Grants for medical billing and coding are important for the students pursuing the degree on the subject. In fact, any financial aid would be a big help. Our government is the biggest and the most reliable source of grants. A lot of attention is given to improve the education level in the United States, therefore it is only fitting that the government allocates some money to the education world.
Each year, billions of dollars are given in the form of various financial assistance options, including grants and work-study. Obviously, the most sought after form of financial assistance would be the grant because the grant awardees are free from the repayment responsibility.
Several Types of Grants for Medical Billing and Coding
To see if you’re eligible for the financial assistance, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There are many types of grants available, including:
Pell Grants
The Pell Grant is the most widely known type of grant coming from the Federal Government. This grant is available for undergraduate students who are from low-income families. The Pell Grant is often used as the base or the foundation for other grants in the United States. You can consider it as the door to your financial aid. There are many grant providers that put extra attention toward Pell Grant recipients. The amount of money received from this program varies for each student, but the maximum amount is currently around $5500 per year.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
The FSEOG Grant program is another need-based grants for education, including for students learning in Medical Billing and Coding. Since this is a cooperation program between the government and the educational institution, not every college or university supports the grant. Today, more than 4,000 institutions have participated in the FSEOG grant. Please check your preferred school or college for more information about this.
AHIMA Foundation Merit Scholarships
AHIMA Foundation stands for the American Health Information Management Association Foundation. One of their major attention is the education field, and they have done so by providing the AHIMA Foundation Merit scholarship program. While it may not be a grant, the scholarship is free money nonetheless. They have three categories, including associate ($1,000), bachelor ($1,200) and graduate ($2,500). You need to submit the application before April 30 in each year, and you have to be enrolled in an AHIMA-accredited program.
Healthcare Information Management Systems Scholarship
The scholarship award amount is $5,000, available for students in health information or related field, including Medical Billing and Coding. The grant application deadline is on October 1, and it is a one-time scholarship. This means that students who have received the award in the previous years are not eligible for this year’s scholarship program. The selection will be merit-based, therefore make sure you maintain your good grades. The application form is available in the AHIMA’s official website.
There are other options available if you’re looking for grants for medical billing and coding. For example, you can search for regional-based or school-specific based scholarships and grants. Some notable examples are the HIMSS Dvora Brodie scholarship in New England, HIMSS scholarship and Mary M. Zannis scholarship in NY, GHIMA scholarship in Georgia, PHIMA scholarship in Pennsylvania, etc.
Hopefully, this post can help you get the grant and scholarship needed for your study!
Sources:
- The AHIMA Foundation – http://www.ahimafoundation.org/
- Image: securityintelligence.com
