Adults Apply For Going Back To School Scholarships

In addition to the Obama Administration, state governments are taking steps to increase the number of Americans who have college and university degrees. Many adults have been going back to school at a time when the non-profit College Board reports that more jobs require some college or university experience or post-high school training. With help from a college or online university degree, adults can typically expect to command more money. In the Project Win-Win announcement, Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D., who is president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, mentioned that many adults through this effort would be recognized for what they've accomplished.

Canada in 2007 had the most residents with college and university degrees, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The United States ranked fourth, behind New Zealand and Japan respectively. President Barack Obama has said that, by 2020, he wants the United States to lead the world in the number of degree holders. More than $30 billion from Obama's stimulus plan, more formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has gone toward college affordability and accessibility efforts. An additional $5 billion, according to the White House website, has gone toward promoting innovation and closing an "achievement" gap. Since then, adults have been going back to school and contributing to enrollment increases at institutions throughout the nation.

Many colleges and universities offer scholarships and back to school loans that can make tuition costs more affordable for adults who want to obtain degrees. Adults going back to school can also seek out scholarships and other forms of financial assistance that non-profit foundations, professional associations and large organizations offer. Adults can find scholarships for going back to school through Internet searches, including free scholarship search offerings from the College Board, the US Department of Labor, the US Department of Education and websites including scholarships.com and fastweb. Different searches produce different results. If you're serious about going back to school, you might search through several sites and apply for as many scholarships for which you are eligible.

The Institute for Higher Education Policy and the Lumina Foundation estimate, based on the pilot Project Win-Win program, that the effort could increase the number of associate degrees by 12 percent. Adults who live outside of the expanded project's six-state territory might pull together their own college and university transcripts to see how far toward a degree they might be.

Some adults who are considering going back to school might be surprised to learn that they've already earned a degree. Others might go back to school and let their life and work experience get them there.