Don't sweat it if you can't afford $40, 000 to $50,000 a year in tuition to attend an Ivy League school. Reasonably-priced public and private colleges with high academic standards are available to choose from, especially if you are a resident of the state in which the school makes its home. The four-year cost of an education at a private college can range from $100,000 to over $300,000; but public schools, for in-state residents, cost from $30,000 to $87,000 for four years of tuition and fees. According to The College Board, the average 2008-2009 tuition increased 5.9 percent at private colleges and 6.4 percent at public universities.
Most educational grants are awarded by the government or private foundations and are given to institutions or universities to help develop online and off-line training and education programs. Some are given to individuals, like the Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. Many grants, but not all, are based on financial need.
There are some individual grant opportunities available, like the one for the Jeanette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund (http://www.rankinfoundation.org/) offered to low-income women who are age 35 and older. Also, The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting offers up to $5,000; The Possible Woman Foundation offers up to $4,000; and funding from the American Association of University Women can go as high as $20,000.
Grants are given by many different organizations and individuals for different reasons. Grants are offered for programs in the arts, sciences, humanities, for educating educators, leadership, management, technology, business, health, criminal justice, law, public safety and almost anything else you can imagine. Grants are available for a certificate, a two-year or four-year degree, or some advanced educational studies.
There are different types of grants: Pell Grants, need-based grants, minority assistance grants, disabled student grants, and graduate and doctoral grants, but not all are designated for online or distance learning classes or courses or degree programs. However, individual schools offer grants for distance learning, as do a few organizations and writing contest administrators.