How To Find College Scholarships 101

Get To Know Yourself.
Since most college scholarships are specific to academic achievements, race, gender, career selection/degree major, etc… it will be in your best interest to make a list of your personal qualifications. These “keywords” will act as very useful tools when searching for college scholarships you may qualify for. For example, a sample list of keywords could be:

- hispanic
- women
- political science
- 3.7 GPA
- Chicago, IL

These few keywords will really help you navigate through all the scholarships out there (on the web), and may help cut down on your scholarship searching time. Try different combinations of your keywords with the term “scholarships” (i.e. “scholarships for political science majors”, “scholarships for hispanic women”). Keep in mind that when searching for scholarships it is best to start locally and then branch out to nationally awarded scholarships. You will have a better chance at receiving scholarships at a local level since there is less competition.

Know Where To Look.
Religious organizations, community organizations and professional organizations you (or your parents) are affiliated with are all great places to start your search for scholarships. Community centers and local libraries are also wonderful places to aid you in your scholarship search. Also, do not forget your employer. There are many employers (especially larger companies) who sponsor scholarships for college.

Next, check your state education department for any scholarships they may offer to their residents. This may not be as useful to those who are attending college out of state. Colleges and Universities often times offer scholarships, so do not forget to check your college or university to see what scholarship programs they offer. Again, any thing local or specific to your college will be less competitive compared to some “high profile” national scholarships.

Lastly, utilize the web or a free scholarship search service (such as our scholarship search above). A scholarship searching service will match you (or your child’s) qualifications and characteristics against the many scholarships in their database, making your search quick and easy. Here is a very important tip: Never Pay for Scholarships Information. If you are ever asked to pay fees for “exclusive” or “special” scholarship leads, you are most likely getting scammed.