<p>I am a 37 year old single dad with no degree. I know having a degree is necessary to have a successful career. I wanted to know if it was possible to focus on school full time, without working. Would I be able to get loans/grants to pay for my living expenses? Any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>As a freshman student you are generally limited to $5500 in loans and a $5600 Pell Grant. While this is usually enough to attend a Community College it’s not necessarily enough to cover living expenses. I would talk to your local Community College to see if they have any retraining grants available.</p>
<p>A 37 year old would be an independent student. I believe independent students get an additional $4000 in direct loans…so $9500.</p>
<p>Because OP is independent student, he will be able to borrow up to 9,500 per year.</p>
<p>That being said, I would not recommend to minimize the debt, by working full time and going to school part time. </p>
<p>My SIL obtained both her AA and BA degrees online from accredit non-profit CC and State college. Take a look and see if this option is available in your area. (The key is non-profit, state run - do not fall for for profit schools scam)</p>
<p>Hello! I am currently resuming my undergraduate studies at much the same age.</p>
<p>First, let me say that having a degree is not necessary to have a successful career. I’ve built a successful one in IT without a degree (or even a single computer science course, ever). But a degree <em>can</em> make your success more valuable. And learning is a lifelong asset.</p>
<p>It <em>is</em> possible to resume school full-time at your age (which is not far from mine). In particular, you might look at schools that offer the Osher Reentry Scholarship, which is specifically meant for those between ages 25 and 50 who are re-entering undergraduate education. [The</a> Bernard Osher Foundation | Osher Reentry Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?reentry]The”>http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?reentry)</p>
<p>Full time is not the only way to go, though. Many of the schools that offer the Osher scholarship also offer part-time options for us “non-traditional” older students. If I were a single dad, that’s probably the way I would go, so I could have time for my kid(s).</p>
<p>Also, look into local colleges and universities that might also have part-time programs, night programs, or special solutions for non-traditional or returning students.</p>
<p>And you also have the option of doing a part-time degree online. It’s not just University of Phoenix and other for-profit schools. There are some very reputable, regionally-accredited schools that have online degree programs. Harvard’s Extension School will let you finish a degree almost entirely online, but it requires a couple of summers in Boston and your degree is not identical to one from the bricks and mortar Harvard College.</p>
<p>However, there are also schools like Arizona State, where you can do a degree completely online in a variety of subjects, and the degree is identical to the one any ASU campus student receives. You can even travel there and walk across the stage if you want to.</p>
<p>Long story short, there are many options out there. It would be hard to narrow them down without knowing where you are, and what you intend to study. Meanwhile, I’ll recommend visits to the Non-Traditional sub-forum here on CC (great for learning about bricks and mortar options for non-trad students), and the DegreeInfo forums elsewhere (great for learning about online options).</p>
<p>Thanks for the correction Thumper and Lerkin.</p>
<p>Wow. Thanks for the advice. Extremely helpful.</p>