Online Application for Federal Education Grants

Are you looking for an online application for Federal Education Grants? There are many grants and financial help available for college students. Whether it's a 4 year degree program or just taking a few classes at the local community college, you can apply for Federal financial aid.

Are you taking distance or online education? Listen up, before you apply through an online application for Federal Education Grants, you should know about the Distance Education Demonstration Program. Congress established this program due to the rapid growth in the number of institutions offering degree programs through distance education.

As of writing this article, the Higher Education Act of 1965 restricts Title IV Student Financial Assistance in distance education programs. It is known as the “50% rule”. Federal law states that if institutions offer more than 50% of their courses through distance or online education, the institution is not eligible for federal education grants.

Because the Federal Government recognizes that there are hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in online education, they setup this program to assess the quality and validity of online learning. It will be one giant leap for online education if Congress removes the 50% rule. Financial aid is needed regardless of what way a higher education is achieved.

The program has definitely made some gains. It has given waivers to approximately 60 educational institutions who are participating in the program. As online learning continues to grow, I think we can expect more positive changes to take place with regards to financial aid.

Don’t Rule Out State Financial Aid

Don’t just rely on Federal education grants, it’s always good to check out State financial aid as well. Some states limit their state financial aid to state residents attending school in-state. Contact your higher state education office to find out what financial aid is available in your state. This may impact your choice of schools or programs, so do the checking first.

At the end of the day, virtually anyone can fill out an online application for Federal Education Grants, but does everyone actually need the money that is provided through that grant? It’s true that when our financial aid laws were setup, our household demographics were different. Those were the days when students were actually dependents.

Helpful Information:
Online application for Federal education grants can be found at FAFSA
Federal Student Aid Information Center – 1-800-433-3243