What Students Need To Know About The New Stimulus Package
On Thursday, March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion economic relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan. This new stimulus package includes direct payments to individuals and families, extensions to unemployment benefits, financial support for college and universities, and tax breaks for low-income families. Here is what you need to know about the stimulus package.
Higher Education Emergency Grants Available For College Students Impacted By The Covid
The coronavirus pandemic has caused many financial disruptions for students and young consumers and those who are pursuing a higher education. If youre a college student who may need additional help financially, you may qualify for Federally funded emergency grants or other relief options from your college or university.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was passed by Congress in March 2020 to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that law and other pieces of legislation passed by Congress, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF, was established. The HEERF includes a program administered by the U.S. Department of Education which allows colleges, universities, and other institutions to use a portion of the funding to provide emergency grants directly to students to help those who are experiencing financial difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic.
These emergency grants can be used to cover expenses or costs from food, housing, course materials, technology needs, health care, or child-care expenses. If youre experiencing financial difficulty, here is some information and resources for you on HEERF emergency grant funding:
Ways To Get A Free Laptop From The Government
by Lauren Bennett – Last Updated January 15, 2020
Ever wondered, how can I get a free laptop from the government?
If so, in this post well show you how all the legit ways you can get a laptop computer for free from the government, whether you need it for school, work, or whatever else.
Nowadays, a computer is pretty much a necessity.
Thankfully, there are many programs in place to help people in such situations. There are even program where the government gives you free money.
If youre struggling to afford one, then you may be able to get a free laptop from the government.
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Lets take a look at how.
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Government Assistance For Childcare
Finding quality and reliable childcare is crucial to working parents. However, in many areas, the cost of daycare is unaffordable, and parents must choose between unreliable care or not working. Fortunately, there are government assistance programs that can help.
Child Care and Development Fund
The Child Care and Development Fund is administered by the states to provide subsidies in the form of vouchers or grants and contracts with providers to low-income families for childcare.
Like many of the other assistance programs, each state sets its own eligibility requirements. You can find out what your states requirements are by contacting your local fund administrator.
If your family does qualify, youre allowed to pick the provider you want, as long as the provider meets state standards .
Head Start
Head Start is a school-readiness program for children from birth through five from low-income families. In addition to preparing kids for school, it also helps with whole-family well-being and health and development.
A3.2: In addition to income-eligible families, #HeadStart serves migrant seasonal communities, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children in tribal communities, etc. #EarlyEdChat
National Head Start Association
Head Start services are available to eligible families living below the federal poverty line, and are available in childcare centers, in-home daycares, and home-based services.
How To Apply For Scholarships And Bursaries
Each year, millions of dollars of scholarships and bursaries in Canada go unclaimed. Remember that money is often awarded for things other than high grades or athletic ability. But you wont land the money if you dont apply. Heres what to keep in mind:
- Do some research to find awards you might be eligible for. Ask your teachers, professors, and parents if they know of any scholarships. Search Alberta scholarships online.
- Start your scholarship search with these websites:
- Indigenous student supports
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Bad Credit Grants And Your Education
Your credit history does not determine your eligibility for government grants, but conventional loans and other financing sometimes require formal credit checks. Keep your limited credit history on the right track by paying your phone and credit card bills on-time.
If you borrow money from a private lender or through the Federal Governments Direct Loan Program, use your repayment schedule as an opportunity to build a favorable credit rating. If a loan cosigner is on board, protect his or her credit by making payments on-time. Once you illustrate regularity in paying the debt, most lenders will release your cosigner from responsibility for the loan.
The Federal Pell Grant
The Pell Grant is one of the most popular forms of student aid, probably because it is need-based instead of merit based. Pell Grant has helped millions of American students attend college. The grant is for students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree however, in some cases post-baccalaureate students may qualify for assistance.
The government follows specific formula to determine eligibility for the grant. This formula considers the overall household income for the student and compares it with the cost of attendance to the specific university that the student attends.
Generally speaking, students with a low income and high educational expenses should receive the most aid. The amount of the Pell Grant is different for each student. Once a student has been deemed eligible for Pell, the government decides how much they are eligible for depending on the following factors:
- The expected family contribution amount is the amount a family can afford to pay toward education.
