Using the term “college kids” shows a lack of understanding of the reality of university life these days. Around 40 percent of college students in 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available, were 25 years or older, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
That means more and more students aren’t following the traditional path of starting college after high school graduation and completing the degree in four or five years.
[Read advice on paying for college.]
More students, even a former presidential daughter, are taking a gap year before starting college or during their time at a university. Some nontraditional students take even longer breaks, attend part time while working full time, have children or dependents other than a spouse, or do not have a high school diploma.
Regardless, scholarships are available to help them pay for their education. Here are just a few opportunities that nontraditional student can consider.
The Women’s Independence Scholarship Program, known as WISP, helps women survivors of intimate partner abuse get an education that will lead to more secure employment and self-sufficiency.
Scholarships vary in amounts and are available for full- or part-time students. Preference is given to students at state-supported community colleges, state-supported colleges or universities, technical and vocational schools, private colleges or universities and for-profit schools, in that order.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Those applying for the scholarship must have been separated from their abuser at least a year but no more than seven years.
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The Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund provides multiple $2,000 awards for low-income women who are 35 years or older and are pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate degree or their first bachelor’s degree at an accredited U.S. institution. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and can use the funds for tuition, books, living expenses, child care or transportation.
Recipients are selected based on their academic and career goals, their ability to overcome challenges and their knowledge that earning a degree will benefit them, their family and community. The application deadline for this competitive scholarship is March 17.
Other organizations also offer scholarships to help adults who want to pursue education to improve their lives. Executive Women International, for example, provides the Adult Students in Scholastic Transition Scholarships to individuals who have faced social, economic or physical challenges and want to improve their situations through education.
U.S. and Canadian applicants, age 18 years and older, first compete at the chapter level; those winners then move to the corporate level, where they compete for 13 awards that vary between $2,000 and $10,000.
In addition to the application, students must submit financial aid documentation. Each chapter determines the initial application deadline, and applicants can find the contact information for each chapter on the EWI website.
[Avoid these three financial aid traps for nontraditional students.]
Nontraditional students can also apply for the $2,000 American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship for Non-Traditional Students, which is awarded to five students annually — one from each geographic division of the organization.
Applicants must be current American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary or Sons of the American Legion members in good standing. They must also be starting or resuming their education at a two- or four-year college or at a certified trade, technical or professional program.
Applications are due March 1 each year and are judged equally on character and leadership, initiative and goals, financial need and scholarship.
Nontraditional students can also look to their employers for financial support for their educational pursuits. The Walmart Associate Scholarship, for example, is open to employees who want to earn a postsecondary degree.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. legal residents who have been employed full or part time at Walmart for at least six consecutive months. Nontraditional student applicants must have a high school or GED diploma; all applicants must demonstrate financial need.
Awards are valued at up to $3,000 a year, depending on the type of degree and number of credit hours the applicant is pursuing. Each scholarship is renewable up to a maximum $16,000 value over six years. Applications are accepted quarterly and are due June 1, Sept. 1, Dec. 1 and March 1 annually.
In addition to these national scholarships, some individual states offer scholarships for nontraditional students. The Tennessee HOPE Scholarship — Nontraditional is open to Tennessee residents who have lived in the state at least a year, are 25 years or older and are entering freshmen at an eligible Tennessee university or college. In addition to other eligibility requirements, applicants must not have been enrolled in a postsecondary institutions for at least two years.
The scholarship amounts vary depending on the type of degree applicants are seeking. The deadline to apply, which includes completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is Sept. 1 for the fall semester and Feb. 1 for spring and summer semesters.
The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship is a state-funded opportunity for low-income, single custodial parents attending college in Arkansas. Eligibility requirements and deadlines vary by county, with all information available on the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund website.
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Scholarships Help Nontraditional Students Pay for School originally appeared on usnews.com
