The world of higher education has changed considerably since Lady Mowlson gave Harvard the first college grant ever. Just go to the wiki and one sees the federal government offers Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grants, SMART Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants, the Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, State Student Incentive Grants and Federal PLUS Loans just for starts.

Back in the pre-revolutionary days, education in any form was more privilege than right. The number of different education institutions has grown astronomically from the days when the North American continent offered Harvard and that was about it. For example, something like getting an online degree was absolutely unimaginable to the original New Englanders, much less the rest of the world.

As centers for higher education have grown geometrically, so have the sources for obtaining college grants. Yes, there’s always the Pell Grant. Yet along with the Pell, the Department of Education has a special data base service so you can apply for everything from National Direct Student Loans to private institutions that also provide other grants such as TEACH which is a grant program for public teachers of the future.

A good place to start is with the Dept. of Ed’s FASFA4Caster. This tool is designed to help figure out the odds of a student getting aid. From there, the Department will even help you set up an account, MyFASFA, to manage your next step, which is getting the grants.

Because the simple truth is unless one’s last name is Gates, Buffet, or Bush or one does hit the Lotto an individual will need some sort of financial assistance. By that, we don’t mean hitting the Lotto, either. USA Today recently reported that the annual cost of higher education is over $15,000 a semester. The maximum the Pell currently delivers is $5,350.

Only schools like Harvard adjusts its tuition based on need. There’s still the matter of being one of the rare few who will get matriculated. At the same time, there isn’t a single educational institution–landbased, online or what have you—worth its salt that doesn’t come with financial aid officers. Yes, you should some homework on your own. That’s a great reason to go to the Department’s website.

On the other hand, where you have limited time to discover plans for being a single parent, Native American, war veteran or being over 25 years of age, which by the way is over 25% of the national student body these days, a competent financial aid officer should have this info at his/her fingertips. They also know how to best navigate the miles of paperwork you’ll go through.

So, the general overview is, times have changed considerably since Lady Mowlson. It costs a lot more than 100 pounds to go to Harvard. At the same time, there are a lot more Mowlsons out there in the world, and a number of fine institutions providing online programs besides America’s first college. A little work and the help of college grants and scholarships and you will find them. There are a lot of choices in grants online, all explained on the internet.

You see the ads wherever you go. They claim no less than President Obama himself encourages furthering their education, and that there’s a lot of “free” money out there to help you do it.
 
The simple truth is there are thousands of programs offering millions of dollars in college grants. True, there are others professional grant writers will warn are frauds. So how can you get your hands on some of those legitimate grants for college?
 
What it takes is patience, stamina and resourcefulness. If you have your share of all three qualities, there very well could be a a Bachelors, online degree or trade certificate in your future, without a debt that will haunt you for many years to come. Here are five tips that will help you considerably:
 
Take A Hard Look At Yourself – Are you a single parent? Do you have a physical impediment? Were you the head chair of the first violin section of your high school orchestra? Are you an athlete who didn’t make the pros? Have you done your share of community service? Be extremely self-critical. List the positives and the negatives. Many negatives become positives when it comes to financial aid, particularly if the goal is self-improvement.
 
Now do research. A good place to start is on the Internet. Whether from home or wherever you can get your hands on a computer, services such as Google, Bing and Yahoo are crammed with information. You’ll find over 14 million different listings on Google by just typing “college grants.” They range from full service academic institutions, online degrees to trade school assistance. A good place to start is with the Federal government itself. The U.S. Department of Education has a site devoted to this issue.
 
Sift The Chaff – When there are that many different organizations saying offering “free” money, one can bet a number of them are looking to get “free” money out of you. A handy tip is if they want to be paid up front, get back on the net and double check. Type the individual/organization’s name and followed by the word “scam.” If that name is filled with scam alerts, think twice before proffering your credit card or bank account info.
 
From there, you should talk to financial aid officers. Just about every institution of higher learning employ a number of them these days These people are paid to help you find the cash to study at their place of employment. The more students they help, the more money they bring to their school…and in these days of 10% national unemployment, that helps them keep their jobs. Cynical? Yes, but also true. Use them.
 
Finally, go for as many financial aid you can. Not every institution is going to give you money. At the same time, the deeper the pool, the better the chances of receiving an college grants. If you find ten different institutions that fit you, go for all ten, no matter how much paperwork it means filling out. The payoff could make all the difference in accomplishing an online college.