Are you a single mom with a dream of heading off to college?  Do you think your dream could be in tatters before it has even begun, purely because you are a mom with financial and personal commitments to your child?

If you are, don’t worry – there are plenty of things you can do to make sure you get to college and study the subject you really want to learn.  The worst thing you can do as a single mom is to assume that college is an impossibility for you.  This is simply not true.  There is a whole lot of aid out there and some of it has been specifically designed for single parents to make use of.  Let’s see how you can start making progress in the right direction.

The first and probably best tip of the lot is to educate yourself first.  This might sound ironic and it probably is in a way, but here we mean educating yourself about the possibilities and assistance you can find.  For example, did you know there are countless grants and loans available that have already helped many single moms through college?

Another good tip is to start your search locally.  Go to a few local colleges and schools and see whether they have any scholarships or grants available that are specifically for single moms to use.  You may find your local college has just the course and the financial aid you are looking for.

Research as much as you can as well, to find out what help is available and what you personally could be entitled to.  The FAFSA form is undoubtedly one of the best tools you could have in your armory.  You can fill this form out online quite easily, and you can get all the assistance you need to do so for free as well.  This means you don’t have to spend out any money to improve your chances of getting loans and grants.

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and when you have filled it in and it has been reviewed, you will receive a report back which tells you what you could expect to receive.  This is the best way to find all the aid you are entitled to, because there could well be some benefits you are not yet aware of.  The FAFSA makes sure you are in the running for all of them, which is the main reason why it is so essential to fill in correctly.

When you look for local opportunities make sure you focus on all the possible sources of information.  For instance you could get local papers and magazines which may have information in them for students hoping to study locally and have their studies funded as well.  In short, don’t overlook any possible source of information or opportunity for finding the aid you need.  As a single mom you can still make that college course a reality – you just need to find the right grants first.