Going back to school when you are in your 40s, 50s or even older can be a daunting thought. That getting a college education is expensive easily becomes an excuse for not doing anything. However, there are scholarships and grant programs for women in their 40s that will pay for the tuition fees.

So let’s say you are one of these older women, possibly even a mother of a child already going to college. What kind of grants or scholarships can you apply for? Frankly, if your child is receiving any financial aid from the government, so can you. Of course, maybe you do not have a child who is enrolled in college. The same thing applies. Nearly any grant or scholarship a fresh high school graduate can apply for to go to college, you can also apply for.

So if you can demonstrate that you need financial help to get your college education, and if you are studying an accredited degree program, you should also be able to apply for at least the Pell Grant. If your family is poor enough, you may even be able to apply for the FSEOG. If you are willing to become a Maths or Science teacher, you can apply for the TEACH Grant to study a Maths or Science degree. If you are majoring in a Maths or Science subject, you can apply for the SMART Grant in your final two years of college. Provided you have been a legal resident in your state for the last 12 months, you should also be eligible to apply for your state’s college grant. Because these are all government grants, your age, sex and marital status are irrelevant.

But what if you dropped out of high school (or homeschooled)? Can you still receive financial help to attend college? After all, isn’t it necessary to have a high school diploma?

Actually, you can still ask for financial aid without a GED or high school diploma. Besides the high school diploma and GED certificate, there is a third rule that will let apply for government tuition assistance – “Ability to Benefit.”

What is this ATB thing-y? Basically, it is a declaration by your college that you have a reasonable chance of successfully graduating from the college degree program you are enrolled in. Your chances of success should be comparable to that of any high school graduate or GED certificate holder attending the same course.

But how is this determined? It mainly applies to adult students, but if you pass a government-sanctioned college placement test, you should be alright. This is not as difficult as it seems. Many community colleges accept adult students who dropped out of high school based on their placement test results. Most of these tests are accepted for the ATB rating. Of course, you need to verify this ahead of time.

As you can see, there is financial assistance for college available even to mature women. This tuition aid is available even if you failed to graduate from high school.