- Students school status
- Number of people in the students household
- Number of people in the household who attend school
- Students income, if they are an independent student
- Parents income, for dependent students
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Maximize Federal Student Loans
Borrow federal before private. Federal loans come with more generous repayment and forgiveness options compared with private loans.
» MORE:How to apply for student loans: Federal and private
Determine how much to borrow. The amount you should borrow will depend on what kind of monthly payments you can expect and your income in your first year after graduation. A good rule of thumb is to borrow no more than 10% of your forecasted monthly take-home pay. Use a student loan repayment calculator to estimate payments.
Hp Laptops For Students Programs
Theres also a section for students on the HP Store site. If we want to access it, well have to register with the email that our educational center has provided us and our university is part of this community network. If you dont have an academic email, it will be necessary to give additional information to complete the registration.
We proceed to register with our student accounts I am currently studying at UNED and, after entering our and a strong password, they send us a confirmation code to the email that well have to glue on the HP site. It will be necessary to enter more data related to our career to finish the process. Once registered, we will be redirected to the front page of the HP Store, where we will see your goods with the price for students without restrictions.
The earnings between devices vary greatly depending upon the version chosen, but they are extremely appealing : 20% on a selection of products including laptops, all-in-ones, desktops, printers and monitors, the HP Pavilion, Envy and Specter families with 100 Dollars discount, 25% on screens.
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Free Laptops For School Students School Grants For Free Laptops
Ask someone from your schools financial aid office if they know of any free laptop offers. Check if your school or college provides free laptops. Some universities, such as Wake Forest and Stevens-Henager, provide laptops that students can rent for free throughout the semester. Go to your schools financial aid office and determine if a counselor will point you in the ideal direction. K-12 students may ask their school office whenever they have free notebook options or if the faculty can help them get a free laptop.
Get In Touch With Your Local St Vincent De Paul
St. Vincent de Paul is a non-profit organization. It has locations all over the country. It helps people in a huge variety of ways, like by providing free furniture for example.
Theres a page on the website where you can find what types of assistance and services the organization offers.
Just scroll to the bottom of the page, and select your location from the options. When you click on a location, youll be taken to a separate website for that location.
On your local website, youll be able to learn about what services are available in your area.
Not every St. Vincent de Paul location will provide donated laptops, but some will.
You can ask at your local Catholic Church if there are any St. Vincent de Paul locations in the area.
- Get assistance here:
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Maximum Lifetime Limit For Student Aid
There are lifetime limits on the number of weeks you can receive student aid. This includes interest-free periods while you are in school. Once a lifetime limit has been reached, interest starts to accumulate. You will also have to start paying back the loan 6 months after you graduate or finish your studies.
Full-time students can receive student aid for no more than 340 weeks, except:
- students enrolled in doctoral studies can receive student aid for up to 400 weeks
- students with permanent disability can receive student aid for up to 520 weeks
What To Do If Your Parents Cant Or Wont Help Pay
What can you do if your parents cant help pay for school?
This section of Finaid provides advice to students whose parents are unable or unwilling to help students pay for school. Regardless of the situation, some of the more common questions received by Finaid come from students seeking help because their parents cannot contribute to their education.
Finaid supports changes in federal legislation that would shift the burden to the students. Unfortunately, current federal law does not provide many options for students who want to go to college but whose parents refuse to help.
Federal Government Policies on Parental Responsibility
The federal government and the schools consider it primarily the familys responsibility to pay for school. They provide financial assistance only when the family is unable to pay. If a family just doesnt want to pay, that wont make a difference. Parents have a greater responsibility toward their children than the government or the schools.
The US Department of Education has published guidance to financial aid administrators indicating that neither parent refusal to contribute to the students education nor parent unwillingness to provide information on the student aid application or for verification is sufficient grounds for a dependency status override. This is true even if the parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes or the student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
Advice for Students and Parents
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Ways To Get A Laptop For Free From The Government
As we said above, the government doesnt just hand out laptops to anyone. So getting a laptop from the government isnt as simple as just calling up and asking for one.
There isnt a government program solely for laptops the government may help you with funding, but as we said, it doesnt have a program you can use to apply for a no cost laptop.
However, there are quite a few government-funded programs, and other organizations, that can help you to get a laptop at no cost.
Lets take a look at the ways you can get a free laptop from government programs and other organizations.
Some of these options are from government departments, but weve also included programs from non-profit organizations.
