5 Tips for Finding College Scholarships You Qualify For

There’s no getting around the fact that attending college is a pricy affair. Luckily, there are a number of ways to mitigate the costs. For example, you can spend your first two years in community college, paying a fraction of what you might at even a relatively affordable state school. Since you’re only completing general education coursework (and possibly prerequisites) anyway, there’s no reason to pay top dollar. Plus, you may have a better chance to gain admission to your school of choice as a junior than you did as a freshman, especially if you maintain a stellar GPA and get a few other feathers in your cap (awards, clubs, internships, community service, etc.). And you can always choose a state school in order to get the benefit of in-state tuition. However, you should also take the time to look into the prospect of earning scholarship funds to help you pay for your higher education. With millions of dollars in donated money available to qualified students, you might as well try to get some for yourself. But how can you narrow your search to the scholarships you’re qualified to apply for? Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Consider your interests. Many scholarships revolve around student interests. For example, if you happen to play sports or an instrument in high school, you might qualify for an athletic or music scholarship. Or if you’ve taken an interest in science, history, writing, or other academic pursuits, there are likely plenty of opportunities to apply for scholarship funds. Even kids who join clubs like student government have options. So think about what you enjoy and use it to search for applicable scholarships.
2. Consider your heritage. Did you know there are scholarships available to Daughters of the American Revolution? If you can prove that you are a direct descendent of a woman who was a patriot (who played a role in helping America achieve independence), and you are also a female, you can apply for scholarship funds to further your education. You never know what part of your family’s past might make you eligible for scholarship funds, so dig into your history and ancestors and see what you can find.
3. Minority status. Along the lines of family heritage, it could also pay to find out a little bit about your racial makeup. There are certainly scholarships available to minority groups, in particular, so whether it turns out that you’re part Cherokee, black, Asian, or some other agreed-upon minority group, you could use the knowledge to your advantage when applying for scholarships. Don’t forget that there are other types of minorities, as well. Females, for example, may have scholarship opportunities that men don’t qualify for. Or if you were raised in extreme poverty, you lived in an area affected by a natural disaster (Hurricane Katrina, for example), or you have a disability of some kind, you may have access to scholarship funds as a result.
4. Scholarships offered by schools. In addition to the many private scholarships out there, you’ll find that most campuses also offer their own forms of tuition assistance. In some cases, scholarships are need-based. They may also apply to specific majors. Or they may be grants offered by alumni or private donors within the community. To find out which you qualify for, you can simply ask the admissions office for information.
5. Create accounts on scholarship websites. One of the best ways to find scholarships that suit you is to sign up for a slew of websites dedicated to helping students find the funding they need for college. With options like Fastweb, Scholarships.com, CollegeBoard, CollegeNet, and dozens of others at your disposal you can quickly become inundated with options. Luckily, most start you off with questionnaires designed to narrow your choices to scholarship opportunities that are within your wheelhouse and that you might actually qualify for. Regardless of whether students are shooting for an Ivy League education or accounting degrees online, there are almost endless options for scholarships. So having the best opportunities hand-delivered, so to speak, can save you a lot of time.

 

Tags: College Board, CollegeNet, Fastweb, Scholarship

Category: Education