Keep in mind that searching for and applying for college scholarships can sometimes be a tedious task. Not all scholarships that are awarded pay the full tuition price. A large portion of them offer a small amount ($500 or $1000) to be used towards tuition. As a result, when conducting your search, find and apply for as many as you qualify for.
Start looking for scholarships now! A number of college scholarships are offered on an annual basis or per term, meaning that they have specific dates set in which you can apply. Additionally, many scholarships have specific criteria in place; such as requiring that applicants be a certain classification (high school senior, college freshman, etc.).
Additionally, if you start your search sooner rather than later, you are likely to find more college scholarships to apply for, meaning more money to help you pay for tuition and necessities.
There are a number of resources available that can help you find scholarships:
Contact your college financial aid office and request information on available scholarships. Many universities offer college-specific scholarships that you can apply for.
Head to your local library and ask if they have an current publications available for college scholarships. Be sure to ask for the most current publications as out-dated material will provide you with scholarships that are no longer available.
Do an online search for scholarships. Check out the Resources Section Below for places that offer college scholarship searches.
Check out your local bookstore for any scholarship reference books. You don't necessarily have to purchase scholarship books as there is a wealth of information online. However, some folks like the convenience of having a large quantity of information on hand rather than scouring the internet.
Make sure that you obtain all of the necessary information regarding the scholarship. Keep a record of the eligibility requirements, application deadlines, submission process, and contact information for whoever is offering the scholarship.
Make sure your college scholarship applications are filled out completely and accurately. When you have filled out an application, go back over to make sure that all fields are entered and are legible, that there are no grammatical errors, and that you have followed all instructions.
Keep all of your scholarship information organized so that none of your data gets mixed up. This way you can avoid sending the wrong documents and ensure that no documents are missing. A good way to keep everything organized would be to keep each scholarship packet (application, transcripts, essays, etc.) in a separate folder or file.
Mail out your scholarship application sooner rather than later. It is always a good idea to send out your application packet well before the deadline in order to allow adequate time for whoever is offering the college scholarship to receive and process your application. If you wait too late, they may not receive it before the deadline, which can leave you out of luck.