grant:
* Low income * Minorities * Women * People with disabilities * Special needs applicants * Adult students returning to college
Apart from the standard types of grants listed above, a wide variety of community and business organizations also provide career-specific financial support. The bottom line is, many potential applicants who are worried about their means to pay for vocational training actually qualify for a grant and don?t even realize it.
Where to Find Vocational School Grants
Federal, state and private are the three primary types of grants you will have to look for when trying to find financial aid for school. Whereas tracking down grants from government sources is fairly easy, getting them from private organizations can be a bit more challenging. In every case, you should start this search right after applying to the trade schools of your choice.
Grants from the Federal Government
Finding out if you are eligible for any federal grants requires only one easy step ? completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The information provided in your application will be used to create a personalized SAR (Student Aid Report) which will tell you just how much your family is expected to contribute (the EFC score) to the cost of your tuition. If your EFC is low, you could very well qualify for a few federal grants..
In addition to the all-important EFC, your SAR will also inform you of any federal grants that you are eligible for. Assuming that you indicated the vocational colleges you have applied to on your FAFSA, they will be given a copy of the SAR as well to help them decide if you are qualified to receive any additional assistance from the school.
State Government Grants
There are a couple of extra steps required to determine whether you qualify for any state financial assistance, but being successful still comes down to using a basic process. Because state assistance is usually based more on past academic merit than federal is, it?s recommended that you begin your search by getting in touch with the admissions personnel at the colleges where you?ve applied. By examining your past academic record, the staff will be able to immediately let you know if you are eligible for any state grants based on merit.
Besides the schools, you should also contact any state agency that handles student financial assistance (for example, California residents should email or call the California Student Aid Commission) and review your background with them. This two-pronged approach should ensure that no state grants for which you are eligible slip through the cracks.
Looking for Private Grants
Finding private vocational school grants is unquestionably more challenging than those offered by the government. That being said, there is a strategy you can follow that has worked for many individuals in the past. The main key to achieving your goal will be your persistence.
Before you start, be forewarned that finding private grants is time-consuming and forces you to do a lot of independent research. Because many groups offer their own private grants, you should begin searching online for information about any company or group affiliated with the industry you intend to work in, and contacting them directly. For many successful trade school graduates, this simple task yielded a considerable amount of financial aid.
Ayla Ward is a current student, and enthusiastic advocate of promoting trade school careers as an alternative option for recent high school graduates. Although her website focuses on vocational schools in California, it also provides tons of great general info on vocational education.
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