Criminal justice majors who need money for college are in luck. There are many different scholarships and awards available to help cover the costs associated with pursuing an undergraduate or graduate-level degree. Here are 10 criminal justice scholarship and award programs worth exploring:

Education-Portal.com Undergraduate Award – This $500 academic award is given annually to one student who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, law enforcement, correction, forensics, homeland security, or a related major. The winner of this award is chosen based on academic history and extracurricular activities. The deadline to apply is April 1st of each year.

Distance Learning Award for Grad Students – Education-Portal.com offers a distance learning scholarship to students of any major who are pursuing a master’s degree online. The annual academic award is worth $500. The application deadline is April 1st of each year.

StraightForward Media’s Law Enforcement Scholarships – StraightForward Media awards a law enforcement scholarship every three months. Each scholarship is worth $500 and can be used by any student who is pursuing a career in police work, corrections, and other criminal justice fields. Applications can be submitted online throughout the year.

Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate Scholarship – The DHS offers an excellent undergraduate scholarship program to students who are pursuing a degree in homeland security. The program awards $1,000 per month for nine months and an additional $5,000 to be used toward a 10-week internship. New competition cycles for this scholarship program are announced in the fall of each year.

Captain James J. Regan Memorial Scholarship – This National Technical Investigators’ Association scholarship is awarded to senior students in high school and students who are already enrolled in a law enforcement or criminal justice program. The criminal justice scholarship is merit-based; winners are chosen on the basis of their academic record, leadership ability, and extracurricular activities. Two $500 scholarships are awarded each year. The application deadline is March 31st.

ACJS Scholarships – The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) awards several annual scholarships to criminal justice students and professionals. The award amount and deadline varies for each program. In most cases, nominations and applications must be received in the fall of each year.

NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund – The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund hosts an annual writing contest for senior (grades 10-12) and junior (grades 9 and below) students who need money for college. The fund awards U.S. savings bonds to winners in the senior category and the junior category. First prize is $1,000; second prize is $600; and third prize is $200. An honorable mention award of $100 is also given. The application deadline for this contest is December 1st of each year.

Online Associate Degree Scholarship – This $500 scholarship was not created exclusively for criminal justice majors, but it may still be of interest to anyone who is pursuing an associate degree in the field. To be eligible, you must be pursuing an online degree from an accredited institution. The deadline to apply is April 1st of each year.

Online Bachelor Degree Scholarship – The Online Bachelor Degree Scholarship is a $500 award from DegreeDirectory.org. The scholarship is open to students of any major who will be earning their bachelor degree online. The deadline to apply is April 1st of each year.

Recession Relief Scholarship – This unique scholarship is awarded four times each year to students who are struggling with credit card debt, loan debt, and other types of debt. To be considered for the scholarship, you must write an essay explaining why you are in debt and how the scholarship will help you continue your education. Applications can be submitted online throughout the year.

Guest post from Karen Schweitzer who writes about online courses for OnlineCourses.org.

Nina Hyland from the National Center for Juvenile Justice added the Maurice B. Cohill Jr. Young Investigator Award. You can check out Nina’s comment below for more info.

Don’t forget to check out the various criminal justice careers and the many criminal justice schools while you’re at it.

I know first hand how daunting the cost of college education can be. So, saving every dollar on your college education can mean a lot to your bottom line. Here are some helpful ways for every college student to help cut college costs – no matter if you are gearing towards the criminal justice field, or not.

1.  Most schools charge one price for a specific number of credits taken in a semester. If academically possible, students should take the maximum number of credits allowed. This strategy reduces the amount of time needed to graduate.

2.  Some colleges give credit for life experiences, thereby reducing the number of credits needed for graduation. Students should check with the college for further information. You can also write to Distance Education and Training Council at 1601 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, or call (202) 234-5100.

3.  A state college or university charges lower fees to state residents. Since public institutions are subsidized by state revenues, their tuition costs are lower than private schools’ costs. The college selection process should include consideration of a state school. Although cost should be a consideration, students should not base their choice of a school only on cost. If online education is what you’re seeking most try finding one that is through a state college or university. Trust me, there are many of them.

4.  Some schools offer combined degree programs or 3-year programs that allow students to take all of the courses needed for graduation in 3 years, instead of 4, thereby eliminating 1 year’s educational expenses. This usually requires a heavier class load, but it’s well worth it.

5.  Some students choose to attend a community college for 1 or 2 years, and then transfer to a 4-year school. Tuition costs are substantially lower at community colleges than at 4-year institutions. I highly recommend this method, especially if you’re not sure what you would like to study; thus not throwing away your money if you can’t decide within the first 2 years of your college education.

6.  Many schools provide lists of housing opportunities that provide free room and board to students in exchange for a certain number of hours of work each week.

7.  Another way to reduce college costs is to take fewer credits by getting rid of them. How? – you might ask. Students should find out their school’s policy regarding the Advanced Placement Program (APP), the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the Provenience Examination Program (PEP). Under these programs, a student takes an examination in a particular subject and, if the score is high enough, receives college credit. I have done this for a couple courses and it saved me several thousand dollars.

8.  In many cases, summer college courses can be taken at a less expensive school and the credits transferred to the full-time school. Students should check with their academic adviser, however, to be certain that any course taken at another school is transferable. When I lived in Chicago, many university students did this to speed up their graduation, but they were saving thousands at the same time.

