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