Due to the popularity of the Internet, information about free scholarship programs is easily accessible. Instead of having to explore for scholarships individually or by their source, you can survey all of them on the same site. This is a tremendous advantage for the students seeking these opportunities. In fact, scholarship search sites are now personalized to the user. Sites ask you to provide them with detailed information about yourself, which they use to sort through the many listings and present you with the ones that are of relevance.
The site may ask for information regarding a GPA, intended major, ethnicity, religious affiliation, club memberships, volunteer work and extracurricular activities. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an example of an academic scholarship that is administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php).
Giving the information enables users to navigate the scholarship programs and identify the ones that apply to them. The results may include scholarship opportunities that are being offered by a specific college, a private organization, a corporation or the government. The link to the scholarship program itself is also included, so you can view any additional details and specific eligibility requirements. The scholarship programs can be based on a range of factors, such as a student's financial need, academic achievements, intended major and athletics.
Free Scholarship Program tools may even allow the user to create her own profile. When she creates her profile, she receives an account as well. By logging into the account, she is able to look at any new opportunities that have become available and keep track of the ones she has previously applied for. In addition, she can eliminate the ones that are not a match and organize the ones by such categories as the date they are due and importance.
When registering and creating a profile on many of these search sites, you may wind up with a surplus of emails from the site itself, as well as some of their sponsors. This happens because they tend to include a listing for every opportunity that fits any of the criteria given. With that said, it's important to remember that not every scholarship program is worth applying for; some of the programs can even turn out to be a hoax. You can view the Scholarship Scams website, erected by the Federal Trade Commission, to help prevent students from falling prey to scholarship scams. The Scholarship Scams sit can be viewed at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html.
Remember, searching for different scholarship programs can feel like an overwhelming task; sifting through which ones pertain to you and which ones you are eligible for. One thing you can do to stay ahead of the game and be ready for when the right program arises is to have all of the materials you'll be required to have set aside and properly prepared. This may include an essay or a resume.
There are also several scholarship programs that may not be so readily advertised but are still available. Looking into some of these lesser known opportunities can pay off in the end. Also, if there's a certain organization or association that you know of and are unsure whether they have scholarship programs, you can contact them directly and ask. Perhaps even if they don't directly provide scholarships, they can lead you in an alternative direction that does. In some instances, places take an interest in an individual or their cause and generate some type of financial backing for them.
Listed below are three different sites that are considered to be the most inclusive and advantageous.