However, there is an unfortunate but common misconception out there that if you are pursuing the degree online, then these financial aid programs no longer apply.
This is simply not true.
Even if you have enrolled yourself into an online program, you still have access to a lot of the financial assistance programs out there. And this fact does not change regardless of whether you are studying part-time or full-time.
That's why you need to do your homework carefully, and check out all the financial aids available to you. In some cases, all you have to do is ask and you'll receive the assistance.
In other cases, you will have to send in your application and the aid is dished out to selected individuals based on merit or some other qualification criteria.
But whatever the case, if you don't ask or apply, you won't get. And in this current economic climate, every bit of monetary help is more than welcome, right?
These can help you foot the bills for your academic books, computers, tuition, clinical fees, supplies and much more. And if you are working, some of these aid can literally help pay for your taxes too.
So what kinds of aid are available out there?
Broadly speaking, the financial aids fall into the following broad categories: Federal Student Aid Programs, Employer Tuition Assistance, Student Loans, Scholarships, and Fellowships & Grants.
The Department of Education's federal student aid programs are the ones you will want to tap on first.
This is because some of these aid programs come in the form of outright grants, which simply means that unlike a loan, you do not have to repay the government. It is literally free money for the taking.
One such grant is known as the Pell Grant, and the amount of the grant can change on an annual basis. At the moment, you can expect to get about $5000 from the grant, but this depends on the funding available, and also some other criteria such as your financial status, your costs, and whether you are pursuing a full-time or a part-time course.
And if you are in real need of financial help, there is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Again, it's a grant so you do not have to repay the government, so if your circumstances warrant it, you should look into applying for this grant.
As a pointer to get you started, some other grants and aid schemes you may want to consider are the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Federal Perkins Loan programs.
Do note that some of these are in the form of loans, so you will need to repay the money with interest. Thankfully, the interest rates are really low, and you can usually wait until you graduate before you need to start repayments.
I hope you will make full use of all the financial aid that's available to you. There are many more different aid schemes other than those mentioned earlier.
If you want to know what other aids are available, and find out exactly how to apply for all of them, do check out the details at: online nursing degree programs
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