These Distance-Learning Scholarships Bring Your Online Degree Closer

Every year, an increasing number of students pursue some or all of their college education online.

Whether it’s at online-only schools or through distance-learning programs from traditional colleges, these Web-based programs offer a wide array of options & a ton of flexibility–especially for part-time, returning, & nontraditional students.

If they’re from properly accredited institutions, online credits can assist you earn your general requirements faster, & if you’re looking for a mid-career change, you can pursue a new degree during one or two nights a week. Fortunately, the increasing presence of online degrees moreover means an increase in scholarships geared specifically toward online students.

Explore the U.S. News Best Online Education Programs rankings.

First & foremost, many general scholarships & federal financial aid programs can be applied to tuition at accredited online institutions. Check out the resources at studentaid.gov to find out more, & be sure to talk with your college’s financial aid office approximately available options. We’d moreover recommend finding a few alumni to talk to; it takes a little more work for online campuses, yet it’s worth it.

Once you’ve decided to pursue distance learning, & you’ve checked out your grant, loan, & general scholarship options, it’s time to delve into specifics. The GetEducated.com Distance Learning Scholarship is an superior place to start. Offered twice a year, with application deadlines on March 15 & October 15, this $1,000 scholarship is open to students anywhere in the United States who have a 3.0 GPA or better in an accredited online degree program.

To apply, you’ll need to write a 500-word essay on what your degree will mean to you. & while you’re on the site, check out GetEducated.com’s other resources, which include guides to various degree programs & lists of known scams.

Invest wisely when enrolling in online education.

The SR Education Group’s Guide to Online Schools is another superior resource for researching distance learning programs. And, just like GetEducated.com, they moreover sponsor their own set of scholarships. Currently, there are four $2,000 scholarships available: the Military Scholarship, Women’s Scholarship, Community College Scholarship, & Single-Parent Scholarship are awarded every two months with rolling deadlines, so check the site out to find out when you need to apply.

If you’re pursuing online classes at a traditional university, you’re likely to qualify for many of the scholarships in your college’s & department’s general funds. In addition, some schools moreover offer online-specific awards. Pennsylvania State University–World Campus is one of the widest-ranging programs in terms of financial aid, offering more than a dozen scholarships that are funded by the school’s endowment & open especially to distance-learning students.

Similar ranges of scholarships can moreover be found via colleges that are mostly or entirely online. The nonprofit Western Governors University, for example, funds 10 separate scholarships for incoming students, which range from $1,000 to $2,500; enrolled students are moreover able to access a number of other programs.

Learn more approximately paying for an online education.

National University, a nonprofit institution with several campus sites & a host of online degrees, provides scholarships for new, continuing, & transfer students. & the for-profit Walden University, an online college focused on social change, offers undergrad & graduate scholarships to students all the way up to the doctoral level.

These are a few highlights from the growing world of online education. If you’ve decided distance learning is the right fit for you, they’re superior places to start your search for colleges, degree programs, & scholarships.

Matt Konrad has been with Scholarship America since 2005. He\'s an alumnus of the University of Minnesota & a former scholarship recipient.