Grants For Free Laptops For College Students
In this age of growing dependence on computer technology, college students are looking for their notebooks and IPad more than ever. However, these types of equipment arent affordable. A very basic laptop can cost hundreds of dollars, which can be challenging for most student budgets. Laptops have become a ubiquitous part of their educational experience, no matter whether the student is in college or college diploma. Many students communicate with teachers and other peers through email, take notes on word processing applications, and use educational applications like a whiteboard to check grades and assignments. But, laptops can be costly. Luckily, there are a couple of options for those seeking to get a cheap notebook, or even entirely free. But, online college laptops are not like other laptops, theyre configured for the program that every student is following. The laptop has Internet connections to download the latest course outlines, evaluations, and lecture materials.
The Online Schools Administration provides information to notebook manufacturers on what the laptop should look like in terms of software composition. And while most online colleges that Offer free laptops allow their Students to keep their laptops after graduation, some colleges ask for them to be returned .
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Government Hardship Grants For Single Mothers
The single mother can access Many Grants if she is the head of the family, with at least one economic dependent. This is because, being the department that protects and promotes prosperity in the population, they are responsible for offering a good amount of social assistance. Single mothers often face the challenge of managing household expenses alone for themselves and their children. Single mothers are usually overwhelmed by financial problems. Not only do they have to pay the bills for the family, but they generally have to make additional payments to the daycare centers and child caregivers while they go to work. All of them focus on improving the quality of life of each resident of the country equally. It is worth mentioning that, of all its initiatives, one of the most successful is the Emergency Grants for Single Mothers. Fortunately, many states have financial assistance options designed to help those families who encounter financial difficulties, and some areas may offer programs especially for single parents.
Financial Hardship grants for single mothers
How Do I Apply For A Heerf Emergency Grant
You should contact the financial aid office at your school to learn more about your options and how to apply. ED does not directly award HEERF emergency grants to students, nor does any other federal agency. Students must contact their college or university financial aid office to request grant aid from the schools HEERF allocation.
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Free Money From Taxes And Unclaimed Funds
Free government money doesnt always come in the form of need-based programs. Some are available to anyone, regardless of income.
Unclaimed money
While this isnt necessarily free money, it is money that is owed to you for some reason by some entity. This money can include uncashed paychecks, apartment or utility deposits, or safety deposit box contents.
Theres no one place to check for unclaimed money, and you might have it in multiple states so make sure youre researching all the states youve ever lived in. If your employer is headquartered in a different state from where you work, check that state as well.
The best places to start looking for your unclaimed funds are:
Old pension plans
In addition to unclaimed money or tax refunds, you might have money available to you in the form of old pension plans. If you or someone in your family worked for a company that provided a pension but hasnt collected those benefits, you might still be eligible for that money.
You can find out if theres money owed to you by visiting the Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation and searching for your or your family members name.
Tax credits and deductions
An easy way to find free money is to adjust your tax withholding and deductions. If you havent done this recently, review the W-4 you submitted when you began your job. Figure out what you chose and then, using this list, make necessary and appropriate adjustments.
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Contests allow students to compete for free laptops
Enter contests. Its easy to search the internet for competitions in which notebooks are given as prizes. Some may request a name and email to enter a drawing others may request an essay, creation, or creative thought for consideration. Even if a laptop isnt the prize, many contests provide cash you could put towards purchasing a laptop. By way of instance, Burger King awards particular cash awards from high school students through its scholarship program since theyve 2.5 GPAs or higher and intend to go to college or vocational school.
Free Laptops From Craigslist
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Income Contingent College Money
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid compiles information about your family finances, and your ability to pay for college. Income and family size are used to determine how much money your family can reasonably devote to college expenses. Your Expected Family Contribution is used to calculate the difference between what you can afford, and what your education costs.
Your personal Student Aid Report paints a cash-flow picture for individual colleges to use as they draw from all the available financial aid resources to create your individual financial aid offer. The first aid sources that are tapped for needy students include federal and state grants.
The Department of Education Pell Grant program provides substantial relief for low-income college students. Eligibility is determined based on the information drawn from your FAFSA. Four important criteria influence the amount of your Pell Grant:
Pell maximums hover around $5000 per student, for each academic year, based on congressional funding. FAFSA results are generally sufficient, but some students are asked to provide additional documentation before being considered for this need-based grant.
Other federal grants have specific eligibility requirements that go beyond financial need.
