My husband is going back to school (yay!) and we're trying to research and apply for as many grants/scholarships as possible for him. A lot of websites seem to look really legit but have a slight undertone of scam about them. Also, if anyone knows about specific scholarships/grants for oldies (he's almost 30 ) that be great too, since it seems almost all of the scholarships at least are only for HS seniors (grants seem to have more leniency).

Is he a Veteran? Or an Eagle Scout? Does he have ties to any groups? Such as the Lions club or Elks or something like that? Has he checked with his employer? Or his alumni group? Has he done any volunteering for the community? These are all legit avenues to check out.

kk~

No, unfortunately he doesn't have any connections. He's unemployed, is not affiliated with any clubs, is not a veteran and isn't really an alumni of anywhere (he was homeschooled and did classes at a community college, but he has no degree yet) He has a step dad that was a mason, but that's a pretty tenuous link, I think the best angle he/we have at this point is low income. I'm checking our state education website at the moment for state grants and scholarships.

Has he filed his FAFSA?

kk~

Yeah, FAFSA is done for this year, and he got a small Pell grant that covers most of his community college tuition as he finishes his AA in the winter/spring quarters, but we're looking to next fall when he'll be done with his AA and starting a BA degree, which unfortunately will be a lot more than community college. And our state has cut a lot of work study programs, so that probably won't be an option. He'll be doing the '12-'13 FAFSA when we get our tax info in January.

Check out some heritage organizations, maybe? My friend who's of Irish descent was able to get a chunk of money from an Irish society in order to go to an ivy league school.

What is he getting his associates in and what does he plan on majoring in? Some organizations give scholarships from that angle as well. For example a news organization might have a scholarship for someone whose studying journalism.

Also, this might sound weird but does he have any health problems? Every so often I've seen them for people with particular problems, even something as common as asthma or allergies. I don't know how legit they are though.

When I was in high school I applied for a ton on fastweb but never heard back from any of them. I think it's better to go local like others have mentioned, or go directly through established organizations instead of scholarship websites. Look on the websites of local high schools and colleges. Some might have some listed that aren't specifically for students at those schools, but just people that live in the area.

^ Right. We have a local insurance agency that gives $100 to anyone who applies. It's not much, but every little bit helps.

kk~

www.studentawards.com

This website is legitimate and has a very large database of scholarships, etc. that are available.

fastweb.com is legit (so I've heard, never had much luck, but my school's financial aid recommended it).

I used to use fastweb and filled out tons of scholarships... when I was in High School. It is legit but geared more towards incoming freshmen right out of high school. There are some scholarships for older though. You just have to look.

I somehow come across random scholarships for all different types of fields. Let us know his major and we might be able to direct you to some other scholarships.

Another thought... is he Phi Theta Kappa? My nearby university offers $500 to anyone transferring in from a community college who is PTK.

kk~