Scholarship and Grant Information
Helpful links are available for you to utilize on the left side of the Naviance home page (e.g. FAFSA, Cal grant). In the “College” tab, scroll to the bottom and you will find links to the scholarships that are currently available. Check this on a weekly basis, as new scholarships will be posted as we receive them.
The FAFSA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID) application will need to be completed in order to be eligible for need-based money from various colleges. See your calendar for the Financial Aid Night event. The application window for the FAFSA opens on October 1, 2021. Pay attention to different deadlines for out-of-state schools.
You must apply by March 1, 2022 (dates subject to change) to be considered for financial aid or Cal Grant (California schools only). If you are applying to an out-of-state school, please check their deadline requirements! Deadlines may be different, depending on state and school!
Helpful websites for related to paying for college:
Calgrants.org Cal Grants official website (MUST complete FAFSA to be considered) The Cal Grant online form asks for GPA verification; however, please know that this is automatically submitted for all twelfth graders attending Cal High and all of the other high schools in our district.
fafsa.ed.gov FAFSA website for completing financial aid application
fastweb.com free, national scholarship service
ecmc.org helping students understand student loans
finaid.org comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice and tools -- on or off the web
ncaa.org NCAA site for student-athletes
collegeboard.org Scholarship search through College Board
collegecost.ed.gov Colleges that receive federal funding are required to have a net price calculator. These calculators allow students to have a better picture of the cost of college for them at that particular school.
Scholarships for Minority Students:
commonblackcollegeapp.com Application to 54 Member Institutions (HBCUs +) and scholarship offers
uncf.org United Negro College Fund
hsf.net The National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
apiasf.org Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
upakarfoundation.org Indian-American Scholarship Foundation
collegefund.org American Indian College Fund – Native American Scholarships
Searching for scholarships
We wish there was an easy way to find scholarships (i.e. FREE MONEY FOR COLLEGE!). The honest truth is it requires a lot of research, time, patience, and persistence. The scholarships will not come searching for YOU. Students who have been most successful in this process are those who have tirelessly searched the free services on the sites above, checked Naviance regularly and applied consistently, and just continued to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH and APPLY, APPLY, APPLY.
Tips for scholarship searching
Make time to apply for scholarships that require essays. Pro tip: Seek out scholarships where you can recycle bits and pieces of your application essays.
Why: Scholarships that only require minimal effort get MANY more applicants.
Search the financial aid website/application portal of the universities you are applying to in order to apply for scholarships specific for those students
Why: The applicant pool for scholarships specific to your university will be much smaller than ones available to all students.
Google search terms specific to you! Think “scholarships for East Bay residents, students of XYZ ethnicity, who want to be XYZ profession, who do XYZ hobby/extracurricular”
Why: Again, we are trying to narrow down how many people are applying and if a scholarship is unique or not well publicized on other websites, you increase your chances of winning the award.