College Grants for Separated Fathers
- Discuss college cost with your estranged spouse if possible; she is equally responsible for financing your child's education. You must report her contribution on the Pell Grant application and many scholarship applications. The children of separated fathers whose spouse is inaccessible or unable to contribute remain eligible to apply for Pell funds, with an affidavit of non-support. Pell Grants are awarded based solely on income; the higher your income the lower the grant. Apply no matter your income; even if your student doesn't qualify for grant funds, she may receive work-study and low-cost loan awards. Many scholarships have no financial requirements, but winning awards requires a great deal of writing and diligence from your student.
- You need your and your student's tax returns, bank statements, state issued identification and Social Security card to apply. Obtain a Federal Student Aid personal identification number (PIN); it's your federal signature and password. Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid on the web; remember to apply for the work-study and student loan programs. You are under no obligation to accept loan funds and better to have funds available you don't need than to need funds you don't have because you failed to apply. When you sign and submit your application, you will get an instant report stating the grant amount and your required contribution. For children of separated fathers, the grant amount is usually high; near the $5,500 annual limit, based on a low estimated family contribution (EFT). The FAFSA report is also transmitted to your child's college instantaneously, but be patient; it will take the college four to six weeks to complete the process, enroll your student and disburse grant funds.
- The first place to look for scholarship dollars is close to home; many employers as well as labor and community organizations award college dollars to the children of employees and members. Make a list of your memberships and hobbies; if you're a Greek or a professional geek, an Elk, Owl or Mason or a member of the Civic or Botanical Association, it is likely competitive scholarship dollars are available. Additionally, some of the same organizations and many large corporations award college money to students who have demonstrated a sustained interest in a particular activity related to their business model; list your child's interest's and accomplishments as well. Talk to friends and associates. You are not the first separated father facing tuition challenges and people who have been there, or know someone who has, can be a wealth of resources and information. Once you've identified your niches, research what's available. Talk to your HR department and visit organizational websites; note what you find and share the information with your student. You can attempt to motivate them to complete the applications, but ultimately, they have to do the work.
- Millions of scholarship dollars are awarded annually by special interests of every ilk; trying to locate them can be daunting. Work with your student to set up a profile on a reputable scholarship search site like Fastweb or Cappex; they allow you to narrow you search using the same criteria use to search within your sphere of influence. The personalized results will link to individual scholarship requirements, the website of the awarding organization and provide the application due date. Be aware earning these awards is often labor intensive; students are often required to write essays as long as 2,500 words and obtain several letters of reference. Money is available to help separated fathers secure their child's education; applying for the Pell Grant is easy, but winning scholarship dollars requires a lot of hard work.