Are scholarships and grants for single parents useful to receive a college education? Let us break it down. According to statistics, in 2021, the income of the average married couple was $132,807. As for a single-father family, its earnings were $62,054. A single mother could earn even less — $39,964. It is safe to say that the main challenge of raising a child in a single-parent household is to ensure their financial well-being. Such adults can spend up to 2/3 of their income just to meet the child’s basic needs for healthy food and care. So, according to this information, it is quite clear that scholarships and grants for single fathers and mothers raising children on their own are a rare opportunity to obtain a degree and improve their financial situation. In this article, we will provide valuable information about scholarships and grants designed specifically to support single parents in their efforts to become college graduates.
Help for Single Fathers and Mothers: Why Do They Need Scholarships?
Single parents who want to go to college must juggle the roles of breadwinner, caregiver, and student. They face a number of challenges they have to overcome every day. Here are a few of the issues these adults with children face and how scholarships for single dads and moms can help them.
- Financial hardship. It is already difficult enough for single parents to cope with the daily costs of living and childcare. If you add to this the cost of education, the burden can become overwhelming. Financial assistance for single fathers and mothers provides funding for tuition and related educational expenses and reduces the monetary pressures on single parents.
- Childcare costs. According to research, parents spend an average of 20% of their earnings on childcare. If we take into account the already small amounts that single parents are able to earn, the figure becomes even more immense. With financial support in the form of grants for single parents, an adult can at least partially offset their overall expenses.
- Time constraints. A single parent has to dedicate every free moment to earn money. They spend a lot of time at work. When an adult raising a baby on his or her own also has to pay for school fees, they may have very little time to raise the child. College grants for single fathers and mothers can lessen this hurdle and allow them to pay more attention to their little ones.
- Academic goals. Maintaining satisfactory academic performance in college can be challenging for single adults with children, as they must balance raising a child, having a job, and studying. Grants for single dads provide them with financial stability. They help students-parents worry less about covering expenses and make it easier to set aside time to study and meet essay deadlines.
- Career advancement. It is quite common that single parents do not advance up the career ladder because they do not have a college degree. Single parents financial help can assist them in getting a higher education and getting promoted. Which in turn will improve their financial situation and the well-being of their children.
Single parent household scholarships may be that helping hand that an adult with children needs to earn a good degree.
What Are the Resources for Single Parents?
The problems described above are only a fraction of what single parents have to go through. In fact, there are many more challenges, and they vary from one home to another. However, for those adults who want to achieve better financial stability for their children and go to school, there are a number of resources available to help pay for education.
- Federal financial aid. Adults taking care of a child alone can apply for federal grants and loans, such as the Pell Grant and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to help cover tuition and living expenses.
- State-level assistance programs. Many states offer different financial aid options. The grants for single parents are specifically designed to support adults raising a child alone in receiving an education.
- Institutional scholarships. Colleges and universities often offer scholarships and grants to single fathers and mothers who attend their institutions. They can help offset the cost of a degree.
- Online study programs. Single parents can opt for online degree programs, such as Coursera. They allow studying at home and have a more flexible schedule of classes.
List of Scholarships for Single Fathers
Men who raise their children on their own and want to get an education can take advantage of the following grants for single parents to cover the tuition costs.
- Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. The scholarship of up to $1,200 is open to single parents-residents of Arkansas who have full or partial custody of one or more children. Applicants must have a high school diploma and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. The adult must be considering an ASPSF-approved school or training program for admission to obtain resources for single fathers.
- Single Parents Scholarship. Washington State University offers a $1,000 scholarship to single parents raising one or more children. The applicants must be first-year students with a 3.0 GPA. To receive funds, candidates must also write a 400-500-word essay.
- The BYU Marriott School Single Parent Scholarship. According to the scholarship program terms of these annually renewable grants for single fathers, single parents who take care of one or more children can apply. Applicants must be officially admitted to one of the graduate programs at BYU Marriott. In the case of marriage, payments are canceled.
- Downer-Bennett Scholarship. The University of New Mexico is pleased to help its students with grants for single parents in the amount of $200-$1,000. Preference is given to adults with children who have a good GPA.
- The Kentucky Colonel’s Better Life Scholarship. Single parents who are students at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College may apply for a $2,500 renewable scholarship. Applicants must have a child no more than 12 years old. The college requires candidates to be in satisfactory academic standing to receive grants for single fathers.
- The Black Fathers Foundation Young Fathers Scholarship. The organization fully supports young fathers by providing grants for single black fathers. The amounts of the scholarship program may vary.
The school grants for single dads let adult men with children graduate college and provide better for their families.
Scholarships for Single Moms Over 30 and More
As noted above, single mothers, on average, receive much lower salaries than single fathers. Women who want to break out of the vicious circle of financial hardship and get a degree can pay attention to the scholarships for single parents below.
- Live Your Dreams Award. The Soroptimist organization provides grants for divorced moms of $3,000 to $10,000 to single mothers who have been through poverty, domestic violence, and drug or alcohol abuse. It considers applicants from North America, Latin America, and the Pacific Rim.
- Rodney and Patricia Westview Scholarship. Single moms who are at least 30 years old can receive a $2,300 scholarship to study at Calvin University. A 2.5 cumulative grade point average is a requirement. The grants for single parents are automatically renewed if the student maintains good academic standing.
- Altrusa’s Olive Gillespie Scholarship. The funding guarantees tuition assistance at Western Kentucky University in the amount of $450. Under the terms of the scholarships for widowed mothers, the organization gives preference to women who are divorced or widowed with a 3.0 GPA.
- Scholarships 4 Moms. Applicants must become a member of the foundation to receive a generous scholarship. The organization is ready to help single mothers with at least one dependent with $10,000 with funding to study at the college of their choice.
- Mary Jane Young Scholarship. The amount of grants for single parents ranges from $500 to $3,000. Single moms over the age of 23 are considered for the scholarship. Applicants must be enrolled in a St. Catherine’s College undergraduate program for women at least part-time.
- The Dr. Vinetta A. Frazier Sister-to-Sister Scholarship of $1,000 is for African-American women who intend to resume their education or are entering school as freshmen. To apply for scholarships for black single moms, candidates must be at least 35 years old and write an essay.
- Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers Scholarship for Single Mothers. Each year, the organization provides financial aid single mothers of $1,000 to women who plan to return to study at accredited law schools. Under the terms of the scholarship, the applicant must have a 3.0 GPA and be willing to write an essay they would publish on the RIL website and social media platforms.
Children of single mothers and fathers can also apply for financial aid for child of single parent to go to college.