Expert: Trish Smith - 1/16/2008

Question
I am a 44 yr old,just divorced,unemployed woman with 1 week of unemployment left. I would love to go to college and train to be a physcial therpist but I do not see how that could happen. I am currently looking for a job(not many out there) and have no problem getting a loan after returning to the work force but is there any grants for someone like me?

Answer
Hello Pat,

There are many sources of financial aid out there for people in your same situation. Grants are a great free source of money that you can use to pay for school.

You can read about the benefits of grants here:
http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/financial_aid/college_grants.aspx

Here are some sites that offer grants to unemployed individuals:
http://www.federalgrantswire.com/unemployed-federal-grants.html
http://www.federalgrantswire.com/assistance-and-services-for-the-unemployed-empl...
http://www.fedmoney.com/grants/b0056.htm
http://www.us-government-grants.net/article_info.php/articles_id/38

And here are sites for various grants:
http://www.fedmoney.org/
http://www.freegovmoney.net/
http://www.grants.gov/

Scholarships are also great free sources of money that you don't have to pay back. You can read about them here:
http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/financial_aid/college_scholarship.aspx

Here are sites that offer scholarships:
http://www.findtuition.com/scholarships/
http://www.nextstudent.com/scholarship_search/scholarship_search.asp
http://www.brokescholar.com/
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/paying_article.asp?sponsor=285...
http://www.studentawards.com/
http://www.college-scholarships.com/

Finally, if you do decide to get a federal loan, here are the steps you need to take:

1)  Fill out the FAFSA. This will determine if you are eligible for financial aid. Go here:
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

2)  Once you are eligible for aid, choose a government-based student loan. The best loan to get is a Federal Perkins Loan. These have low interest rates and the government will help you pay it back as long as you stay enrolled in school. You also don't need a cosigner or good credit for it. For more info go here:
http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/student_loans/perkins_student_loans.aspx

3) The next best loan to get is a Subsidized Stafford Loan. This has many of the same benefits as a Perkins Loan. Learn more here:
http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/student_loans/subsidized_stafford_loan.aspx

I hope that this information helps you. I wish you the best of luck!