What is the difference between college scholarships and grants?
The definition of a college scholarship is a financial award that is given to a student for the purpose of furthering their education. A grant is defined as being gifted aid granted to people based on certain criteria. There are many different college scholarships and grants, and they are usually divided into five different groups. The first group of scholarships is known as the merit scholarships. These are the scholarships that are most well-known and are also the most competitive. Financial need is not taken into account when you are trying to qualify for these types of college scholarships.
Need based college scholarships and grants are awarded to students based on their financial need and inability to pay for college tuition and books. These scholarships are often restricted further to include certain areas of study or location. Many different organizations are proud to offer such scholarships. Another primary grouping of college grants and scholarships is known as sociology. These scholarships must be attained based on sociological aspects such as race or religion. While these scholarships are not rewarded based solely on these sociological aspects, they are the first step in qualifications.
The last two categories of college scholarships and grants are institutional and general. Institutional grants and scholarships are awarded to students based on the college that they choose to attend while general scholarships and grants are those that do not fall into any other category. The most obscure college scholarships and grants are found within the general category.
Today’s world can be pretty confusing. This is true for most aspects, but especially in areas that deal with education. While your path is pretty much laid out for you in schools up to high school, college is a totally different life changing decision. It is this point in your life that you are let loose and are able to make your own choices. This can be difficult, however, especially for those students who are just leaving high school and may not have the life experience necessary to make the best decisions. Their first step should be to research what free scholarships and grants are available to them! There are many grants scholarships; such as for women, men, minorities, nursing, athletic, disability and many others.
In many cases, these students get caught up in the need for a college degree. They hurry off to a college to partake in some degree program that they think they might want, despite the fact that they do not know everything that this path entails. They first should investigate student grants and scholarships; but the schools are quick to offer student loans to these new students so that they can get started right away. Leading these students on with promises of great paying jobs and even living expense refunds, the schools procure more and more students each passing year.
It can be sad that many of these students end up owing thousands of dollars in student loans when they finally complete their degree. If they are not able to find that great paying job right off the bat, then these students start life off on the wrong track in the very beginning. It is worse for them when they discover that they might have avoided this whole problem by doing just a little bit more research into the matter. They should have explored further into scholarship and grants for college available to them.
No matter who you are, or what you choose to go to school for, there are numerous student grants and scholarships that are available to you today. Organizations, such as the federal government, the Dave Thomas Foundation, and many others often offer a variety of different scholarship and grant programs that you can apply for. The most important step in the process consists of knowing what these free scholarships and grants are, as well as what they can do for you. Now that you are armed with some of this information, you are even closer to getting your college degree without going into debt.
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