Starting the journey to a new career is exciting. Opportunities, experiences, and challenges lie ahead! However, it can also be scary. One of the most intimidating parts of getting trained for a new career is the cost associated with it. Luckily, technical colleges such as York Tech have financial aid available to meet any student’s needs.
There are tons of financial aid options available! And compared to other types of colleges and universities, technical college is extremely affordable. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of financial aid that are available and how you can take advantage of them.
How Much Does College Cost?
This is an important question to ask. It’s always best to know how much your career training will cost before getting started. Unfortunately, there are a lot of variables. Different careers require different amounts of training. The shorter the program, the lower the cost! This is great news for people who want to become carpenters, masons, plumbers, and many more. Many technical colleges charge per credit hour as well. Fewer credit hours means more affordable and less financial aid required.
Even with longer, more expensive programs, many types of financial aid are available. We’ll dig into the specifics in the next section, but you can get grants, scholarships, and more to help pay for longer programs. Many longer training programs lead to the highest-paying, specialized careers, so there can be a trade-off between time commitment and projected income. Check out York Tech’s Net Price Calculator to see how much your college education will cost.
Types of Financial Aid
There are many different types of financial aid available to technical college students looking for career training. Many people are able to secure multiple kinds of financial aid, so the options are limitless! Below we’ll go into detail about each of your options. More information about each type of financial aid is available in this handy guide.
Grants
Grants are often need-based and don’t have to be paid back. For this reason, they are sometimes called “gift aid.” Grants can come from the federal government, your state government, your technical college of choice, or a private or nonprofit organization. If you withdraw from school before finishing a semester, you may have to pay back all or part of your grant.
Student Loans
Loans are money that has to be paid back with interest. They can come from the federal government, your state government, your college, or a private source. Payments for most student loans don’t start until after you finish your education, giving you time to secure employment.
Work Study
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides part-time employment for students. Work study helps pay for educational expenses and focuses on community service and work related to your field of study. It can be a head-start into your career of choice and looks great on a resume!
Scholarships
Scholarships are another type of “gift aid” that doesn’t need to be paid back. Your technical college of choice will have many scholarship opportunities you can apply for based on your field of study and other factors. The amount of the award varies, but they can be helpful in meeting your educational expenses.
Veterans’ Benefits
Many technical colleges are approved to give benefits to eligible veterans and children and spouses of deceased or disabled veterans. These benefits fall under a wide variety of programs, with eligibility being determined by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Lottery Tuition Assistance
This type of financial aid is available to South Carolina residents who have completed the FAFSA and enrolled in at least 6 credit hours’ worth of courses. Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTA) is designed to supplement existing resources, so all federal and state aid must be applied toward tuition costs before LTA will be awarded.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
Because so many types of financial aid are available, applying can be tricky. First off, you should complete the FAFSA form because it’s required for any lottery tuition assistance. Thankfully, most technical colleges have resources available to help you navigate the complicated financial aid process. York Tech uses the Navigate platform for registering for classes. You can also access your financial aid account through Navigate, which makes it even more useful.
Students can also utilize virtual and phone assistance during college business hours. The best way to get information about financial aid is to talk to the people who work with it every day: college admissions employees. If you fill out the form on our Get Started page, one of those employees will reach out to you and get you any and all information that you need to take the first step in a new career!
