Decide which educational funding option is best for you. You may find that a combination of grants or scholarships and loans is just right. Consider how quickly you want to go back to school. Loans can take less time to process than scholarships, and there is less competition to receive them. However, scholarships and grants do not have to be paid back.
Search for scholarships and grants. Visit your school's financial aid department and have a meeting with a financial aid counselor. The counselor can help you determine which types of scholarships and grants are right for your situation. She can also point you in the direction of specific scholarships for which you might be a good fit. Scholarships and grants have a variety of eligibility criteria that applicants must meet, and each one is different. There are some that are geared just toward adults who are receiving higher education.
Check online scholarship websites that offer free scholarship searches. You will input information such as your age, level of education and other information that will help the scholarship search engine find grants and scholarships for which you may be eligible as an adult. Be aware that some scholarship services are not free, and, in fact, many are scams. You should not have to pay for any scholarship service.
Some colleges and universities around the country are offering free and discounted tuition for workers who have been laid off and want to be retrained to work in a new career. Some states also have available retraining programs, such as the Missouri Rapid Response scholarship and retraining opportunities through the state's workforce centers.
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. After your information from the FAFSA is reviewed, you will receive information about grants from the federal government, like the Pell Grant, you may be eligible to receive. You also will receive loan information (such as on the Stafford loan program). Federal student loans have much lower interest rates than private institution loans. Your FAFSA also will help schools and colleges to which you are applying determine what type of financial aid package it can offer you based on your income.