Congratulations, you got accepted into college! Now how are you going to pay for it? Believe or not, there may be a lot of scholarships and grants out there for you to apply for, if you qualify, but searching for them can be a daunting task. Resist the urge to submit a college’s scholarship application and call it a day. There may be funding out there for you, if you qualify, and here are a few tips to help you find it:
1. APPLY!: Don’t rule out the possibility of available scholarships to help you pay for school if you qualify. While some scholarships may be available to qualified freshmen, there may be other scholarship funds also available to qualified upperclassmen. Start with your school or program and look up grant and funding information on the web. If you need additional help, go talk to your academic advisor.
2. Apply for many: Large scholarships, if available, are attractive. Hey—who wouldn’t jump at the chance to receive $10,000? Likely everyone would. But the larger and more visible a scholarship is, the more competition there may be for it. Consider starting small and applying for scholarships that may be available in the $500-1,000 range, which are more modest but may be less competitive. While they might not cover your entire academic tuition bill and fees, you may get them faster. Plus, they could reoccur. Small scholarship amounts may add up, too, if you apply and receive more than just one.
3. Community organizations: This may surprise you, but community organizations, such as sports leagues, sometimes offer scholarships or stipends for qualified students. While they may not offer huge amounts, the competition to receive them may be low. This fund could help finance at least some of your education or living costs while you attend school.
4. Religious organizations: Another unusual place to look for school scholarships may be through religions organizations, which sometimes offer qualified members or affiliates funding through an easy application process. If you are a member of a religious organization, contact them or conduct an online search on the Internet to see if you are eligible to apply for a scholarship.
5. Campus organizations: Have you thoroughly explored your current college or university to see if there are any new or existing scholarships for which you may be qualified? Campus organizations may offer funding to qualified members. For example, some may be available through a sorority or fraternity, a study abroad program, the chess club, or the campus business group. Don’t rule out other extra curricular activates when searching for extra available scholarship money for which you may qualify. Seek out clubs or groups that may offer its qualified members financial help, potentially increasing your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Explore the above opportunities to help make your college or university years more affordable.
Tiffany Sumner is a freelance writer for eLearners, where she writes articles on a wide range of topics. In her spare time she reads, writes fiction, and watches way too many cat videos online. You can follow her on Google+.
