Undergraduate College Grants

Are you seeking a college education but can't begin to determine how you will pay for it? Or, perhaps you don't qualify for any scholarships and can't get the money you need in loans. That doesn't mean you can't afford to get a college education. There are a number of grants available, including grants that are specifically geared toward students who are enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Knowing where to find your gift money is the largest part of the battle.

Aside from the Pell Grant that may be awarded to undergraduates, the US Department of Education also offers the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National SMART Grant. The Academic Competitiveness Grant is for freshmen and sophomores in college who have maintained at least a 3.0 GPA and shown the ability to handle a challenging high school curriculum configured to prep them for college. Awards may be up to $1300 in addition to the Pell Grant. The National SMART Grant offers the same conditions for college juniors and seniors who are undergraduates and are majoring in science, math, or technology. Monetary sums awarded are up to $4000.

Various colleges and universities also set aside their own funding, especially for ethnic minorities and women. Other undergraduate grants for these less advantaged individuals include the American Indian College Fund and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the latter of which is especially interested in minorities who study in underrepresented fields, such as science, computer science, biology, engineering, or mathematics.

List of Undergraduate College Grants

• Harris Wofford Awards — $500 awarded each year to undergraduate or graduate student.

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.