How to Find Scholarships for College

Everyone encourages you to apply for and earn scholarships, but how do you find the right scholarships to apply for? 

Start with your school counselor 

When you’re searching for scholarships, your school counselor is the best place to start when you’re searching for scholarships. They have a wealth of information about scholarships, especially for colleges in your area and money offered by businesses and organizations in your state. 

Make sure you come prepared to meetings with your guidance counselor, especially if you attend a larger high school. Ask good questions and learn from their experiences.

Look to past scholarship recipients

After talking with your guidance counselor, it can also be helpful to pursue scholarships received by past students at your high school or in your area. Ask your friends who have already graduated. If another student at your school qualified for a local scholarship, you might qualify too. Use this information to focus your scholarship search! 

Ask college admissions officers

Many of the significant scholarships students receive are awarded by colleges and universities they attend. Some colleges have scholarship information available on their websites, but some only provide the details when they know you are serious about applying. 

Start by researching the websites of the colleges that interest you. Keep notes in a spreadsheet of each school’s scholarships and what it takes to earn (and maintain) those scholarships. 

Then, when you talk to the college during your admissions process, ask them about those and other scholarships. 

Some college-offered merit-based scholarships are not renewable, so maximize aid your freshman year. Some schools reduce aid after freshman year. Make sure you understand the details of the scholarships you might win from a college.

Here are a few questions to ask:

• What types of merit scholarships do you offer?
• What are the requirements for each scholarship?
• Will these scholarships renew each year? Are there minimum requirements for renewal?
• Are there any scholarships available specific to my major?

Use online resources

Another way you can find scholarships is through online resources and databases. Here are some of the most popular websites to help you search for privately offered scholarships. 

Make it your goal to start with 5-10 scholarships for which you would be eligible. It can be overwhelming to look at all the scholarships available and try to determine where to start. Start small and build your scholarship applications from there.

• Fastweb.com: the leading online resource to help you find privately offered scholarships. Their database includes over 1.5 million scholarships worth $3.4 billion. 
• Scholarships.com: this resource matches you with scholarships using their algorithm from a database of millions of schlarships.
• BigFuture.org: a College Board site packed with information about expected costs for all colleges and scholarship opportunities.
• CollegeScholarships.com: another extensive matching site that provides a scholarship package built for you and a personalized letter with your information to each of the scholarship sponsors.
• EducationQuest.org (for Nebraska students): EducationQuest.org has an excellent list for Nebraska students. Other states may have an equivalent site for in-state aid. Also, again, regularly check your high school’s website for local scholarships.

If possible, have a family member lead the private scholarship search. They can choose the scholarships they think you can win, fill out all the forms, and ask you for essays.

But if you are in charge of your scholarship search, make sure you set reasonable, realistic goals for searching and applying for scholarships in addition to your other schoolwork and activities. Ask your counselors and teachers for ideas for available scholarships. Try to apply to a certain number of scholarships each month. If you can, target a total of 30 to 90 scholarships. 

How to earn scholarships

Earning scholarships and merit-based aid can truly make a difference in your college experience. The scholarships you earn will decrease the amount you have to pay or borrow for school.

A good GPA, solid test scores, and participation in extracurricular activities will help your chances at winning scholarships. Invest the time and energy during high school to keep up your grades and score well on the ACT or SAT. Those will pay dividends when it’s time to apply for merit-based scholarships for college.