Practically two-thirds of all undergraduate students rely on financial aid in one form or another to pursue their educational goals, whether on campus of online.
The introduction of new jobs and changes to existing jobs has made continuing education necessary for economic survival. Requirements for performing jobs have been changing steadily for the past 35 years. Adults are motivated to pursue educational goals to retain or advance in their jobs. While adult learners have a different economic profile of resources and needs than do students just out of high school, all of them need to pay for their educations.
For education consumers only three funding choices exist. Tapping personal and family resources is the first option. A second option is to use programs for which the student qualifies as a member of a special classification. For example, veterans' educational benefits, employer assistance, or grants for pursuing certain discipline such as nursing. The third option would be to borrow the money from a bank or other lender.
Federal or private loans are available to most U.S. citizens, but the constriction of the economy and the mortgage meltdown has made this option more difficult than it has been in the past.
Scholarships, educational funding that does not have to be repaid, are available to many people who do not know they belong to a qualified group. While academic excellence is generally desired by the awarding organizations, it is not necessarily the deciding issue. Various service, fraternal, religious, and veterans' organizations, philanthropic groups and individuals, unions, and other associations provide scholarships for education. Even though people tend to believe that scholarships only fund postsecondary education for youth, a sizeable number of scholarships target adult learners and are available for qualified students of any age. An inquiry into available options will provide the facts about qualifications and requirements.
Grants are also education awards that do not have to be repaid and are generally provided to students to learn a particular academic discipline, conduct research in a particular field, or produce a specified outcome.
Military tuition assistance is an option for individuals willing to commit to a period of military service in exchange for education funding.
Employer tuition assistance programs vary from company to company and are influenced by the prevailing economic climate. This avenue of funding was used by relatively few of the employees eligible for it in the past. If employed, a prospective online learner should ask for details about educational assistance from whoever handles human resources issues for their employer.