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Scholarships 101
Scholarships 101
Getting even more money for college
Getting even more money for college
Let’s talk about the best present you can give yourself: free college scholarship money!
what are scholarships?
what are scholarships?
Scholarships are free money that people, small organizations, colleges and universities, or big corporations give out for students to afford the cost of college! Costs can include direct costs, like tuition and housing. But they can also include indirect costs, like the out-of-pocket cost to pay for a new college laptop, dorm room gear, and college textbooks.
Scholarships usually have applications, which might be as easy as entering in your name and info, or as involved as writing an essay and including multiple letters of recommendation. Some scholarship apps might ask for a certain kind of student, making eligibility open to only those with a 3.0+ GPA or above, students of color, those whose families are facing financial hardship, or more identities the scholarship organization is looking for.
Applying gets easier the more scholarship applications you do, we promise. Luckily, most of them ask the same kinds of questions over and over again, so it’s easy to grind through for your free money once you’ve got a good personal statement you can edit for each one!
where should you start your search?
where should you start your search?
Check out some of the different places you can start finding scholarships, whether at your high school or across the nation!
Your College and The FAFSA
Your College and The FAFSA
By submitting your college application and FAFSA, you’re probably being considered for a lot of automatic scholarships! Many colleges offer auto-scholarships, like $3,000 yearly for students with a 2.75+ GPA, student grants for those whose FAFSAs show they’re in high financial need, student leadership scholarships, and more.
Automatic scholarships do not require an additional application, so there’s nothing for you to do! But keep an eye out for your college’s scholarship website. Do they have scholarships you can compete for like Central Michigan University’s full-ride Centralis Scholarship contest? Research and look up automatic and competitive scholarships at the colleges you’ve applied to!
National Scholarships
National Scholarships
National scholarships are our big pool scholarships. A big pool of people who are applying means a naturally less chance of winning the scholarship award. However, we have a few scholarship search websites you can use to search through what you’d like to apply to.
National scholarship search sites
Local Scholarships
Local Scholarships
Your local folks are looking out for you and your college costs! Michigan has so many bubbles of local scholarship organizations and they’re waiting to see you turn in your application.
Pay attention to the scholarships promoted by your adviser and the counseling team, since those local scholarships are usually ones that have a small pool of people applying! Sometimes, your only competition is other people from your high school. Less people applying means better chances to win!
The College Board also gives out money each month for people doing tasks like completing a college list, practicing for the SAT, and completing the FAFSA! See how you can win with a College Board Opportunity Scholarship here.
The College Board also gives out money each month for people doing tasks like completing a college list, practicing for the SAT, and completing the FAFSA! See how you can win with a College Board Opportunity Scholarship here.
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