Single mothers raise their families single handedly. They face financial challenges. They may find it difficult to meet monthly expenses which include house rent, groceries, clothing, children’s education fees etc. They are unable to buy any property. Their monthly income would not be sufficient to lead a basic comfortable life. Hence they may think of pursuing a higher degree so that they will get a better job. But with the existing financial constraint, the thought of earning a degree will just be a dream. But several private and government institutions provide scholarships for single moms in pursuit of higher education. This is really a boon to single mothers who are in real difficult situation.

There are different types of scholarships available for single mothers. These include merit based scholarships, need based scholarships, institution based scholarships and sociology based scholarships.

Need based scholarships are designed for those who are in need of funds to meet their educational expenses. She needs to justify her financial incapability. She also needs to convince that she has the capacity to complete the degree. These scholarships cover tuition fees and living costs also.

Merit based scholarships are provided based on the past academic records. Among other credentials, her work performance is also taken into account. They are generally given to people who excel in academics, athletics and art. However most scholarships are based on merit only. They require candidates to meet certain GPA.

Sociology based scholarships are awarded to females on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnic groups, demographic categories and nationality. Most of these scholarships are provided by non-government organizations. The aim is to ensure equality for the marginalized sectors of society. Presently, its easy to find various organisations which provide different grants or scholarships to young mothers,or single mothers and to even older women, and African-American women who wish to rejoin college or attain a degree.

Institutional based scholarships are provided by institutions like schools and colleges to the prospective candidates. People can get in touch with the admission office and enquire about institutional scholarships. But they are qualified only if they have admission to the granting institution.

There is one more category which is termed as general. Some companies, organisations or corporations offer scholarships to women, based upon their own set standards and rules. For example they give scholarships to the sons/daughters of the employees working with them. These falls under the general category type.

There are peculiar situations when candidates are selected for scholarships based on a combination of factors. In those cases two or more scholarship types come into picture and scholarships are granted based on some priority factor. For example if there are two single moms applying for a scholarship. The first mom is with decent financial background and the second mom is below the poverty line. But with regard to the past academic records, the first mom has secured marks more than the second mom. But the difference is minimal. Here both merit based scholarships and sociology based scholarships come into picture. However that particular scholarship is given to the second mom keeping in mind the her current financial situation. This is just an example scenario.

It is also important to note that to get government scholarships, single moms must first file in the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA). Most schools use the information provided by FAFSA to match with the scholarship opportunities. Thus single moms can sail through school without worrying about tuition and other school fees.