Scholarships pay for all or part of a student's college education. They all have different criteria depending on the particular scholarship. A large percentage of them are awarded to students who excel in sports or maintain high academic averages.
In addition to sports and academic scholarships, there are a number of strange scholarships that don't fit into any category. Loyola University in Chicago offers the Zolp Scholarship, given to a Catholic student with the last name of Zolp. Interested in candy-making? If you are majoring in food science, chemical science or biological science and have a demonstrated interest in confectionery technology, you could be awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the American Association of Candy Technologists.
Being a twin can bring in the scholarship money. Eight colleges currently offer scholarships to twins. Some schools offer special scholarships to children of alumna. Hood College in Maryland, offers the Grandma Scholarship. Incoming freshmen awarded this scholarship pay the same tuition that their parent or grandparent paid as a freshman.
You may be able to win a scholarship based on your height. Little People of America (LPA) offers scholarships to LPA members who are 4 feet 10 inches or less in height. Tall Clubs International offers scholarships to women who are 5 feet 10 inches or taller and to men who are 6 feet 2 inches or taller.
See the Additional Resources section below for information about schools and organizations that offer unusual scholarships.
Some scholarships require that you perform certain duties in exchange for the scholarship. Winners of the National Beef Ambassadors Scholarship represent the beef industry at speaking engagements and public appearances. Multiyear scholarships require that you maintain a certain grade point average and may contain stipulations that the scholarship will be withdrawn if your behavior is a concern.
Winning a scholarship does not necessarily mean that you will have the entire four years of college paid for by the scholarship. It is increasingly rare to find full four-year scholarships if you are not a student athlete. Scholarship awards may be as low as a few hundred dollars and it is important that students apply for multiple scholarships and investigate all avenues of financial aid available.
Receiving scholarship money removes some of the financial burden of paying for college. As a scholarship winner, you have already established a connection with the company or organization awarding the scholarship and that may prove to be useful when you are looking for a job after college.