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There are five general forms of scholarships:
Merit based: Merit based scholarships are those that a university will award you when you are accepted. These are usually based on GPA and SAT scores. They will be part of your award letter when you are accepted to the university.
Athletic scholarships: Athletic scholarships are usually reserved for student athletes who are ranked at the very top in their sport in their state or in the nation. Typically, only athletes who are actively recruited are offered scholarships. Read more about the realities of athletic scholarships below.
University based scholarships: These scholarships are sponsored by the university and they usually involve completing one scholarship application that is then submitted to all of the organizations offering scholarships through the university.
Independent scholarships: These scholarships can be found in various places or through a scholarship search engine. Independent scholarships may be large or small and they will have unique eligibility requirements.
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC): This is a military based scholarship allowing students to attend college while in the Reserves. Click on the link below to learn more.
Most students will finance college through a combination of parent support, federal financial aid, multiple smaller scholarships, work-study programs, and federal student loans.
Where do I find scholarships?
Where do I find scholarships?
Check with your university's Financial Aid/Scholarship office for school scholarships
Ask your family members if the companies they work for offer scholarships. Also ask them to check with the companies with which they do business (bank, dentist, insurances, utilities, etc.)
Start local and work out from your hometown, county, state, etc.
Use scholarship search engines to find scholarships based on specifics to you (i.e. extracurriculars, volunteering, employer, intended major/occupation, learning differences, etc.)
CLICK HERE for a list of scholarships we've complied categorized by grade and due date.
Here are several legitimate scholarship websites to find and apply to scholarships:
Home – BigFuture | College Board
https://studentscholarships.org/
Tip: Never pay for a scholarship or scholarship service!
How do I apply for scholarships?
How do I apply for scholarships?
Check eligibility (do you meet the residency, age, grade, financial need, community service, or GPA requirements?)
Follow the directions! An incorrectly filled out application can automatically disqualify you.
Collect the materials you need AHEAD of TIME (letters of recommendation, essays, resume, FAFSA)
If you have an essay or resume for your application, have someone edit it before you submit it!
Remember, it is totally ok to recycle a great essay! Just be sure to update it so it is personalized to the organization sponsoring the scholarship AND you are answering the question(s) that need to be covered in the essay.
Tip: Adopt the motto - "If I qualify, I apply!"
Scholarship application strategies
Scholarship application strategies
Where can I get my transcript? www.parchment.com/
Where can I get a letter of recommendation? Teachers or your Academic Advisor that know you well are always good resources. Give them a minimum of 2 weeks notice and be timely responding to their request for information so they can highlight your strengths outside of academics too.
Where can I find my class rank? If this is required for a scholarship, contact your CECCR advisor for your ranking.
When should I start the application? Give yourself at least 4 weeks to complete an application BEFORE the listed deadline. This is to make sure you have all the materials you need and can get help from your teachers and counselors. The more scholarships you apply to, the more straight-forward and faster this process will become.
Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.
The best strategy with scholarships is to think of this as a part-time job. If it takes 5 hours to write a short essay, have it proofread, corrected, and gather all needed material, and you win $500 in a scholarship... that is more money earned in 5 hours than in a standard teenage job.
Reuse a great essay to save time. Just update the essay so it's personalized for the organization sponsoring the scholarship and it answers the essay question. Do NOT submit an essay with the wrong organization or scholarship name.
Tip: Create a file to save your essay(s) and submitted material for each scholarship. Create a spreadsheet to track scholarships applied to, date submitted, contact information for the scholarship, and notes about the scholarship that can be helpful to remember. Here is an example of a sample scholarship spreadsheet.
Scholarship Resources and Search Engines
Scholarship Resources and Search Engines
Scholarship search engines are a great way to help identify scholarships for which you are eligible. If you find a scholarship of interest through a scholarship search engine like Niche, College Board, etc., look up the scholarship by name with an online search engine like Google. Confirm the scholarship is legit and not a scam. Then, use the application link connected directly with the organization's website, rather than completing an application through a scholarship search engine. Be leery of entering information into scholarship search engines. Rarely are scholarships awarded through the search engines. Often, they are simply gathering student information for companies that have paid for the service. There are even instances of scholarships being listed on a scholarship search engine with students applying to it, and the organization didn't know they were listed on the search engine and didn't receive the applications.
College Express - search by categories such as art, disability, major, religion, sport, etc.
Athletic scholarships
Athletic scholarships
As mentioned above, athletic scholarships are rare and reserved for the "best of the best."
Consider the following statistics about athletic scholarships:
Only about 7% of high school athletes go on to play in college
Only 2% of high school athletes are awarded some form of athletic scholarship.
Only 1% of high school athletes are awarded a "full ride" athletic scholarship.
The average scholarship is about $10,000. It's far less if you remove the high value scholarships in football and basketball.
Only NCAA Division I and II schools can offer athletic scholarships, and NAIA schools also offers some scholarships.
Does this mean you should not invest your time, energy and money into your student's sport activities? Not necessarily. There are many benefits to playing sports and continuing to play them in college. However, a student's focus should be on academics and working toward merit based scholarships which they are more likely to get. They should also choose a university based on their chosen academic interests and not on the sports as there is always a chance of getting injured or not enjoying the rigor of being a student athlete.
Here are some benefits of playing sports in high school and in college:
Being a student athlete in high school can boost a teenager's admission chances even if they are not a superstar athlete or receive an athletic scholarship.
Assuming you have good grades, being a student athlete shows you are able to manage your time and priorities which is attractive to colleges as they know you will have the time management skills to be a successful student.
Athletics provide opportunities to show leadership and team building skills.
Playing sports at any level in college (NCAA, NAIA, Club, or Intermural) will provide students with a tight knit social network of friends who will be supportive throughout college and beyond.
Many universities offer student athletes stipends for food and usually provide all the equipment, uniforms, and training clothes needed to participate.
Student athletes who are not recruited, can be a "walk-on" and still have the same experience of the recruited athletes. Sometimes scholarships are offered in later years if a student becomes a highly valued member of a team.
Reserve Officers' Training Corp (ROTC)
Reserve Officers' Training Corp (ROTC)
ROTC programs are offered by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force. The Coast Guard does not offer ROTC, but it does have a similar scholarship program called the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI). This program is for students who demonstrate academic and leadership excellence and a desire to serve in the Coast Guard.
You will have to make sure the university you wish to attend offers an ROTC program. Students who have earned an Associate degree while at CEC may not be a good fit for the ROTC as they require four years of college. Talk with a ROTC recruiter about this. One option if you have an Associate degree already, but you want to take advantage of the ROTC is to do a double major which may require four years at the university.
Click here to learn more about the ROTC.
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