Ready to apply for Scholarships?
Scholarships (a.k.a. FREE MONEY) are offered all year around by a huge variety of organizations, businesses, and schools. Who can apply? EVERYONE! Requirements for scholarships vary from academic performance, to specific talents/interests, and family background. Not intending to go to a 4 year college? No problem! There are opportunities to earn money for purchasing tools, participating in outside programs, attending 2 year schools or trade schools, and more! So whether you are the A+ student, have the voice of an angel, enjoy the outdoors, attending to a vocational school, have a special family circumstance, or do alot of volunteer work, there is a scholarship out there for you! Essays and or answering questions sound daunting? While some applications might take some time and thought to complete, there are other opportunities that take just a few clicks to apply. Some applications might even require a video submission or ask you to make a Tik Tok.
Begin by reading these important notes/reminders:
Give your recommenders lots of time to get your letters done. (...about letters of recommendation)
The DUE date is NOT the DO date for the scholarship so start EARLY.
If you need to add your College & Career Counselor to your scholarship (or college) application please make sure you communicate with them BEFORE you include them.
Be cautious when applying to scholarships. You shouldn't need to pay or give private information such as your social security number to be considered for these financial assistance opportunities. (watch this 'Beware! How to Identify Scholarship Scams' video from fastweb.com)
Here are some scholarship essay examples from GoingMerry and reasons why they work. https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/scholarship-essay-examples/#2-why-this-scholarship-essay-example-worked-
WUE schools. Don't know what this is? Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out.
Keep searching! Scholarships are being offered all year round.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get the first few you apply for! Keep at it and you'll find something that fits!
Time to start browsing the scholarship website info/links below - including the link to our C&CC scholarship list!
Scholarship opportunities that come to our office will be announced on the C&CC Scholarship List. This includes scholarships that are only open to Mililani HS students and/or specific to our community.
Continuous Notice of Non-Discrimination
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) and its schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, and religion in its programs and activities. Please direct inquiries regarding HIDOE nondiscrimination policies as follows:
Beth Schimmelfennig, Director
Rhonda Wong, Compliance
Aaron Oandasan, Title VI
Toby Yamashiro, Title VII
Nicole Isa-Iijima, Title IX
Krysti Sukita, ADA/504
Civil Rights Compliance Branch
Hawaii State Department of Education
P.O. Box 2360 Honolulu, Hawaii 96804
(808) 586-3322 or relay
Scholarship Sites
Searching for scholarships can be a daunting task! Using a scholarship database site to assist you in the search might be helpful. Generally, these sites will ask you to create a profile and, based on the information you provide, they will filter through their scholarship database and show you the ones that are a good fit to you. Below we have listed some of the FREE database sites that we think you might find helpful. Don't forget to click on the C&CC Scholarship List for all our Mililani specific opportunities.
Scholarship opportunities that come to our office will be announced here. This includes scholarships that are only open to Mililani HS students and/or specific to our community.
Scholarships are listed by due date. Please refer to the "Application Available" column to see if the scholarship program has begun accepting applications. Previous year's scholarship information is also available so you can see what opportunities might be coming for the current school year.
Hawaii Community Foundation is an agency which oversees numerous scholarships. With just ONE application you can apply to all these scholarship opportunities at once. This is a free scholarship database. Application opens in December 2024.
ScholarsApp is a great resource for finding the right local scholarships for you and it's FREE! You make a profile and they compile a list of opportunities that fit your profile. You choose which ones you want to apply to and get it done right there on ScholarsApp. (All the scholarships in this database have been verified.)
Going Merry is another resource to help students to find and apply for scholarships. FREE!!
Check out their helpful tips and examples on applying for scholarships.
Find links and information to all University of Hawaii system scholarship opportunities (this includes community colleges). You can also find UH System Common Application information here. You will need a UH email address in order to access the scholarship application so apply to your school early!!
UH @ Manoa scholarships. Lots of additional links for scholarship websites and opportunities can be found here as well. To apply for these scholarships you will need your UH email and ID. You are encouraged to apply early to ensure you receive them in time for the scholarship deadlines. Dec. 15th is the recommended deadline to get your school application in.
Look for scholarships in the UH Systems at this website. You can filter your searches by Campus, Department, or Keyword. To apply for these scholarships you will need your UH email and ID. You are encouraged to apply early to ensure you receive them in time for the scholarship deadlines. Dec. 15th is the recommended deadline to get your school application in.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs offers valuable resources available to Native Hawaiian students seeking post-secondary education; both college and career training programs. Click for information on scholarships, financial aid resources, and student support services.
Apply here for Kamehameha Schools college scholarships and internships.
Ke Alii Pauahi Foundation Scholarships. See info Flyer here.
Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu Scholarship opportunities can be found here.
Army Emergency Relief for Military Families in need.
Scholarships for Military children. New scholarship search tool available on the website to aid in your search for the scholarship for you.
ThanksUSA Scholarships for military dependents.
RaiseMe partners with over 330 colleges/universities to offer students micro-scholarships for student achievements during high school and college. RaiseMe is not just for seniors, you can start earning as early at 9th grade and earn throughout your high school years so sign up today!
Collegeboard scholarship search tool. Find a scholarship for you.
FastWeb scholarship search tool. Free national scholarship database.
Gates Millennium Scholars Program provides an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential. GMS offers Gates Millennium Scholars with Academic Empowerment (ACE) services to encourage academic excellence; mentoring services for academic and personal development; and an online resource center that provides internship, fellowship and scholarship information.
APIA Scholars has a special focus on supporting AANHPI students who live at or below the poverty line; are in the first generation of their family to attend college; are representative of the APIA community’s diversity, (geographically and ethnically}, especially those ethnicities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity. Strong applicants would also have an emphasis on community service and leadership.
What is WUE...
Western
Undergraduate
Exchange
Schools
View the WUE handout
Visit https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/ to learn more and find your WUE School using the Wiche WUE Saving Finder Tool.
Looking for WUE Information? While the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program is not the same thing as the Financial Aid opportunity you get from completing your FAFSA, it can be an important financial component to your college decision.
What is WUE? The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 members, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students.
Through WUE, eligible students can choose from hundreds of undergraduate programs outside their home state, and pay no more than 150 percent of that institution’s resident tuition rate. Since full nonresident college-tuition rates may exceed 300 percent of resident rates, WUE increases affordable higher-education choices for students, and minimizes the adverse impacts of student loan debt.
Each participating school will have their own criteria for being awarded WUE so please check each institution you are interested in to see if you qualify.