Enter the lottery while you are still a senior in high school. The scholarship sweepstakes program is only open to those who will be graduating from high school in the same year as they apply for the scholarship.
Be a resident of the United States. Some high school seniors living abroad may be eligible for the scholarship lottery, depending on the circumstances.
Get an application for the Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS program at WellsFargo.com (see Resources below). This program is designed to help students locate other financial-aid opportunities to help them through their entire academic careers. The rules of this program state that the student must sign up for the CollegeSTEPS program prior to the opening of the scholarship lottery application period and that he must have a valid email address to receive the information that will be sent to him.
Enter the scholarship sweepstakes between June 1 and May 31.
Fill out your application carefully. If your notification letter is sent back to Wells Fargo as undeliverable, your award will be given to an alternate winner. To avoid mistakes, double-check all of your information before submitting your application.
Contact your chosen college's financial-aid office to help you enter in the scholarship sweepstakes if you have any trouble. This is the office that will receive the check if you are one of the lucky winners.
Inform your parents that they will need to endorse the winning check along with a college official, as your winnings will be provided in a joint check made out to your legal guardian and the indicated institution.
Graduate from high school after you have applied for the sweepstakes. If you fail to graduate at the indicated time on your application, the scholarship money may be forfeited and awarded to another entrant. You may be able to avoid this by being enrolled, at least part time, in the college or university while you finish up your high school diploma.