9.  When transferring credits from one school to another make sure to fight for every last drop of the transfer credit. If you have taken the same or similar classes at one school, why should you be repeating it again and waste your dollars. I had to fight hard for the transfer of two 4 credit classes. I made phone calls, wrote emails, and even sent one letter via snail mail. In the end, those courses were successfully transferred saving me $752 per credit, or over $6,000 for all eight. It wasn’t hard and it was well worth it.

10.  Most colleges and universities offer their employees a tuition reduction plan or tuition waiver program. Under this type of arrangement, the school employee and family members can attend classes at a reduced cost or no cost at all. This type of program is based not upon financial need, but rather on college employment. I personally know of several police officers that have taken advantage of this perk and worked security part-time at a college or university they attended. One was able to offset all his expenses with a 60% tuition reduction and the help of Federal Financial Aid. The point is that university employees have a chance of eliminating the cost of their college education up to 100%.

11.  Some colleges and universities offer special discounts if more than one child from the same family is enrolled – make sure to ask. Did you have a brother or sister attend the university in the past? If so, you should also ask for this perk.

12.  Some schools offer reduced tuition rates to families if the major wage earner is unemployed. If available make sure to ask for details. Once employment is resumed the tuition reduction may be terminated.

13.  Some private colleges will match the tuition of out-of-state institutions for certain students. Check with your college to determine whether you qualify for this option.

14.  Some companies offer tuition assistance to the children of employees. Parents and students should check with the personnel office for information.

15.  Some companies offer tuition assistance to YOU. Find out if your company has tuition reimbursement programs. Military personnel should take advantage of the GI Bill.

16.  Buy used text books or get e-books which can often save you a good buck and eliminate shipping costs.

17.  Use open source software, like the Open Office Suite that nicely replaces Microsoft’s Office Suite and is absolutely free.

There are certainly more ways to cut your college costs, but these seemed pretty right up there. If you would like to add any I may have missed, please do so below. I’m sure everyone will appreciate any info that will save them mulah.

For many Americans the thought of financing their college education seems to bring out the worst in them. Unfounded stereotypes supporting the idea of future financial woes stop some from attending college and improving their overall quality of life. Luckily for you, if you are planning to, or already are, working in public service you can increase your career marketability through education and have more financial freedom, at least 60% more to be exact. Criminal Justice professionals, as well as those working in most public service jobs, are already taking advantage of a government sponsored program that will help them eliminate federal student loan debt much quicker.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 makes it possible for full-time public service employees to reduce their federal student loans into 120 manageable payments vs the standard 300 payments. After ten years all remaining interest and principal balances are forgiven. The loans eligible for this benefit fall under the umbrella of the Federal Direct Loans program and include the following loan types:

• Federal Direct Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized),
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans,
• and Federal Direct Consolidation Loans
• other Federal Loans*

The borrower must have made 120 separate monthly payments beginning after October 1, 2007. Hence, earlier payments do not count toward meeting this requirement. The 120 required payments must be made under one or more of the following Direct Loan Program repayment plans within 15 days of the due date:

• Income Based Repayment (IBR) Plan (not available to parent Direct PLUS Loan borrowers)
• Income Contingent Repayment Plan (not available to parent Direct PLUS Loan borrowers)
• Standard Repayment Plan with a 10-year repayment period
• Any other Direct Loan Program repayment plan, but only payments that are at least equal to the monthly payment amount that would have been required under the Standard Repayment Plan with a 10-year repayment period may be counted toward the required 120 payments.

For more information about the repayment plans available in the Direct Loan program, please visit: www.ed.gov/DirectLoan

Qualifying Public Service Jobs

• A federal, state, local, or Tribal government organization, agency, or entity (includes most public schools, colleges and universities)
• A non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (includes most not-for-profit private schools, colleges, and universities)
• A Tribal college or university
• A public child or family service agency, or
• A private organization that is not a for-profit business, a labor union, a partisan political organization, or an organization engaged in religious activities (unless the qualifying activities are unrelated to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing) and that provides the following public services
  • Law enforcement
  • Public safety
  • Military service
  • Emergency management
  • Public interest law services
  • Public education
  • Public library services
  • Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly
  • Early childhood education (including licensed or regulated health care, Head Start, and state-funded pre-kindergarten)
  • Public health (including nurses, nurse practitioners, nurses in a clinical setting, and full-time professionals engaged in health care practitioner occupations and health care support occupations), and
  • School library or other school-based services

One more thing: I think this makes sense, but to qualify for forgiveness of a parent PLUS loan the parent borrower, not the student on whose behalf the loan was obtained, must be employed by a public service organization.

* For more information please visit Repaying Your Loans section of the Federal Student Aid website – a great resource which helped me with this article.

On the fence?

I feel that the times of needless excuses and false stereotypes is way over. Now is the best time to pursue a college education without the worries and the guilt. You can research almost anything you want online, including your education related questions. Yes, you will have to make an investment of time and money, but it is well worth it and can make your life much easier.

10 years of paying down your student loans at 15% of your income is much better than doing so for 25 years, or even worse, not doing it at all. Consider the fact that most employers are used to a steady flood of job applicants with 2 or 4 year degrees, not to mention all the grad students that are looking for careers.

As time has shown, the average job seeker with a high school education has little chance of getting the career they really want for the pay which they deserve. Now is the time to do something about it. What do you think?