| Approximately 90 million adults in the United States | | | | students who are enrolled at least half-time and who |
| are now enrolled in some kind of training or | | | | can maintain a C average may apply for government |
| educational program. Four out of every ten college | | | | loans, also at low interest rates and long payback |
| students are over twenty-five years of age. Another | | | | periods. Sometimes you will owe the money directly |
| 800,000 take the General Educational Development | | | | to the government. In other cases, a student will |
| (GED) test every year to earn high school diplomas. | | | | have a loan from a private lender who acts as a |
| Adult education and re-training is a big trend!Some of | | | | middleman.Re-entry students should always contact |
| the pressure to get more education is coming from a | | | | their financial aid officer at the college of their choice. |
| job market that demands up-to-date skills, especially | | | | Their counselor can help them with their FAFAs and |
| in technology. The workers with the best and most | | | | other forms, as well as find them a bank to loan |
| current skills are in the most demand and earn higher | | | | them money through a government program.A good |
| salaries. A college degree often opens the door for a | | | | knowledgeable financial aid officer will help students |
| better job or promotion. The United States Bureau | | | | find private scholarship money, too. Although the |
| of Census estimates that a college degree is worth | | | | majority of scholarships are for undergraduates in |
| about $1.2 million over the course of a person's | | | | traditional campus programs, there are over 1800 for |
| career.Colleges have adapted to the growing market | | | | re-entry students over twenty-five years of age. |
| of returning adult students by changing the way they | | | | While there are private scholarship search companies, |
| offer their courses. Many big-name universities now | | | | most students should be able to do this task |
| offer their most popular degree programs, such as | | | | themselves for free on the Internet or through their |
| the Masters of Business Administration, in classes | | | | financial aid office.If you are now serving or have |
| that meet evenings and weekends. Others are | | | | served in the military, you should ask your college |
| providing a combination of weekend, evening and | | | | financial aid officer about military benefits for |
| online courses to accommodate the schedules of | | | | continuing education.Sometimes employers will pay |
| busy professionals.One of the biggest trends of all is | | | | for continuing adult education. Many employers just |
| the emergence of the online university. Tens of | | | | want an employee to pick up a certain course to |
| thousands of adults are now earning "online" college | | | | enhance job performance in one area. Other |
| degrees. They can log into a chat room and discuss | | | | employers will pay for the completion of college |
| assignments with other students and their | | | | degrees and even advanced degrees.Some |
| professionals. They can study online whenever it's | | | | universities try to pressure students into enrolling |
| convenient. Many of these online schools do not | | | | before the students know how much financial aid |
| follow formal semester schedules and thus can allow | | | | they will receive per semester. To avoid this problem, |
| students to take classes whenever they want to | | | | you can go online and plug in your FAFSA numbers to |
| start.Adult students, sometimes called "re-entry | | | | get a rough estimate of your financial aid package. |
| students," can qualify for traditional government | | | | Your financial aid officer can help you get this |
| financial aid if they are enrolled at least half-time. This | | | | estimate before you sign up for tuition payments.It is |
| usually means that they must be taking two | | | | also important to understand your school's refund |
| full-credit courses at once. Their schools must have | | | | policy. Some students enroll and find out that they |
| the proper accreditations to participate in Title IV | | | | cannot carry a half-load of college work plus their |
| programs in order for them to be eligible for aid.If a | | | | professional and family responsibilities. Then they find |
| re-entry student is taking enough credits to qualify at | | | | out their schools will not refund their tuition money |
| a Title IV school, he or she then goes through the | | | | either in whole or in part, and that they will have a |
| traditional financial aid process. The first step is to fill | | | | problem getting out of their federal loans. Investigate |
| out a FAFSA, an abbreviation that means Free | | | | all these areas before you sign up for any continuing |
| Application for Federal Student Aid. You can | | | | education program.Gary Stuart is an enthusiastic |
| download a FAFSA and instructions at Students need | | | | proponent of higher education. Translating his own |
| to fill this out to qualify for programs.If a student | | | | experiences into the development of Gary provides |
| demonstrates financial need, he or she may qualify | | | | readers with the blue prints for successfully pursuing |
| for government grants, which do not have to be paid | | | | a higher education. His site provides readers with an |
| back. The Perkins Loan program, also for low-income | | | | overview of the benefits of online and on-campus |
| students, provides loans at very low interest rates | | | | schools, course options and employment |
| that are paid back over a period of ten years | | | | advancement opportunities. |
| beginning nine months after graduation.College | | | | |