Scholarships
When it comes to financing your college education, one of the best ways is to win scholarships.
Why are scholarships so great?
They are readily available.
Millions of dollars are up for grabs.
The money you receive does not have to be paid back.
You can start early and apply for many at the same time.
There are scholarships available all year round – keep applying!
They are offered by many companies and organizations.
What kind of scholarships are available?
Need-Based Scholarships – Based on the student’s financial need, if their family is unable to assist in paying tuition.
Merit Scholarships – Available to students with an impressive grade point average, leadership roles in the school or community, or who stand out from their peer group.
No Essay Scholarships – Don’t require the student to submit an essay, unlike most scholarships. Sometimes a simple questionnaire or an artistic project or drawing may be required.
Athletic Scholarships – Provides student athletes with the opportunity to further their education in the classroom and advance their careers on the playing field as well. Limited availability; competition is fierce.
Artistic Scholarships – Offers students with creative minds and skills an opportunity to receive tuition money to pursue their dreams.
Minority Scholarships – Scholarships for students who identify with a minority group, based on ethnicity, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation.
International Student Scholarships – Scholarships specifically for foreign students to encourage them to study in America. These awards often cover supplies and living expenses in addition to classes.
Unusual Scholarships are designed for students with hidden talents or unique accomplishments. Scholarships for left-handed people, people who can use duck calls or make prom dresses out of Duck Tape.
Where to find scholarships
Your High School Guidance Counselor
When you start looking for scholarships, you should first visit your high school counselor. It’s likely that he or she has already found scholarships for many students who graduated before you. Many high schools have programs where money is raised by the local PTA, local businesses, and even fellow students. The counselor can provide information about schools and programs both in-state and out of state, and your school may organize college fairs or provide information about college fairs in your area. Some high schools may have special programs for students who want to learn and earn – they may be able to connect you with employers who are looking for new graduates, and will train them while paying for them to get an education. Check out our article about Businesses Offering Tuition Reimbursement.
Your Selected College/University
You can usually find scholarships on the website of the college or university you plan on attending. Many offer a wide variety of scholarships, giving students of varying income levels an incentive to apply. Some colleges require you to apply for these scholarships separately, while others automatically submit you for consideration when you apply for or enroll in their program. You should start applying for scholarships long before you receive your acceptance letter, so it’s a good idea to avoid relying entirely on college-specific scholarships.
Scholarship Websites
Here are some websites that provide access to numerous scholarships. Most are free, but some charge a nominal fee. Make sure to avoid sites which promise you a guaranteed scholarship and charge a large amount for their services.
Cappex.com
Free access to more than 11 billion in scholarships from colleges, universities, private companies, foundations and more. You can find out which ones are the best match for you by filling out a free profile. With one click you will be able to apply for the special Cappex scholarships. This site also provides a college search and college reviews.
Fastweb.com
After filling out your online profile at Fastweb.com, you will get matched with more than 1.5 million scholarships, grants and internships with companies like Apple, Google, Dreamworks and even NASA.
Some of the scholarships are very easy to qualify for, and applying is as simple as filling out your contact information. You do not have to write essays for each of them. Scholarships are available based on your strengths, interests, skills, background, and circumstances.
Fastweb’s dashboard makes it easy to keep track of the scholarships you are interested in, the ones you aren’t and the ones you have already completed.
Myscholly.com
According to their site, hundreds of thousands of students and families have used MyScholly to find over $70 million in scholarship money to go to the colleges of their dreams.You may have seen information about this site and app on Shark Tank. It is both an app and a website that now requires a monthly subscription of $2.99. At less than the price of a Big Mac, it provides easy access to millions of dollars in scholarships that are specifically matched with your needs and preferences.
Scholarships.com
Complete a free profile to get free access to over 3.7 million college scholarships & grants and about 19 billion in financial aid to help you pay for college. Get qualified and get matched.
You can also search for college scholarships by academic major, athletics, art, ethnicity, first in family, GPA, social group, music, state, name or type.
Scholarshipowl.com
Offers a paid service where you complete an application, they search for compatible scholarships and they apply for you. They also provide help with writing essays, free financial aid consultation and more.
No Comments