Expert: Trish Smith - 2/25/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I'm a 47 y/o African American, single mom of a 4 y/o and a disabled adult child. I lost my job of 18+yrs, my only source of income has been savings and unemployment. I would like to pursue a degree in nursing. However, I do not have a high school diploma. I'm presently attending free SUNY,GED/College Prep classes (full-time) I applied for 599 unemployment benefit extension, it was denied. GED/college prep is "not considered training" and doesn't qualify for extension. I received my last UE check and have $2500 a MO. living expenses. I will have exhausted all financial resources the by end of March. But, still need aprox 4-MOS time before obtaining my GED, and enter college to begin nursing pre-recs. Is there any grants, scholarship funds, etc. available to me now, so that I can remain in school?

ANSWER: Hi Katherine,

There are many sources of financial aid that you can receive to help you pay for school.

Grants and scholarships are great ways to pay for school because they're free and you don't have to pay them back.

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

Here are some sites that offer grants:
http://www.fedmoney.org/
http://www.freegovmoney.net/
http://www.grants.gov/

You can read about scholarships here:
http://www.studentfinancedomain.com/financial_aid/college_scholarship.aspx

And here are some good 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/

Here are some scholarships for African-Americans:
http://scholarships.fatomei.com/african.html
http://blackstudents.blacknews.com/
http://free-4u.com/african.htm
http://www.littleafrica.com/resources/scholarships.htm
http://www.blackstudentfund.org/

And here are some resources for single mothers:
http://www.singlemom.com/CAREER/financialaid.htm
http://www.singlemotherresources.com/
http://www.singlemom.com/RESOURCES/resources.htm
http://oedb.org/scholarship/single-mothers
http://www.howtodothings.com/family-and-relationships/a4039-how-to-find-grants-f
http://ezinearticles.com/?Financial-Help-For-Single-Mothers&id=274716
http://www.christian-mommies.com/special-features/just-for-moms/grants-for-singl

I hope this helps. Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I don't think my question was answered. Your response for for financial assistance for college. I need financial help "now" in order to continue school. Is there any grants/aid available for a 47 y/o black woman, single parent (GED student @ SUNY) preparing  for college?
I will be pursuing career/degree in nursing late 2008?
Thank you!

Answer
Hi Katherine,

You have to search the grant sites I listed above for any grants that may apply to you. These types of grants are usually not listed separately.

You can also use the single mother resource pages I listed above to find specific grants.

Here is a good site that also lists resources for black women your age:
http://www.ncnw.org/resources/economic.htm

You can also try to get get help from the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation:
http://www.hesc.com/content.nsf/

Good luck!