These days, convicted felons have such a hard time making the transition back to civilian life. And applying to college has long been one of them. However, you should remember that study is an obvious right of human. Therefore, it is equal for everyone to get opportunities to attend college. Actually, there are a variety of supportive resources for financial need, such as scholarships for convicted felons, available upon their return to the community. Many ex-felons may benefit considerably by using means available to traditional students to apply for scholarships coupled with programs specifically for ex-offenders.
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Basic points about scholarships for felons:
1. Benefits
Most scholarships provide ex-felons with financial aid which meets their basic requirements to become a productive citizen of the country.
2. Parole Officer
Although a parole officer takes responsibility for monitoring the conduct of an offender, an officer typically maintains at least some basic information about available scholarships for ex-felons. The entry to assistance for felons is really narrow once they are paroled; however, they may still get information on scholarships via a parole officer.
Helpful Instructions for getting scholarships
1. Contact the parole agent to have a discussion about your education plans
It’s a common fact that if you have already completed parole, you might still need assistance from the parole agent. Because this is one of few places that do back up information about both common and specialized financial support for ex-felons.
2. Apply for your desire and suitable program
For parolees, you should make up your mind of what and where you would like to study. Based on your parole conditions, you should carefully choose such programs matching you so that your traveling to attend school becomes easy. Besides, your crime in the past will be known clearly by the college and it consequently have such bad effect on your entry to certain schools. What you have to do is to include any evidence of reform since your conviction and accentuate positive points in your application form. For instance, completing drug rehabilitation or making restitution. However, doing this part requires such honesty. The more honest you are, the more successful your application will be. Remember to get as many personal references in writing as possible – ask anyone who can write a positive letter about you.
3. Have an appointment with the college’s financial aid office
This function not only offers federal and state forms necessary file for financial support but also provides you with other educational aid applications. Once arrange the meeting, you should ask to speak to a person familiar with the difficulties faced by ex-offenders. A scholarship reference section maybe useful for you to consult other scholarships outside of state and federal aid. For instance, you can search for them on your college’s websites.
4. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA
A lot of scholarships use this form in their qualification process. You can easily fill out the form online or fill by hand. Your college financial aid function also save copies of the application, or you can call the Federal Student Aid office for getting a copy.
Notice: question 23 of the FAFSA asks about drug convictions. Convicted felons with this type of criminal record will have to complete the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet to determine if federal financial support can be awarded.
5. Check reference works for scholarships
Some reliable sources for you to consult:
- College and local library
- Locations house catalogs and databases
- The Federal Student Aid website and use the Scholarship Wizard