Scholarships in animal related careers are just as competitive as more popular fields. Showing an interest by joining appropriate clubs in your animal related career before applying greatly increases the chance for scholarship selection. If already enrolled in college, most scholarships require a 3.0 GPA for renewal and applications. Also most ask for supplemental information such as a personal statement on your intentions to work with animals and some good references from zoological experts.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is a very prestigious national non-profit that offers college money for the sciences, which includes natural sciences such as zoology majors (See Reference 1). Also, the National Science Foundation has widened the scope of it's scholarships to biology related fields. Except for veterinarian majors most animal related careers apply
While no set time table exists across the board for scholarship application in animal-related majors and careers, the best ones are above the college-freshman level. The institutions awarding these scholarships want to see success in the intended major, and this usually means at least one year of college academic honors. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship for example, applies only to sophomores and juniors in college.
About half of all students choose a public university with total tuition and fees less than $9,500 per year. A good scholarship such as the National Science Foundation Scholarship awards up to $10,000 per year, essentially giving one a free ride to a public university. Additional financial aid potentially covers extraneous costs such as room and board.
Not having relevant experience after graduation plagues many graduates with animal-related degrees. Unless you want to look at fossils or dissect animals for a living, you will need more than just a diploma in hand to land a job with animals. You will need hands-on experience. A scholarship that includes internship at a zoo or even volunteering at an animal shelter is crucial to proving a desire to work with animals.