Scholarships and Student Parent Resources

We had a comment on our Facebook page the other day, inquiring about scholarships for the children of young parents. Our fantastic intern Sam did some digging, and unfortunately she couldn’t find anything specifically geared towards that population. However, she did find some wonderful resources that focus on single mothers, low-income women, and students that are parenting.  We also found the Student Parent Journal, which is a great resource. Hope this is helpful!

Information on Financial Assistance for College (For Young Parents in the U.S.)

1. Calculate how much school will cost. Include fees, books, supplies, and extra costs for transportation and child care, not just your tuition. Plan how to pay for it in advance. See if your school’s admissions office can offer suggestions on how to pay these costs.
2. If your school is approved by the U.S. Department of Education, then you may be able to get federal and state grants, loans, or work-study. Work-study programs provide part-time employment to undergraduates and graduates to help with college expenses.
3. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to find out what financial aid you may be eligible to receive. You can get the application online or in paper form at a library or college. The FAFSA is not just for recent high-school graduates. Adult students can complete it, too.
4. Many types of loans are available. If you do need a loan, try to take out federal government loans first. Federal loan programs have many flexible payment plans to help you. Private loans are almost always more expensive and do not come with the same types of protections as federal government loans.

Scholarships and Grants

You can also try to fund your education through scholarships and grants, instead of taking out student loans. Scholarships and grants do not have to be repaid as long as you meet their requirements. You do have to repay loans. Here is a list of possible websites offering scholarships and grants to students, women, single mothers and student parents:

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Association of University Women Educational Foundation
• American Indian College Fund
• Association for Women in Sciences
• Chafee Education and Training Vouchers for Foster Youth
• Education Foundation for Women in Accounting
• Education Planner
• Executive Women International
• Fast Web Scholarship Search
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund
• Hispanic College Fund
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• Jeannette Rankin Foundation
• Orphan Foundation of America Scholarships
• Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation
• Presidential Freedom Scholarship
• Society of Women Engineers
• Talbots Women’s Scholarship Fund
• The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
• The Jackie Robinson Foundation
• The Gates Millennium Scholars
• The R.O.S.E. Fund
• Tom Joyner Foundation
• United Negro College Fun
• Women’s Opportunity Grant
• Women’s Sports Foundation