by Larissa Larson
(Murrieta, CA, USA)
Helping students pay for school, and in more ways than conceivable.
‘In this economy, there is no way I will be able to pay for college.’
by Mehgan Raab
(Robertsville, Missouri, USA)
Finding scholarships almost feels like diving into a deep pool and not quite having the whole “swimming thing” down, at least that’s how it felt to me when I first started searching.
When I did my first scholarship search on my own before I started school, honestly, I gave up. I thought that my school and FAFSA would never find anything that I would qualify for. WRONG. They do help find financial help, but there is a lot more in loans than anything.
You have to search on your own to find them. Google will become your best friend. You may get frustrated after having no luck for a few hours, you may have to continue searching for days, but you will find them; you just can’t give up on it. Simply Googling or using any search engine is personally what helped me find tens of scholarship search sites, which help you specify things about yourself, your interests, your major(s), clubs, organizations, hobbies, or anything to help you find scholarships you’ve never even heard of.
I have personally entered at least 100 scholarship contests. Doesn’t mean I will get them all, or even half, but I can’t even get one dollar of help until I actually apply and try. After you have used any and all legitimate scholarship searches, do your own search. Pull up your favorite search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) and type in “scholarships for…” and then just add something you like, something you do, your major, woman , man, kids, contests , writing, being left handed, tall, short, art lover, photographer, even if you are a descendant of someone who was in the Civil War; the list just goes on and on. Your employer may even have scholarships available to employees.
Remember, think hard and use your imagination. There are so many thousands of scholarships available and the only way you will have any chance at getting them is to search and actually apply. Don’t give up!
Read more Finding Scholarships Advice from other students and parents who have been through process.
by Sanders.
(Ga, United States)
I am a female African American high school senior who is currently in the process of looking for colleges of my interest and scholarships or grants . As a well rounded and well known senior you may look at me and think “her GPA must be awesome!” and then come to find out I have a 2.9 GPA. As a freshman I, like many others, became caught up in a popularity contest and did not think my classes were that important. Little did I know that I was going to spend the rest of my three years in high school trying to make up for my mistakes freshman year.
Although it is time to start submitted applications to colleges I have not lost hope that a well accredited college will accept me. When the college of my choice does accept me another thing I have worried about is money. Money like water is scarce in some places you just have to know where to look and apply yourself.
The steps of getting to where you need to be are simple; there are a plethora of scholarships and grants that are willing to give you free money in response to an essay that portrays your whole four years through out high, your life, anything. In the last year the average college student came out of school in debt $25,250.
Why would you not want to apply for as many scholarships and grants that come your way? It’s simple, when applying, have some determination and courage about yourself, do not be afraid to flaunt and brag on your talents.
Whenever you feel like hope is lost just think about how long it will take you to finish an essay explaining a scenario versus the many years you will spend paying off your student loans .
Read more tips about available Scholarships and Grants for College from other students and parents who have been through process.
Scholarships for 2023 - It is never too early or too late to work on your scholarship searches. If you are part of the high school class of 2023, you should work on your scholarship and college search now. See our list of Scholarships for High School Seniors
FAFSA - The official 2023 - 2024 FAFSA is now available. See information about FAFSA.
Scholarship Lists An overview of the different types of Scholarship Money for College.
Grants Learn more about grants, the other free money for college.
Need Tuition Help? Reduce the cost of tuition with these college Tuition Assistance Programs.
Tax Credit Claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
College Savings Plans Save money for college with these College Savings Plans.
Need a Student Loan? Yes, you qualify for these college Student Loans.
Scholarships for High School Students