And there’s often help available to take advantage of these programs.
Jack McKenna, for example, labored for years as a fraud investigator for an insurance company and an officer in the Army National Guard, serving tours in Bosnia and Iraq. When the 51-year-old Attleboro resident decided to go back to college to earn a master’s in communications to launch a new career in marketing or sales, the financial aid office at Lasell College in Newton helped him apply for education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
The veterans’ program is paying nearly $18,000 a year toward his tuition and other costs plus a stipend of more than $2,000 a month. He started taking classes full time last spring and hopes to finish his degree by the end of next year.
“The GI benefits are a big help,’’ said McKenna. “It wouldn’t make sense to go into debt for the full amount at my age.’’
For those who haven’t served in the military, there are other places to get help, education officials said. One of the first steps is filling out the federal application for financial aid, called FAFSA, a requirement for many forms of student aid. It’s available free at www.fafsa.gov (Beware of sites that demand fees to submit the form.)
“That’s really the beginning point,’’ said Haley Chitty, a spokesman for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a trade group in Washington, “because a lot of other aid sources are based on that application.’’
As McKenna shows, it’s also a good idea to contact financial aid offices at schools you’re considering. Financial aid specialists can point to scholarships and grants for specific careers or institutions you might not find on your own.
“They are going to know the ins and outs for each student,’’ Chitty said.
Also, consider applying to a variety of schools - both public and private - since some schools cost less or offer more financial aid than others. Many schools also offer installment payment plans to help spread out the cost.
Some options to consider:
