There’s never a good enough reason to pass up an opportunity to earn a $500 or $1,000 scholarship for college. With continuing tuition hikes, any scholarship amount is worth applying for, if you are eligible.
For some students, though, large-dollar, full-tuition and multiyear scholarships are necessary for them to earn a two- or four-year college education. As the name implies, multiyear scholarships are offered for more than one academic year; they are also often generous scholarships with high-dollar values.
Multiyear scholarships are offered across a variety of categories – from athletic to academic-based scholarships. Recipients of these scholarships are generally required to maintain satisfactory grades or a specific GPA. Renewable scholarships may also require students to participate in specific extracurricular activities or complete a certain number of community service hours.
Although not all multiyear scholarships cover full tuition, they can substantially lower annual tuition expenses – students can look to these scholarships to help pay for college for four and even five years.
The Asian Pacific Fund, for example, offers the $1,000-$3,000 Helen and L.S. Wong Memorial Scholarship to incoming freshmen enrolled full-time at an accredited four-year institution or incoming community college students with a commitment to transfer to a four-year school. Among the scholarship requirements, applicants must have a minimum 2.8 GPA, be residents of or graduating seniors from a high school in participating communities and have at least 50 percent Asian heritage. Recipients can renew this scholarship for up to four years, with a maximum of $6,000 per award.
Another Asian Pacific Fund scholarship is the Banatao Family Filipino American Education Fund, which offers an annual $5,000 reward renewable for four years. The scholarship is open to incoming freshmen enrolled at a four-year accredited institution who have a minimum 3.0 GPA, are pursuing science, technology, engineering and math-related majors and are of at least 50 percent Filipino heritage. Applicants must also show financial need as well as residency in specific California communities.
African-American, Hispanic and American Indian students pursuing chemistry or chemistry-related fields can apply for the ACS Scholars Program. Qualified high school seniors or college freshmen, sophomores or juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with documented financial need can earn up to $5,000 per year, which they can apply to renew each semester. Students must demonstrate high academic achievement in chemistry or science with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Applicants must have an interest in a career as a heavy equipment technician, maintain a 2.0 GPA throughout high school and plan to attend a college or vocational or technical program that offers a diesel technology program. These scholarships are renewed on an annual basis, and recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA.
High-achieving students who reside in Western Washington can apply for The Edmund F. Maxwell Foundation Scholarship, which provides $5,000 a year, up to $20,000 total. To apply, students must compose a short essay and demonstrate composite math and reading SAT scores of 1200 or more – or equivalent ACT scores. Students must also demonstrate financial need.
Playing a sport can certainly help students earn multiyear scholarships, especially if they are top-tier athletes competing at the NCAA or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics level. However, not all sports-related scholarships require skill or excellence in the sport, much like the Women’s Western Golf Foundation Scholarship.
Female high school seniors who have strong academic achievement, financial need, excellent character and are involved in golf can apply to win up to $8,000 over four years toward their college tuition, room and board. Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a 3.0 GPA.
Full-tuition, multiyear scholarships are rarer, but they do exist. The Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship is one such award that yearly provides over 200 caddies with full tuition and housing scholarships, which are renewable for up to four years.
Applicants must have a strong caddy record for at least two years, a minimum 3.0 GPA, outstanding character and demonstrated financial need. The scholarships are awarded to specific universities depending on where the applicants live and caddy.
