Grants for Green Card Holders

Education costs have steadily risen over the years making it hard for many people to afford school. Fortunately, many grant programs exist that aim to help students pay for school through scholarships. Many of these programs cater to green card holders who have permanent residence status in the U.S.

Green card holders have received legal permanent residence status in the U.S. and can thus enter the country without a visa. These individuals were typically born elsewhere but have satisfied a series of requirements and could potentially becoming American citizens. Unlike citizens, green card holders are not permitted to vote or hold public office. However, they can take advantage of several public and private grant opportunities. All federal, government-sponsored educational grants are open to legal permanent residents. Many state-operated programs are equally open to green card holders that have primary residence within the state in question. Privately operated grant programs also provide educational funding and there are many that permanent residents can take advantage of.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, America is expected to witness a critical nursing shortage by 2025. This possibility, plus the fact that several states, including Virginia, already have a nursing shortage prompted the creation of nursing grants to help both citizens and green card holders in paying for their degree, which can cost upwards of $30,000 per year. One such grant program is Virginia's Nurse Practitioner/ Nurse Midwife Scholarship Program. Another is the National League for Nursing Grant . Offered by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the program gives up to $5,000 to selected candidates. A green card holder need only be a member of STTI to qualify.

In 2010, average college tuition rates skyrocketed faster than the nation's gross domestic product. That cost forced many students to defer their college ambitions. Given how expensive it is for many to pay for school, the federal government offers a series of educational grants that are available to only citizens and legal permanent residents. These programs include the Pell Grant, which gives funding to students who demonstrate financial need. There is also the Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, which targets college juniors and seniors who plan to enter the fields of science and technology.

Graduate school is expensive. The average medical student, for instance, can expect to graduate with at least $157,944 in debt, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). In an effort to address this reality, the AMA provides the Seed Grant Research Program to assist physicians who want to conduct research and increase their knowledge base. Another option for green card holders is the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Graduate Arts Award that supports those pursuing a graduate degree in the performing arts, visual arts or creative writing.