Balancing a return to college with raising a family as a single parent is possible, though not easy. One of the hardest decisions to make is to put oneself in the catch 22 position of borrowing money and falling into debt, with the necessity of doing so to fund college to achieve a better career. Single parents in Nebraska are lucky to have an excellent state program of grants and scholarships which may well negate the need for taking out student loans at all, if you qualify.
The first step for any student to take is to complete the FAFSA form which will enable to you to have access to the federal Pell grant, a government grant awarded to those on low incomes. This is non repayable but will not cover anywhere near all the costs involved. The traditional route is to then also apply for federal Stafford loans which may be a federal subsidized loan at lower interest rates than private loans.
However students from Nebraska should check out the financial aid offered by the state of Nebraska first, as much of it is available to students with low incomes, thus single parent students often qualify. Details of financial aid available in state are co-ordinated by CCPE: Nebraska’s coordinating commission for post secondary education. They also promote the site Education Quest which is a non profit organization established to provide improved access to higher education. Education Quest has excellent information which any student can benefit from.
The colleges and universities which you apply to are also an excellent source of financial aid and knowledge so it is always advisable to contact the financial aid officer of the school you apply to. There is also the federal work study program which can help to fund the single parent student through a college degree in Nebraska.
Having looked at many states the information provided by the CCPE is far more comprehensive than most states offer, and is an excellent resource for checking available grants and studies. Nebraska State does offer some of the most generous grants to its residents meaning it may well be possible to fund college without getting into debt, or with only the necessity of taking a Stafford federal loan as opposed to the more expensive private loans on offer.
Nebraska State also offers specific single parent grants to help with the other associated costs involved whilst obtaining a degree. In order to qualify and take advantage of these specific grants available within Nebraska the potential student should research well the types of grants available to them and be sure to make an application at the earliest point to be assured success in obtaining one.