Like college scholarships, college grants are a great way to pay for school, since you don’t have to repay the money after you graduation like you would with a student loan. Financial need is the number one factor for most college grant programs, and although the application process is also more involved with grants, some will pay for your entire education. Grants are available for both online and offline engineering programs, as long as your school is accredited.

First, the government is one of the best sources of online engineering program grants. The Federal Pell Grant is available to any student who financially qualifies. This grant is given based on your family’s income and financial assets, and the amount you’re given depends on your level of need and how many students apply in any given year. This isn’t the only government grant offered to students, though. Many departments have grants specifically available for students studying a certain topic, so make sure to apply to all of those available to engineering and science students. Government grants vary from year to year, but have been available in the past from NASA, National Defense programs, and other United States federal, state, and local sources.

Private organizations also offer grants to students. In many cases, these grants are available to upper level students who are interested in finishing a specific research project during the course of their education. Like with government grants, private grants vary from year to year based on applicants and fund availability, but some of the organizations that have offered them in the past and may currently be offering grants to engineering students include the following:

• American Society for Engineering Education
• IBM Research
• National Science Foundation
• National SMART Grant

Research grants and educational grants may also be available through your school. Just because you’re going to an online college doesn’t mean that your program shouldn’t have financial aid available for students. The top online universities online have full financial aid departments to help you learn about both grants and scholarships to make your engineering degree affordable. Your school and the engineering department should both offer college grants to students, as well as be able to help you find college grants for engineering students that you may otherwise have not known existed.

If you’re currently working in the engineering field, you can also turn to your employer for help with college through grant programs and tuition reimbursement programs. Many employers want their workers to have the best education possible, and will pay for an advanced degree through an accredited online university. You typically need to work for the employers for at least one to two years to qualify for such programs, and you may also need to agree to continue working with that employer for a number of years after you receive the money for school. This is, however, a great way to get an advanced engineering education for free.