Online Education and Scholarships

Online Education Trends

Guide to Online Education

Our comprehensive guide addresses what online education entails, what online learning options exist, how to select the best online education for your needs, and much more.

In designing the "Guide to Online Education," we worked closely with online students, graduates, professors, and online learning experts to collect practical information to help you succeed in online learning.

Download the "Guide to Online Education."

Debt-Free College Guide

Need help paying for college? Learn how to get someone else to pay for your education, so you can finish college debt-free.

Check out the Debt-Free College Guide for different ways to help finance a college degree.

How To Reference This

eLearners.com. (2007). Guide to online education. Retrieved 10/11/2008, from the World Wide Web. http://www.elearners.com/
guide-to-online-education/.

Getting Someone Else to Pay For Your Online Degree

Scholarships and Online Education

Guide to Online Education > Paying For Online Education > Getting Someone Else to Pay > Scholarships

Scholarships

A scholarship is a type of financial aid that does not need to be repaid. In other words, it's free money to you can use to pay for higher education expenses, such as tuition and fees, textbooks and supplies, etc. It may be based upon academic merit, financial need, or your affiliation with a particular group.

When looking for scholarships to apply for, ask yourself:

Who am I (including religious or military affiliation)?
Where do I come from?
Where do I live?
Who do I work for?
What field am I going to study?

Also, when conducting your research into scholarships, don't overlook the school in which you intend to enroll. Even if you yourself do not have membership in a club, fraternal or social organization, you may still get a preferential nod based upon someone else's allegiance. If your parent or spouse is a veteran, Elk, Rotarian, history enthusiast, or has donated to a cause for a number of years, put those on your list and apply.

Application deadlines are crucial. Keep a calendar of upcoming due dates and review it regularly. Some scholarships require letters of recommendation, or financial documentation. Make sure to build that turnaround time into your process. Some scholarships may require you to write an essay. If so, start early. Make sure you pass it along to someone else you trust for their editing. (Don't be scared off by the work involved. There are also many scholarships that involve nothing more than filling out a form!)

Be aware that there are scholarship scams that attempt to take advantage of students. Avoid any company that offers to "do the work for you" for a fee. For tips on how to protect yourself against identity theft, click on: http://www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams/.

Lastly, you can search for information on scholarships in your state with our Debt-Free College Guide at http://debtfree.elearners.com. This is a free resource to help you find grants and scholarships for students of all levels.

Top 4 Scholarships Myths

You may be entitled to free money for college! Don't rule yourself out. Here are some common misconceptions of scholarships:

"I'm not a full-time freshman."

Of course you're not. You have a job and, most likely, a family to raise. There are scholarships for all levels of study (i.e. two-year school, graduate school) and many do not make a distinction between full-time and part-time study in awarding funds.

"I'm too old."

Scholarships are NOT just for high school seniors. Many organizations are particularly interested in the adult student returning to school. Also, many scholarships do not list a specific age requirement, therefore, you are just as eligible as anyone else!

"I'm not a strong student." or "My grades weren't that good."

Your previous academic record is rarely the only consideration for an award. In fact, 90% of scholarships are unconcerned with grades.

"I earn too much money."

80% of private-sector (private sector meaning coming from corporations, unions, trust funds, religious organizations, fraternal organizations, civic clubs, associations, private philanthropists rather than the federal government) scholarships do NOT require you to show personal financial records.

Did You Know? Amazingly, of the over $3 billion dollars in private scholarship money that was available to students in 2003-2004, nearly $100 million dollars went unclaimed.

(Private Scholarships Count: Access to Higher Education and the National Scholarship Providers Association, May 2005)

That money could be yours, with just a little bit of time and effort. It could be well worth it!

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