Grants for Post-Baccalaureate Programs

Suppose you study hard and complete a four-year course. Then you go into the job market and realize that you lack the skills to advance in your career. In that case, you would need to go back to college and learn some more.

However, instead of pursuing advanced education in a similar area of study, you may need to get a degree in a different field altogether. If you do that, you would be a post-baccalaureate student, rather than a post-graduate one.

Luckily, post-baccalaureate degrees tend to take less time because some of your past qualifications contribute toward your required credits. But the challenges that affect other students struggling to pay for college education still remain. So, you should consider scholarships for post-bacc students to reduce your learning expenses.

Below are some grants and scholarships for post-bacc programs you should explore.

The Pell Grant is one of the post-bacc scholarships available to non-traditional students. It is offered at the federal level. If you are enrolled as a student in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program, you may qualify for this grant.

To receive the post-baccalaureate Pell Grant, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form so that your eligibility can be determined. Then, based on what kind of student you are, your level of family support, attendance costs and plans to attend a full academic year or not, you may be given some funds.

The maximum aid you can receive via the Pell Grant currently stands at ​$6,895 ​per academic year. And you cannot receive grant money for more than ​12 semesters​ or after you have graduated from the post-baccalaureate program.

If you are a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in education or a recent graduate with minimal experience and want to become a high school chemistry teacher, the ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship may help you do that.

The grant provides up to ​$6,000​ for full-time students or ​$3,000​ for part-time ones for up to ​three years​. You can use the money for tuition, room and board and other learning expenses.

In addition to financial support, you will receive mentorship for ​three years​ as you teach.

The Wy'east Post-Baccalaureate Pathway Program is open to Alaskan Natives and American Indians who want to pursue a career in medicine but did not get the required MCAT score or were not accepted to medical school. It offers them an alternative pathway to their preferred careers.

You may also need to meet other academic or residency criteria. But if you qualify for the grant, your ​10-month​ tuition will be free. In addition, you will be given a stipend worth about ​$1,100​. However, that amount is subject to change.

The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program will enable you to receive funding for doctorate studies or other scholarly learning activities. It was established in honor of Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and one of Challenger’s astronauts.

You are likely to qualify if your academic performance is pretty good and you come from a disadvantaged background. Based on the data for the academic year 2021, each award participant gets about ​$9,505​​.​

The Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars (FDDS) program is meant for those who come from underrepresented minority groups or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It pays for post-baccalaureate education targeting sectors such as business, law, communication and science, among others.

If you qualify for the FDDS grant, you will likely receive enough financial support to pay for on-campus accommodation, food expenses, tuition, mandatory fees, books and more. In addition, you can renew your scholarship for up to ​four years​ as long as you fulfill all the requirements.

The above are a few examples of post-baccalaureate scholarships that are available out there. You should explore them and others that are more suited to what you are studying and your background. Where college education is concerned, every bit of financial help counts. So, don’t be afraid to apply for as many grants as possible.