How to Find and Secure Scholarships for College

Monica Matthews, a mother of three, developed strategies to help her children learn how to find scholarships and ultimately win more than $100,000 for college.

Her eldest son, who attended the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor for a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering, won so many scholarships that he graduated debt-free, she says. Encouraged by other parents, the Michigan mom authored an e-book, “How to Win College Scholarships.”

Some of her top recommendations: Start the process early, apply to many scholarships and follow all the instructions.

Winning scholarships, experts say, can help close the gap between college savings and educational expenses. With some planning, it’s possible to increase a student’s odds of nabbing scholarship money, which can lower college costs. Here are a few responses to common questions to help guide students through the college scholarship application process.

Grants and scholarships share a common trait – both are “gift aid.” This is money that doesn’t need to be repaid.

Grants are typically awarded on the basis of financial need, such as the federal Pell Grant for low-income students. Need-based grants are awarded at the federal, state or college level.

Scholarships, however, are usually awarded on the basis of merit, whether it’s for academics, athletic ability or a specific talent.

While some private scholarships also consider financial need, such as the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s college scholarship program, there’s usually a merit component. Private scholarships are typically awarded by private foundations, nonprofits, for-profit corporations or philanthropists.

Students should start their search with local scholarships, since these awards are often less competitive, experts say. But it’s still important to sign up for a few national scholarship database websites.

Different types of national scholarships are listed on database search websites, including Fastweb.com, Cappex.com, Unigo.com and U.S. News Scholarship Finder.

“Every dollar counts, whether it’s for $1,000 or $10,000,” says Connor Peoples, a spokesperson for Sallie Mae, a consumer banking company that offers student loans. “That’s just money that you’re not going to have to pay back after graduation.”

While many high school students apply for college scholarships during their senior year, experts say they can begin their search and the application process much earlier.

“New scholarship databases allow for students to begin researching and finding scholarships as early as freshman year by completing a student profile that should be updated each year with new information,” says Lindsay Muzzy, a financial aid consultant at My College Planning Team, an educational consulting firm.

To cut down on junk mail from these databases, Matthews recommends setting up a dedicated scholarship email account. She also suggests filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, even if a family doesn’t think it will qualify, since some scholarship applications require a submitted FAFSA for eligibility.

College students can still apply for scholarships when they’re in school. In fact, experts say some of the best places for students to search for scholarships include their school’s financial aid office or academic department.

“Professional societies will award scholarships to current college students who are majoring in their field to promote their industry or keep qualified individuals in their field,” says Thomas Jaworski, an independent educational consultant and founder of Quest College Consulting.

Forty-six percent of students believe that scholarships are only available for individuals with exceptional grades or abilities, according to the Sallie Mae/Ipsos 2022 survey College Confidence: What America Knows About Paying for College. But there are many other types of college scholarships, including:

“There’s scholarships out there for everyone,” Peoples says. “I’ve seen scholarships out there for people who are tall, left-handed or enjoy skateboarding.”

While many application deadlines are March 1, experts recommend students begin the process earlier to increase their odds of nabbing more scholarship money.

“I highly recommend beginning the scholarship search as early as possible,” says Aaron Bruce, vice president and chief diversity officer at ArtCenter College of Design in California.

High school seniors should start applying for scholarships in the fall, experts say. But students shouldn’t think of the scholarship application process as lasting only for a few months.

“Applications for scholarships may be a continual process, as students may need to renew funding and seek additional funding throughout college,” says Christine Chu, a premier admissions counselor at IvyWise, a New York City-based college admissions consulting firm.

The process of applying for college scholarships may be different depending on the specific scholarship and its requirements. Students should review a scholarship’s website to learn how to apply, but here are some common steps to follow:

To be considered for some scholarships, often a student must only complete the FAFSA. This is the case for many institutional scholarships, such as the Middle Class Scholarship Program at the University of California and California State University systems. This scholarship requires no additional forms beyond the FAFSA, or the California Dream Act Application for students who don’t have a Social Security number or who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program status. That award helps eligible students cover up to 40% of tuition and fees.
Each scholarship is different, but Robert D. Lane, director of college admissions and alumni relations at Southland College Prep Charter High School in Illinois, has one tip for all students when applying for scholarships, regardless of the specific award they hope to receive.

“Our universal rule is simple,” he says. “Submit by October 15th to insulate and try to capture as much money as possible.”

Lane says this date is early enough to meet the earliest possible scholarship deadlines at most colleges. Deliberately applying early protects students from losing out on aid money because of missed deadlines or depleted funds, as some scholarships can run out of money later in the year.

Some merit and need-based scholarships require an essay as part of their guidelines, scholarship experts say.

But some scholarship programs may instead call for a project, such as a poem or a video.

“It used to be the majority required an essay,” Matthews says. “But because so many kids are applying for different scholarships, some are through tweets, or they can write an essay with a few sentences or they can upload a video. There are so many different ways to apply for scholarships now.”

Experts say students should ask someone who will be taken seriously by scholarship judges, such as a teacher, club advisor or a coach.

Students should be very organized and apply to as many scholarships as they can, Matthews says. “Kids need to market themselves when applying because they want to impress the judges.”

Experts also say students should be aware of directives that could deem an application ineligible. Some common mistakes include not adhering to a specific word count or providing several recommendations when the guidelines call for only one.

Two important factors that impress the judges are following all the directions exactly and approaching the essay in a creative way, Matthews says.

“To get the attention of the judges, who may have to read hundreds of essays, scholarship essays need to start with a ‘hook’ or interesting lead-in that piques the interest of the reader,” she wrote in an email.

Organizations also like to see how their scholarship efforts affect students and the greater community, Peoples says. “I think it’s important for students to sit back, try to understand their plan of attack with said scholarship dollars and then be able to communicate that to the scholarship they are applying for, whether that be in an essay form or on video.”

Trying to fund your education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for College center.