Education is expensive, especially today. There’s no getting around that. But the alternative to education is ignorance, and that comes free. No parent wants their children to be ignorant, and most whole-heartedly encourage their children to attend college. Unfortunately, very few parents today can easily afford the financial burden of putting their child through college.
Many students end up taking a portion of that financial burden upon themselves, and seeking a part-time or full-time job to pay for college while they study.
This, however, compromises their academic pursuit, as they will not be able to manage multitasking work, school, and study on a daily basis. This tends to result in a decline in academic performance, even failure to pass some of their classes.
This makes it difficult for students from low-income families to complete a college education, even though they are probably the students who need the education the most. This dilemma is why scholarships and college grants exist. These forms of financial aid aim to provide all prospective students with the necessary resources to achieve a college education.
These forms of financial aid are of great assistance to prospective students, because not only does it provide them with an opportunity they may never have otherwise, but it also grants them money on a permanent basis, that need not ever be repaid. Other forms of financial aid exist, such as student loans, but these require repayment of the student upon completion of schooling, and that can be a burden for students with little money as well.
Within the realm of grants and scholarships, though, neither need to be repaid. The difference between grants and scholarships is that grants provide money based solely on the individual student’s financial needs. Scholarships pay attention to the student’s needs, but there is an emphasis on the student’s merits as well, that the student has to deserve a certain amount of money.
There is further variation within each, though. For instance, grants can provide money based on certain variables of the student’s academic pursuit, such as what field they’re studying (Such as math, engineering, physics, or sociology) or what degree they’re pursuing (Are they going after a bachelors degree? Or a masters? Or even a doctorate?)
Since these forms of financial aid aim specifically to give students the chance to succeed when they cannot on their own, sometimes there are more options available to students with certain dispositions, such as ethnic/religious minorities, disabled students, and students from impoverished areas.
Financial aid like this often comes from interested, generous third-party private organizations. Financial aid can either come in the form of federal aid, state aid, aid from the university, or aid from these private organizations who encourage underprivileged students to complete a college education.