The Easy Road to Financing a Nutrition Degree Online

Earning a nutrition degree online can lead to a variety of jobs, many of them paying relatively well and allowing one to work hospital hours, with long days but even longer weekends. However, financing a nutrition degree online can be a challenge for many people. When it comes to online degrees vs campus degrees, both have something major in common – they are expensive. But with a combination of scholarships, grants, and loans anyone can pay their way through a nutrition degree online, emerging with a degree that can help them shape the health of the world.

Scholarships

By far the best way to pay for school is with someone else’s money. Scholarships are a great way to do this, and there are many scholarships to be found for health related studies. If you are considering a nutrition degree online be sure to look into scholarships. Remember that not all scholarships are all about grades – you do not necessarily have to be the top of your class to get them. Often, they have a minimum GPA requirement in the “B” range, but other than that they look more at personal achievement or goals.

Grants

Another type of free money is the Federal Pell Grant. This is a government sponsored program to give money to students based upon financial need. Your credit is not a consideration, just the amount of money that you make. You can apply for this grant, receiving up to $5,500 per year, by completing a FAFSA application online. Then, you work with the financial aid department at your school to finalize the grant and get the funds.

Loans

With today’s skyrocketing college tuition and cost of living, sometimes scholarships and grants simply are not enough to fully finance a nutrition degree online. Thus, you may need to get some student loans to take up the slack. The best loan to get is the Federal Stafford Loan, a federally guaranteed loan with a relatively low interest rate and a number of benefits due to its governmental affiliation. The government also provides Perkins loans and additional graduate loans, allowing parents to borrow money for their children’s education or for master’s and doctoral level students to receive more money to cover the higher costs of graduate tuition.

Aside from federally funded loans, there are also private student loans available. These can be used if absolutely necessary, but you should do your very best to avoid these loans as they have much higher interest rates and do not offer the same protections as federal loans.

Putting it all Together

Most of your financial aid can be done directly through the university where you plan to earn your nutrition degree online. They will help you find the FAFSA form and complete it, then finish the other paperwork and get your funds. They can also provide you with information about scholarships and private loans, so your school’s financial aid department should be your partner in this financial process.

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