In the spectrum of educational funding, scholarships and grants are the “free money.” These awards do not need to be repaid. In general, scholarships are given based on merit and grants are given based on financial need. They may be awarded based on need, or excellence in academics or other areas, or on a combination of both. The aid may be given by the federal or state government.

Many scholarships awarded to University students have separate processes, deadlines, eligibility criteria, and application forms. The resource links provided here will introduce you to a wide spectrum of possibilities available from the University and numerous other philanthropic agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Now the question is that how college funding works, the types of scholarships available, how to find them and how to apply for them. That’s pretty standard issue for a website about scholarships, although we think if you’ll pardon us saying so, that we’ve done an excellent and job of being comprehensive and readable. Here’s what’s different.

Scholarships are the ideal form of student aid, as they’re basically gifts that never have to be repaid. On the other hand, student loans must be repaid, but they’re made at very low interest rates, and you’re usually you’re not required to begin repayment until six months after you graduate. Some student loans require you to prove financial need, but some of them don’t. Many students turn to student loans as a method to pay for college. Basically, if you cannot get access to the free money you have to borrow it in the form of a student loan.

I too, had a rough life, I ran away from home in 1968, was homeless, and did not speak to my family again until I was 30 years old. By then, I had put myself through college and had my masters degree. So it can be done. Good luck!

My mom went back to school when she was in her 40s. She went to a local community college and got an A.A. in Psychology.

You can go to community college first and work towards an A.A. degree. Then, if you want to, when you get enough money, you can transfer to a university and work towards a B.A. or higher.

At community college, you can take one or just a few classes at a time, whatever you can afford. They usually charge by the “unit”–different classes have different amounts of units. Usually, elective classes have fewer units, and the more academic classes have more units. You will need to take a certain amount of academic classes to earn an A.A. though.

So, you can take as long as you want to go through school, however long it takes for your credit to get better if you want to transfer to a university.

Good luck to you! I hope things get better for you and your family.