Which Distance Learning schools offer Financial Aid?

Hi,

I am getting ready to start college and was interested in knowing which schools in the distance learning arena offer Federal Financial Aid?

It would be for an undergrad degree, non transfer, new student.

And does the financial aid work the same for Distance learning as it does for brick and mortar schools?

ANd finally, do Distance Learning schools charge for credits and calculate the cost of education in the same manner as brick and mortar schools?

Thanks for any and all help in advance.

 

So does anyone know the answer to my questions?

THanks in advance for any help.

 

It's a difficult question to answer since it depends entirely upon which school you are interested in. I don't believe that anyone has compiled a comprehensive list of schools that offer financial aid for distance learning students. It would be quite a task, and difficult to keep up with changes.

Some schools offer full financial aid that is the same as you would get if you were attending residentially, while some schools do not provide financial aid for distance learning students. You really just need to look at the web site for each program and/or contact someone via email or phone. There are many good options available which will provide the full benefit of financial aid.

As for tuition, you'll find that some schools charge a different rate entirely for distance learning courses, some charge their normal in-state tuition no matter where you live, and some charge normally, just as if you were attending residentially. Again, you just need to look at each program, just as you would if you were looking to attend a school residentially.

 

Thanks for the input on the matter.

Do you or does ayone have a list (no matter how partial it is) of schools which offer undergrad degrees (BA & BS) by Distance Learning that also offers full Financial Aid?

Does not matter the location. I am just new to this whole thing and would appreciate any help.

Thanks in Advance

 

My gut feeling is that you can get financial aid for most distance learning degree programs now, though I know that there are still some schools that don't provide it yet for their distance programs. However, I'm not an expert by any means, I've just browsed through an awful lot of programs. I'd suggest that the first thing you should do is buy Bear's Guide to Distance Learning, since that would probably answer a lot of your questions.

A couple of sites with links to some distance learning programs are:

<A HREF="http://collegedegrees.tripod.com/" TARGET=_blank>Distance Learning
Undergraduate Business Degrees</A>
Jonnie's Distance Learning Page : Undergraduate DL Programs

And this one will give you links to schools plus a whole lot of generally useful information:

Distance Learning on About.com

This one presents information that could help you earn a degree relatively quickly through proficiency exams:

BA in 4 Weeks


Between those sites and Bear's Guide you should be able to find what you're looking for. Be sure to pay special attention to the information about accreditation.

 

I am all but certain that Thomas Edison does offer financial aid (Pell grants, Stafford loans, etc) for their DL programs. It's also an excellent school if you already have a lot of experience and knowledge, because you can translate that into course credit either through exams or through the portfolio process.

You may want to get hold of John and Mariah Bear's book "Finding Money for College" which has some nontraditional approaches to financial aid for older students and students seeking DL.

The other thing I'd suggest is look into programs that are primarily brick-and-mortar with smaller DL subsets, under the theory that they may be more familiar with the ins and outs of financial aid for DL. Some places to start: Skidmore College, Regis University, Eastern Oregon U., Bellvue U., Antioch.

Best of luck!

 

It's free advice, but to the best of my knowledge, it's a piece of the picture.

No matter which school you might be considering attending, I believe they will require you to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For this, you will need the institutional code number for each school you have under consideration so they will be notified if you receive financial aid. The application should be available through any financial aid office, but you may also apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Only apply once, either electronically or with a paper application. To confirm your FAFSA status, you may call 1-800-433-3243. Make sure you follow up with your final choice ASAP. Don't forget that you are responsible for making sure the school has everything they need to process your award.

The program I work with only offers an M.A. in the Humanities and does not require any on-site attendance. Because of this we are presently limited to offering only the William D. Ford Federal Loan, which covers the cost of tuition only. This situation may differ for undergraduate programs.

Best of luck.

 

I believe Chip is correct that the Big Three (COSC\TESC\ExC) have limited financial Aid. I see that Troy State University's DL programs offer full financial aid and military benefits. I have seen this at a number of mixed bricks and mortar\distance learning universities. It would seem prudent to decide what field you want to get a degree in and then find the best schools in that area. I would then check in to costs and benefits of each. The best of luck to you.

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Best Regards,
Dave Hayden

 

I am attending Strayer University. It offers undergraduate degrees amd masters degrees online for business and info tech majors, and offers full financial aid. Their financial aid dept is very helpful re helping you obtain financial aid or loans.

You can take syncronous classes(meet for lecture at same time each week - prof lectures and you respond via chat) or asyncronous classes (must logon at least once a week to obtain and send assignments to prof(s), take quizzes, midterms, etc.)