Let's get into the sources. First of all, have you heard of Ted Kennedy? He is the senate chairman of the education committee. Recently, he and President Bush came to an agreement on education finance. As a result, over $20 billion will move from other programs into the Pell grant program - which you may have applied to.



Everybody knows about Pell grants. Just thought you'd like to know that more people will receive Pells in the years ahead. Now on to more sources you may not have heard of yet.

Have you heard of the National Sea Grant College Program? It is an office of the federal government that studies seas and oceans. They offer grants to college students in every coastal and great lakes state. Think about all that coastline - that's a lot of states! This is their website:

http://www.education.noaa.gov/students.html

Also, NASA offers a college grant program. NASA has several outreach programs for students, for students at all levels. For higher education, NASA offers a grant and scholarship program for space research projects. Go to this link, and click for students and then higher education:

http://www.nasa.gov/

The above programs are great. And the federal government offers in addition to the Pell grant, the Federal Supplemental Equal Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), and the Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART grants). To learn more about these federal programs, you can go to:

http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/grants.jsp

But that's just the start. You may not have enough for school even after all the federal programs listed above. Many more programs exist for you to check into for college grant money. For instance, have you checked with your state lately?

Every one of the fifty states has at least one program of its own. Some, like California and New York State, have several. You might be surprised when you look up your state. You can get government money for college all across the country.

And it doesn't stop their. Do you live in a territory or the District of Columbia? Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. both have excellent student grant programs. The only territory you might have trouble with: The Northern Marianas, you know, Saipan, Tinian, Rota, it's an island chain. And maybe American Samoa. Otherwise, you should find a program you can apply to for aid.

As you might expect, some of the smaller states don't compare to the large, more populous ones. These will have fewer programs, perhaps just one or two. The large states, like Texas, will have many more. Having choices in your college funding helps as you look for tuition money. This short article search for grants.

Some states offer grants for students at vocational schools or even for part time students or nontraditional students returning to school. Very helpful that people have set up programs like this for so many who need help.

One other idea. Many states have banded together to offer discounts and exceptions for out of state students in certain cases or for certain schools. I hadn't seen these agreements before researching and writing about government money for college opportunities. It turns out that a group of states in the Rockies and west formed an alliance, as did a group of states in the south. A few plains states also offer waivers, but not as a group.

This can help you attend a good school that would normally be out of reach if you fall in the right category. Instead of paying out of state tuition, you can get an exception and pay in state tuition as if you were a normal resident, and finish your degree.

For state programs, take a look at your state government site and look for higher education programs. Then, look for a grants page or one about financial aid. With some looking, you can find these great programs.