by Jennifer Johnson

Created on: August 01, 2009

Remember when you were younger and decided to 'take a semester off' and travel, relax, or ponder what you wanted to do with the rest of your life?

Life has a way of playing havoc with the best-laid plans sometimes, doesn't it?

If you're like a lot of people, the semesters added up quickly and now you find yourself years later without a degree.

Would you like to go back to school and finish that degree? Or maybe you went straight to work or became a homemaker and have a desire to start college for the first time. Whatever the case may be, today more and more 'non-traditional students' are going back to school or starting college for the first time in their adult years.

If you've resigned yourself to being unable to fulfill your dream because you think paying for college is just too expensive, take heart. You could, of course, take out a loan or use credit to finance your education, but before you do that, consider the fact that there are numerous forms of financial aid available today for older college students.

Actually, you might be surprised to discover that the financial aid process for older students is essentially much the same as for traditional students.

The first thing you should do is fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Don't worry if you don't think you qualify; you never know unless you try and many private grants and scholarships use the FAFSA to determine eligibility as well. You can access the free online form here: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

In addition to some types federal aid, there are many non-governmental forms of aid (scholarships, grants, and programs) that aren't age-restricted. Sallie Mae's College Answer website ( www.collegeanswer.com ) offers a free online scholarship search to help match you with available scholarships.

Some colleges and universities also offer incredible tuition discounts to campus employees. Many institutions also have a non-traditional student department/office; ask the school in which you are considering enrolling if they have a non-traditional student advocacy group or resource center.

One option available to you as an adult student that isn't available to the vast majority of traditional college freshmen is that your employer may have a tuition-reimbursement plan. Check with your HR department to see if there is a program already in place for employees wanting to continue their education.

Don't give up on your dream of going back to school. Once you take a look around, you may be surprised at the options available to finance your endeavor!

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