EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT GRANTS

Non-traditional students are that students who can be understood as the opposite of traditional students; traditional students are the category of students who belong to age group of 18-22 without any major life responsibilities and attend a full-time campus with quick enrollments. Non-traditional students can also be defined as post-secondary students who age 20 or more and have major life responsibilities and incomplete education till graduation. People who take the gap between their studies to do a job or other activities and enroll later in high school for education can also be taken into this category.

According to National Center for Education Statistics  (NCES) of The United States of America, anyone who satisfies even at least one of the following will be taken as the Non-traditional student and will be eligible for Non-traditional Student Grant.

• Who does delay enrollment (doesn’t enroll in the same calendar year when he/she finishes school)
• Who does part-time in his academic year (partly or whole)
• Who works full time while getting enrolled (35 hours or more)
• Considered financially independent
• Doesn’t hold a high school diploma
• Is a person responsible for someone financially except their spouse
• Is a Single Parent

There are certain characteristics that differentiate non-traditional students from traditional students.

Experiencing different barriers, having different instructional and needing more campus support makes them different than traditional students. As campus support to the non-traditional students, institutions offer various programs. Institutional barriers include prejudices about adults getting educated, lack of opportunities, lack of resources and the lack of a perfect place. Commonly for adult non-traditional students, in the certain situation their numerous responsibilities conflict with one another, (e.g.: studies with their financial situation); this is the situational barrier they face. Being de-motivated as a result of low self-esteem is a big issue here and it reflects attitude barrier in the adult learner. Apart from all these, there are other barriers related to their academics, knowledge, and capability of observing the education system and most importantly their ability to manage time, can be many barriers.

The United States of America has numerous grants to provide for people seeking further education. Specifically stating the Non-Traditional Student Grants , USA has a number of grants that not only help people to further study but encourage them to get educated and build confidence in themselves.

The FAFSA: The FAFSA should be the top priority for any student whether freshly out of high school or an adult learner. The FAFSA is mandatory as the government determines the level of financial aid of student and the amount of grant required accordingly.

  College Access Challenge Grant (New Jersey): For students who have left New Jersey’s College or University within 10 years and should have crossed the age of 20. Final grant awards are based on the college attendance of the student. The financial fund is based on financial need and student’s academic status.

Tennessee HOPE Scholarship for Non-Traditional Students: The learner must be 25years or above and the gross annual income must not exceed the amount of $36000.  

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant : Based on first come; first serve basis, this encourages students to apply sooner. They offer $100 to $4000 depending upon the requirement of the course and the university/college

General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant : Supported by United States Air Force, the grant provides $2000 as financial aid for service members and their spouse who wants to return to studies and gain education in academics.

Few other grants for Non-traditional students are:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal TEACH Grant
•   American Association of University Women’s Career Development Grant
• United Negro College Fund
•   So optimist Women’s Opportunity Awards  
•   National Black Nurses Association
•   William E. and Phoebe B. Clark Scholarship for the Returning Adult Student  ( Michigan State University )

Tips for Non-Traditional Students:

With all the above-mentioned sentences, a certain jest can be extracted from the context. Despite that, the non-traditional students can look for federal or state grants for financial aids that focus the status of the adult learner. Concerning the age, gender, race and career goals, private grants should be taken into consideration then. For single parents, these opportunities to get into college/university another time are a blessing in disguise.

With these few tips, non-traditional students can start their lives with better education and confidence to stand up in the crowd.