How to Get Scholarships for College
How do you get scholarships for college?
It’s the million-dollar question. How do you get scholarships to help pay for college?
Video: How to Get Scholarships for College >>
There are literally millions of dollars in college scholarships available each year. Some scholarships award winners with tens of thousands of dollars. Many don’t require a lengthy application.
So, why do many people have a hard time navigating college scholarships and getting money for school?
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What are college scholarships?
While it’s not always the case, I think of scholarships as merit-based awards that students receive determined on their high school resume, test scores, essays, and other variables. In general, the ‘better’ the student the more likely they are to receive merit-based scholarships.
There are two types of scholarships in general; institutional scholarships and outside scholarships.
Institutional Scholarships vs. Outside Scholarships
Institutional scholarships are scholarships provided by colleges and universities to encourage students to attend. These scholarships are to be used at the awarding institution.
Outside scholarships are awarded by a range of companies and organizations. In most cases, these scholarships can be used at any college or university.
How do you get institutional scholarships?
A majority of institutional scholarships are applied for simply by submitting the college application. The school will use that information to determine if the student qualifies for a merit-based scholarship.
Sometimes, schools will require additional forms, essays, or other requirements for scholarship consideration. This can be when a scholarship is more defined. For example, a music scholarship could require an audition. A community service scholarship could require an essay on a student’s experience serving their community.
How do you get outside scholarships?
As previously mentioned, outside scholarships can come from a range of sources. There are local, regional, and national scholarships. A student’s high school guidance office could be a great resource for local and regional scholarships. The internet has many sites devoted to helping students identify scholarships across the country.
It’s helpful for students to try to identify areas that make them stand out. The more you can separate yourself from a general applicant, the less competition you face and the better your odds of receiving a scholarship.
Students will need to apply for scholarships to be considered. In general, the more scholarships you apply for, the better your chances of receiving an award. However, know that if you are only applying to the large, no-application-required scholarships you are competing against a HUGE crowd of students. The more defined you can get in your scholarship search, and the more intensive the application, the fewer applicants you are likely to be competing against.