Check out the numbers. Every year, the US Department of Education gives $67 billion in free college grants, loans, and campus-based aid to millions of students all over the country. How do free college grants work? Students who can't pay for a good education on their own are given these grants. They don't have enough money to go to college, which would give them the chance to make a lot of money. That's the funny part! But this is how free grants for college are given out. They are really for students who want to do well in school and then earn well.
Federal Pell Grants are one kind of free college aid. The only requirement is that you have to be poor. These are not like loans in that you don't have to pay them back. From year to year, the amounts that can be given out change. This is because Congress has to approve these grants. In 2000-2001, it was at its highest point, which was $3,300. How much a student gets depends on whether he is going to school full-time or part-time, how much it costs to go to that school, and whether he is going to do the whole academic year or not.
Campus-based aid programmes are another type of programme that falls under the category of free college grants. Here, a student can get a grant from the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Federal Work-Study (FWS), or the Federal Perkins Loans programmes. The financial aid offices at each school can handle these on their own. The school gets the money for these programmes, and the school decides how to give it to the students who need it most.
How do you know if you can get free money for college? First, you need to be eligible for financial aid. Then you will need a high school diploma or a GED (General Education Development) certificate. If you don't have either of these, you will have to pass an equivalent US Department of Education-approved test. You will, of course, be working toward your certificate or degree. You will have to show proof that you are enrolled in an eligible programme and keep good grades while you study. You must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen and have a valid Social Security Number. You must also sign up for the Selective Service.
If you have sold or had drugs in your possession, you won't be able to get free money for college. In that case, you could still apply for federal student aid because you might get other free college grants from sources other than the federal government or private organisations. You can use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to apply for free college grants, campus-based student aid programmes, and all types of loans. If you want to learn more, you can go to their website (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/), which will walk you through the online application process. Remember that if you want to go to college, the government wants you to and has the means to help you.
