Grants are offered to students who stand out in one way or another. Make a list of how you stand out from your classmates and peers. If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, there is a grant for you.
Are you the first person in your family to go to college?
Are you a nontraditional student?
Are you a minority student? Are you a female minority student?
Will you be studying science, math, engineering or technology?
Are you a first-generation American?
Are you a single working mother?
Are you a victim of domestic abuse?
Are you a refugee?
Speak with a high school counselor or college adviser about grants that are funded by the school itself or other programs that you qualify for. If you still need more ideas, go to the local library and ask the librarian to show you what up-to-date books they keep on financial aid for college. One great book is called the Ultimate Book of Scholarships and is regularly updated. The Internet is full of financial aid websites, but you must search with caution and never pay any fees to access such a database. Many sites that require costly membership are scams that take in eager students hoping to win money for college. Stick to trusted names, such as College Board (the creators of the SAT), who have created their own large financial aid database that is free to search.
Filling out the FAFSA online is the simplest way to find out if you are eligible for federal grants. For example, a Pell Grant offers a maximum of $5,350 to undergraduate students who have not yet received a degree. A National SMART grant of $4,000 is available to students in their third of fourth year of college and who are studying in the area of science, math, engineering, technology or a critical foreign language.
Usually an application package will require several documents, but you will often be asked to make 5 or even 10 copies of each document, so be sure to organize the application carefully before sending it off:
High school/college transcripts (depending on when you apply)
Letters of recommendation and/or reference (these may be teachers, employers, coaches, advisers, anyone who knows you well enough to describe you and your qualifications for this grant)
Essay(s), usually a personal statement that explains who you are and what your goals are, and one that explains why you deserve this grant
Academic writing sample, such as a recent term paper
Portfolio (usually required for arts, music or writing grants)
Start early on the application, and begin by contacting those individuals who can write letters of recommendation for you. Never submit more materials or documents than requested.
If you are looking to study abroad, you may be able to use your current funding toward this experience. These kinds of grants will likely be based on merit in combination with financial need. It is possible that federal grant money being applied to your home college can be applied toward the semester or two of study abroad, as long as the academic credits transfer back to the home college.