Where the College Scholarships Are
Develop Your Scholarship Strategy
Most student aid comes in the form of federal education loans and grants from colleges. However, scholarships — which don’t have to be paid back — get a huge amount of attention from students and their families. If you and your child decide to invest your time in a search for scholarships, it's important to have an organized system to find, apply for, and win scholarship money. It’s also best to start early.
Start With a Personal Inventory
Most of the information your child is asked for on a scholarship search questionnaire is easy to come up with — year in school, citizenship, state of residence, religion, ethnic background, disability, military status, employer and membership organizations.
Beyond those questions, your child has to give some thought to academic, extracurricular and career plans. Your child should ask:
- Do I want to participate in a competition? If so, what are my talents and interests?
- What subject do I plan to major in?
- What career do I plan to pursue?
- Do I want to apply for all types of aid or only scholarships?
Answers to these questions help determine your child’s scholarship eligibility. Your child should take time brainstorming and try not to overlook anything — the more personal characteristics your child discovers, the bigger the pool of potential scholarships.
Research Local Scholarships First
Your child should begin with the high school counseling office. Counselors know about scholarships for students graduating from your child’s high school. They may also be aware of scholarships for residents of your town, county and state.
Your child’s next stop should be the college aid section of your public library. Most libraries have a number of books about financial aid, including scholarship guides such as our Scholarship Handbook. They also may have information on local scholarships.
Then it's time to start looking at national scholarships such as those sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Gates Millennium Scholars, Intel Science Talent Search, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. You and your child can also learn more about the scholarship competitions we cosponsor in science, math and technology. Use your library, or check online.
Check Membership Organizations and Employers
Organizations of all types and sizes sponsor scholarships — leave no stone unturned. You and your child should explore categories you might not have considered, such as religious, community service, fraternal, military, union and professional.
And don't forget your employer. Many large companies offer scholarships or tuition programs for children of employees. Check with your human resources department to see if your company offers such programs.
If your child works, don't overlook student jobs. Employers such as fast food chains, department stores and supermarkets often give scholarships. Awards related to student employment can come from unexpected sources. For example, there are a number of scholarships for golf caddies.
Use a Free Scholarship Search Service
A scholarship search company collects information on hundreds of awards and compares your child’s student characteristics with scholarship restrictions. Based on answers to a questionnaire, your child receives a list of possible scholarships. It is up to your child to decide which ones to try for.
You should never have to pay for scholarship information. If you're asked to pay a fee for "exclusive" scholarship leads, there's a good chance that scholarship service is really a scholarship scam.
Here are some free scholarship search services:
Scholarship Search
FastWeb
Sallie Mae
Contact Your State Department of Higher Education
Almost every state has a scholarship program for residents — the awards are usually limited to students who attend college in-state. For example, the State of Florida offers Bright Futures Scholarships to qualified Floridians who decide to attend in-state colleges and universities. One of New York State’s programs, the Tuition Assistance Program, offers grants to qualified New Yorkers who attend in-state colleges and universities.
Research Institutional Scholarships
Since the vast majority of all scholarship money is disbursed by colleges, it makes sense to research what kinds of scholarships are available at the colleges that interest your child. Check out college websites, catalogs and financial aid offices for this information. Institutional awards can be offered on a university-wide basis, or within a particular college or major. Eligibility for such awards can be based on merit, financial need, intended major, ethnicity or a variety of other factors. Here are some questions your child might want to ask about these awards:
- Are scholarships awarded automatically if a student matches certain criteria, such as grade point average (GPA) or SAT® score?
- What is the application procedure? What materials are required?
- Is the award renewable? What are the requirements to maintain the award?
Scholarship Application Tips
Once you and your child have created a list of scholarship possibilities, read about how to apply for a scholarship for advice on creating a winning application.
