Medical Assistant Scholarships Finding medical assistant scholarships takes a little bit of legwork— or perhaps more accurately, Google searching and mouse-clicking—but they're worth the effort. Once you've decided to become a medical assistant, scholarships will help you achieve your goal with the minimum amount of personal expense. Since you'll never have to pay back any funds you receive as a medical assistant scholarship, they're a great way to pay your tuition. While many people may think that you have to be an academic superstar or a great athlete to get a scholarship, that's simply not true. There are many organizations that give scholarships based on the field of study you select. Seek out professional organizations for medical assistants to find out if they offer scholarship opportunities. One example of an organization awarding a medical assistant scholarship is the American Medical Technologists (AMT). For more information check out the AMT website.  Financial Aid for Medical Assistant School The Federal Student Aid programs are the largest source of college financial assistance, each year providing billions of dollars in funding through a variety of methods: as gift aid in the form of grants (money that does not have to be repaid), as self-help aid in the form of work study (job earnings) and loans (money that must be paid back at interest). The following represent some of the most common types of student loans and financial aid: Pell Grant A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded usually only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree. (In some cases, however, a student enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program might receive a Pell Grant.) Pell Grants are considered a foundation of federal financial aid, to which aid from other federal and non-federal sources might be added. Stafford Loans (Student Loans) Stafford loans are also known as the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program. Under the Direct Loan program, the funds for your loan come directly from the federal government. Funds for your FFEL will come from a bank, credit union, or other lender that participates in the program. PLUS Loans (Parent Loans) Parents can borrow a PLUS Loan to help pay education expenses if the student is a dependent undergraduate student enrolled at least half time in an eligible program at an eligible school. PLUS Loans are available through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. Learn more about financial aid for health care students, visit our Financial Aid Resource Center. For applications visit http://studentaid.ed.gov. Start Your Medical Assistant Career If you're ready to start your medical assistant career, don't let worries over financing stop you from taking the first step. There are lots of medical assistant scholarship and financial aid resources available. Learn more about medical assistant schools that interest you, and get advice from admissions counselors about how to finance your education.  |
