Grants and Loans for older college student?
September 27, 2008 by admin
Filed under Questions and Answers
I’m 26 years old and I’ve finally decided to go back to college. I went right after high school but dropped out. I know it’s a little far fetched but I was looking to go OUT OF STATE for my education. I’ve lived in Tampa, Florida for 26 years and the beachy, tropical, and over crowded lifestyle is all I’ve ever known. I like it here but I figured I’m still young enough to venture out. Although I’ll probably end up at a school here in Tampa.
My question is do you guys know of any scholarships or grants that I might be qualified for? Do you know any web-sites with useful information? I’m 26, i have no college credits, no SAT scores, and no foreign language credits. Also I’m caucasian or whatever you want to say…I’m a white dude. No family in the military or anything either, no kids, no wife, no sick siblings or family members. Essentially it’s just me broke and going no where. I’m planning on majoring in nursing or something else in the medical field. I know community college is probably where I will be starting off. I’m mostly looking to go to Maine. The University of Maine is the school I want to go to most. I’ve always wanted to live in Maine. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.
Also, if I just pay the out of state fees for one year at Maine and I get my driver license transferred to Maine in that year would I be considered an INSTATE STUDENT. How does that work. The web-sites aren’t exactly clear. Again thanks for the help and thank you for reading.
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Amber on Tue, 30th Sep 2008 10:46 pm
This is a good question and I found myself in a similar situation.
There are scholarships for you out there, as you are what is known as a “nontraditional student” ( ) which includes undergrads 26 and up.
You can check out some of these sites to look for available scholarships: (This site is The Association of Nontraditional Students – good resource)
There may not be any available now, but check back from time to time. At least fill out your FAFSA ( ) which is an application for student aid made to the government and they are always giving out grants and low interest loans.
Also, wherever you decide to go to school, check with that particular college to see if they offer scholarships for non-traditional students. In addition to scholarships, many schools offer services to help make your transition back into school a bit easier.
As far as the in state student thing goes, I think you will have to live in the state and work in the state for a year OUT OF SCHOOL, before you can gain residency. To gain in state residency, you normally have to show that you came to the state for a reason other than just going to college. The good thing is, after the year you spend gaining residency, you can go to school as an in state student. I’m not 100% certain that this applies to Maine, but I live and Florida and want to go to school in California, and I will need to do it this way.
Hope this helps!