It’s a myth that ‘online college & universities have a bias against and don’t offer federal funding. Maybe 3 to 5 years ago that was the case, but not anymore. I just recently left the online brick & mortar college world and happily enrolled in a true online college. I think one thing that sets them apart from the bricks & mortar colleges is that most times they assign a financial aid advisor who works with you, and will answer your questions, and not three weeks after you’ve asked!
Don’t get me wrong, I did my research first & I suggest you do the same. While many of these ‘for-profit’ colleges have high tuition costs, they are those who don’t. Most all of them do accept all kinds of financial aid, including federal loans and grants. Besides the federal money, each state have their own grants & loans, which are usually still eligible at the online colleges While doing my research, I did come across several colleges that have reduced rates for seniors or veterans, which are comparable to tuition at community colleges. (like $96.00 an credit hour.) You can also look at your states Vocational Rehabilitation Services because they too should be able to help you financially by reimbursing the cost of your textbooks, your computer (if you need another one) and help pay your internet/phone bills (if internet service is connected through your phone. Sometimes, they will even go as far as helping to pay for your tuition. But, I warn you, if you do want their help then you should contact them, get an application & send it on, all ASAP because they usually have a waiting lists (for appointments only) of 2 to 3 months. You should also consider looking into scholarships, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Federal Government had merit based grants & scholarship for their former employees & same for the DOC. So, check into that.
When you do your research on the colleges look at their financial aid section, they will usually detailed the different aid’s available, how much you can expect and when & how they disburse the aid. I say this because there are some colleges who don’t disburse the money until the end of the semester.
