Making a decision to continue your education is a very important decision and it has the potential to be a very costly decision. Students are responsible for locating the funds that they need to cover the costs associated with their tuition, activity fees, books, meal plans, and room and board expenses. With the dramatic rise in tuition and fees at a public college, 8.3% for the 2011-2012 year as reported in October of 2011 by the College Board, students have to look to cover even more costs than last year. For more information on the costs of attending a public college visit: abcnews.go.com.

One option for students to consider is the availability of student financial grants, which are often called grants for students. Grants for students, unlike student loans, do not have to be repaid as long as students comply with all of the requirements as outlined by the funder.

One of the most common student financial grants is the Federal Pell grant. Under the Pell grant, students are eligible to receive a maximum of $5,550 within a single award year. For additional information on the Federal Pell Grant visit: studentaid.ed.gov.

Students who receive the Federal Pell Grant may also be eligible to receive an additional student financial grant in the form of an Academic Competitiveness Grant. This grant for students provides an award of $750 per year for first-year students and $1300 per year for second-year students who have completed rigorous secondary school programs. For additional information on Academic Competiveness Grants visit: studentaid.ed.gov. Also, for other common student financial grants see our “Tuition Grants” article.

Several colleges and universities also administer student financial grants that they have received as federal grants, state grants, or grants from private foundations to assist students in covering their housing, commonly called room and board, expenses. For example, Alfred University administers the Alfred University Housing Grant which provides students who demonstrate financial need and reside in on-campus housing with the opportunity to receive an annual grant of $500 to $2,500 each year. For more information visit: http://www.alfred.edu/finaid/grants/#au. Speak with the Financial Aid office at each of the schools that you may wish to attend to find it if the institution allocates student financial grants for housing.

Locating and applying for student financial grants requires patience and persistence. A number of opportunities are available for student financial grants; the difficult part is finding a grant that matches your unique situation allowing one the best chance of receiving an award. Individuals that are interested in receiving a grant for students need to remember to accurately complete the application by completing all sections of the student financial grant application.

Register to get instant access to the latest grant opportunities. Our research team adds new grant opportunities daily. In addition, we provide resources on grant writing and the best approach to winning a grant. This membership fee is a low price of $29.95 an extremely fair price for what you will receive.

Our membership fee also comes with a GUARANTEE which states: If you apply for funding using one of the applications you find on our website and you don’t receive funding, your membership fees will be refunded to you immediately. All you have to do is provide us with the name of the funding opportunity you applied for and a copy of the rejection letter you received from the funder.