College Scholarships Up For Grabs: Have Your High School Seniors Taken Advantage?
Now, more than ever, students with their eyes set on college are taking into account the financial burden of higher education. Colleges, too, are more willing to consider the ramifications of student debt, and many are making huge strides to help their students graduate debt-free. The openness, awareness, and readiness to discuss and find a solution for student-debt has made a lot of progress in the last few years; however, students still struggle to make ends meet. For students who are looking to take advantage of any and all available financial assistance and lower their college costs, there is a wealth of scholarships up for grabs—they just need to know where to look!
How to Find Scholarships
Local is Best!
The prime place for students to start their search? Local! Local scholarships are often awarded through local community foundations. Often, the best way to find information about these scholarships is through the foundations’ websites. High school websites also tend to have school-sponsored scholarships listed (these are sometimes funded by private individuals or families, foundations, or even affiliated with or provided by individual colleges and universities) and external scholarships (these can be from businesses, colleges and universities, Army/Navy/Marine Corps/Air Force/Coast Guard) as well. If your client is having trouble finding scholarship information on their school’s website, advise them to reach out to their guidance counselor for assistance.
When looking through available scholarships, students should consider that there are several types of scholarships, many of which are pretty specific in their requirements, such as:
Demographic/Underrepresented: scholarships reserved for students of a specific demographic (e.g., minorities, women).
A few to consider:
Needs-Based: scholarships for students who demonstrate a financial need.
First-Generation: scholarships appropriated to high-achieving students who are first in their family to attend college; typically from low-income families/communities.
Academic Achievement: “Merit Scholarships;” awarded based on grades, GPA, PSAT®/ACT®/SAT® scores, and/or additional academic merits.
Community Service: scholarships reserved for students who are active participants in community-based service and activities.
Athletic: scholarships awarded to star athletes in specific sports.
Career/Major/Industry: scholarships awarded to students in pursuit of degrees in specific fields.
Job Sponsored: scholarships given to students by their employers.
Scholarship Contests: these awards are very unique; each having its own set of requirements, but all open to any students willing to compete.
Scholarship Websites
There are a plethora of websites dedicated to scholarships for high school students, but it takes some time to sort through to find success. Here are a few websites for your students to check out during their scholarship search:
The College Board’s BigFuture Scholarships are available to registered students. Students are required to simply follow the instructions to “Plan for College” in order to qualify for monthly drawings of $500 and $40,000 scholarships.
ACT® holds a yearly “ACT® Scholarship Fund Giveaway Sweepstakes” that registered students can participate in. Students who have taken the ACT® are also eligible for the SC Life And Palmetto Fellows Scholarship based on their ACT® score. Additionally, ACT® has an ACT® Scholars Program available to certain students who qualify.
Scholarships.com is a free scholarship-search database that connects students to college scholarships. After completing a quick profile, students are matched with scholarships that they qualify for.
fastweb is a free scholarship-search platform that matches students to scholarship and financial aid. By simply registering, students are instantly put in touch with millions of opportunities to earn and save money for college.
cappex is a database that offers a free scholarship-search for students in every step of the college application process. Students just click on the button that matches the step they’re on (e.g., “I’m just starting to explore college” or “I’m looking for scholarships”), follow the prompts in the relevant questionnaire, and they’ll be matched with a wide array of scholarship opportunities to choose from.
U.S. News Scholarship Finder is a scholarship-search engine that has over 16,400 scholarship opportunities ripe for the picking. Students can narrow down their search to find the scholarships that are the best match for them.
Niche supplies students with access to a large variety of college scholarships. Students must create a Niche account in order to apply. Once they've created their account, they’re connected to lists of college scholarships they’re eligible for.
There are actually quite a lot of ways in which students can find and access college scholarships, they just need to be willing to dedicate time and effort to do so. The above-mentioned sites are the most common and well-vetted, but students should be wary of scholarship scams—students should never have to pay to apply for a scholarship!
College and University Websites
The most obvious place to look for scholarship opportunities is through their choice colleges. Of course, the applicant pool will be much larger and more competitive, but that shouldn’t deter students from throwing their hat in the ring. Additionally, students should find out if there are any scholarships awarded by the department through the college or university’s school or department that the students hopes to major in—they may be surprised to find some hidden financial gems there, too.
How to Increase the Odds
To increase their chances of winning college scholarships, there are a few tips that students should follow:
Fill Out The FAFSA. There are colleges that will not consider the scholarship applicant if they have not filled out their FAFSA form.
Check Eligibility. Students need to be sure that they’re a match for the scholarships they’re applying for. There are many scholarships that have restrictions or specifications that they may not meet.
Follow Instructions. There are required application materials (e.g., essays, videos, school transcripts, test scores, forms of identification, letters of recommendation) that students must provide in a timely manner in order to be considered. It does not bode well for the student who forgets or turns in late those required materials. Provide all materials requested and meet the deadlines.
Weigh Probability. Consider applying to scholarships that have a limited pool of applicants. This brings us back to why local scholarships are often the honey pot of awards; applying for county scholarships versus national scholarships dramatically increases the odds of winning.
It’s Not Too Late! You may have clients who are just getting around to thinking about scholarships and financial assistance. For those who are hoping to qualify for as many scholarship opportunities as they can get their hands on, it’s not too late to increase their odds.
Get involved! Service projects, volunteering, and being an active member of their community are sure-fire ways to win local scholarships.
Raise their grades and their GPA. The school year has just begun, and it is not too late to excel in the classroom. A solid academic plan can make a world of a difference for students looking to take their academic progress to the next level. Applying for scholarships with high grades and GPA will certainly give them a fighting chance in any-sized application pool.
Boost those ACT®/SAT® test scores! There are many colleges and universities that award merit-based scholarships based solely on high standardized test scores. Having a solid test score to submit for any academic achievement-based scholarship is the surest way to win money for college. With fall test dates on the books, now is the prime time for students to work hard and raise those test scores. With a strong test-prep plan, students can achieve those academic goals in no time!
For more on how Clear Choice Prep’s 100% white-label curriculum and materials can help you and your clients make the most of your test-prep plans this season, contact us for a free demo today! See how we can help you improve test results, increase referrals, and produce more revenue.