The state of Massachusetts is a mecca for grants and other type of financial assistance. Below are some of the grant aid and other aid available to those living in Massachusetts.
These eight grants are offered in Massachusetts: Foster Child Grant; MASSGrant; Massachusetts Gilbert Matching Student Grant; Massachusetts Cash Grant; Massachusetts Part-Time Grant;
Massachusetts Public Service Grant; Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant; and Educational Rewards Grant (Massachussetts Office of Financial Assistance, 2010).
There are also nine scholarships available in Massachusetts as follows: Agnes M. Lindsay Scholarship; Christian A. Herter Memorial Scholarship; John and Abigail Adams Scholarship; Paul Tsongas Scholarship; Early Childhood Educators Scholarship; One Family Inc. Scholarship Program; Tomorrow’s Teachers Scholarship; Math and Science Teachers Scholarship; and
The Scholar-Internship Match Fund Program (Massachussetts Office of Financial Assistance, 2010).
In addition to a wide variety of grants and scholarships in Massachusetts, there are many tuition waivers in Massachusetts as follows: Career Advancement Program Tuition Waiver; Categorical Tuition Waiver; Collaborative Teachers Tuition Waiver; Commonwealth Hurricane Katrina Emergency Tuition Waiver; DSS Foster Child Tuition Waiver; DSS Adopted Children Tuition Waiver; Graduate Tuition Waiver; High Technology Scholar/Intern Tuition Waiver; Incentive Program For Aspiring Teachers Tuition Waiver; Joint Admissions Tuition Advantage Program Tuition Waiver;
MEFA Prepaid Tuition Program Tuition Waiver; Need Based Tuition Waiver; Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Tuition Waiver; September 11, 2001 Tragedy Tuition Waiver; UMASS Exchange Program Tuition Waiver; Valedictorian Program Tuition Waiver; and
Washington Center Program Tuition Waiver(Massachussetts Office of Financial Assistance, 2010).
And last but not least, Massachusetts has a wonderful program to assist students called the Massachusetts No Interest Loan (Massachussetts Office of Financial Assistance, 2010).
One very interesting grant is the Paraprofessional Teach Preparation Grant Program in Massachusetts. The Paraprofessional Teach Preparation Grant program is for providing financial assistance to Massachusetts residents who are undergraduates who are presently employed as paraprofessionals in Massachusetts public schools, but they wish to become certified as full time teachers (Massachussetts Office of Financial Assistance, 2010). The Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant program offers funding to students attending Public or Private Universities in Massachusetts for an amount of $625 per credit up to $7,500 per academic year. The Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant program offers funding to students attending a State College for an amount of $450 per credit up to $6,000 per academic year. Furthermore, the Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant program offers funding to Community Colleges for an amount of $250 per credit up to $4,000 per academic year. To apply for this grant in Massachusetts you must do three things: 1) provide written proof of your employment as a paraprofessional from your employer; 2) file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and 3) fill out the grant application found at http://www.osfa.mass.edu/
Grants in Massachusetts for 2012
Attending college is a smart choice to make because you never know what direction life might take you in. Having a higher education is the ticket to getting yourself into a career that will provide you with financial stability and the challenges that you look for in the job that you choose for your future. To help you to make your dreams of getting an education come true we look at the grant opportunities for Massachusetts residents in 2012:
MASS Grant: This grant program is a state funded program that is offered through the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. It is available for full-time students who can demonstrate that they are financially in need of assistance to attend school. The amount of money awarded to each student is dependent upon the course of study that the pupil is pursuing as well as the number of semesters that the student is enrolled in school for.
Massachusetts Educational Rewards Grant: This grant program is for residents of the state of Massachusetts and it provides money for low income workers who are looking to improve their work situations by finding better jobs with greater potential and higher earnings. Applicants must fill out a FAFSA form and must be presently enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a Massachusetts college or university, either on a full-time or a part-time basis. Applicants must meet the requirements that classify them as a low income employee.
Massachusetts Cash Grant: If you need helping paying for your tuition but also need help paying for other types of college or university fees then this grant opportunity may be for you in 2012. The Cash Grant is for students who can show that they require financial help in paying for all of the related program fees that accompany many courses of study.
Massachusetts Part-Time Grant: It is not just full-time college students that need help in affording their college educations. If you are a mature adult who wishes to return to school on a part-time basis but still needs to work full-time to support your family then this grant can prove very beneficial to you. Applicants must prove financial need in order to apply for this state grant. They must be enrolled in a college program that is at least six credit hours in length but no more than 12 credit hours in a semester.
Bridgewater College Grants
Bridgewater College has not one but two grant programs for college students to consider. The first is the Bridgewater College Spoerlein Grant. This grant is a renewable grant that is awarded to first year freshmen from the state of Maryland who have been in Massachusetts for only a short duration of time. Priority for the Bridgewater College Spoerlein Grant is given to residents of Carroll County.
The second Bridgewater College grant is called the Bridgewater College State Incentive Grant. This grant can be renewed. It is available to freshmen from Massachusetts as well as college students who have transferred from other states. The states eligible for transfer for this grant program include Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Performance Bonus Grant
The Performance Bonus Grant was created with the financial disadvantaged student in mind. If you are a student who would not be able to attend a postsecondary institution without financial assistance from the state then this grant program can prove very beneficial to you.
Those students who are eligible for this grant must be economically challenged in comparison to other students but they also must be motivated and driven to succeed academically. The funding for the school year 2011 is not the same as it was in past years and will not be the same in years to come. It tends to vary from one school year to the next.