Getting a full-ride scholarship can be very difficult, because fierce competition exists for the amount of money states allot to fund scholarships. It helps to have outstanding grades, not just good grades, and to have a transcript that demonstrates a consistent academic rigor and above-average achievement. Though scholarship applications are partially about weeding out the average from above-average students, they are also about assessing which students will most likely be successful in college with the funds the state allocates to them.
Seek out scholarships from your home state or any other state you may have lived in for a significant period of time. Each of the 50 states offers academic merit-based scholarships of some kind in addition to scholarships from private organizations. You'll need to have established residency, which means you have to have lived in and attended school in a state for a specific amount of time. The amount of time required varies but averages about nine months to three years. Any documentation establishing that you actually were or are a resident of the state to which you are applying for a scholarship will only help your cause. Keep pieces of mail from your school as well as attendance records in case they are required for your application.
The best place to begin your search for college money is the state department of higher education for the state in which you reside. This department should have a website with links to state-facilitated and privately funded scholarships, as well as information about how to get financial aid. Typically, the financial aid process is tedious, and applying for scholarships can seem like jumping through lots of proverbial hoops. However, the application processes often weed out those who aren't as motivated to get free money. Take the time to diligently and completely search for state funds that could easily be yours, and you may find yourself handsomely rewarded.
Many states, like Arizona, New Mexico and Alaska, for example, have higher concentrations of certain ethnic groups. This especially applies to outlying islands such as American Samoa and Puerto Rico. If you belong to a specialized ethnic group, it may be easier to find and apply for a state-funded scholarship. The state department of higher education is an excellent place to start, but many colleges and universities also have financial aid departments and multi-ethnic community centers. These centers help prospective college students from certain ethnic groups find money that is available only to members of certain ethnic populations.