Scholarships for Returning Students
Trying to search for available scholarships when you’re no longer a high school senior can be a daunting task. So many scholarship resources are tailored especially to the younger crowd, assuming that everyone follows the straight and narrow path from high school diploma to college degree. But we all know that that’s just not the way life works. For whatever reason, your path diverged, and now you’re a returning student, looking to go back to college after some kind of hiatus. When you’re doing something outside the “norm,” it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but be proud of yourself! Attending college now is a great move for your life and your career. Also, don’t panic. There are scholarships for returning students and you will be able to find financial aid to help pay for school.
So, where to start looking? The college or university you’ll be attending may provide some scholarships for returning students, so it never hurts to start looking there. Your current employer may also pay part of your tuition, especially if your degree is related to your line of work—some businesses have even footed the bill for an employee’s PhD program! Many programs exist to provide scholarships for returning students, especially women who are going back to school after raising a family. The free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com can connect you with information on a number of scholarships for returning students, whether they are general scholarships open to everyone, or scholarships specifically for students returning to college. You can also check out our resource page on scholarships for adult students for a partial list of scholarship opportunities for students like you.
While you might feel like it’s unlikely that you’ll receive any scholarship money, returning students may have certain advantages over high school seniors in the scholarship hunt, especially when it comes to essay scholarships. You’ve probably taken a college composition class or two in your day, while your high school competition hasn’t. Even if you think your writing’s not the greatest, just think about how much it’s improved since you were 18. Additionally, as a returning student, you probably have something to write about in your scholarship application. When the prompt asks you to discuss a challenge you’ve overcome or a significant event in your life, you won’t be stuck choosing between the time your dog got run over and the summer you got a paper route to buy your first video gaming system (which probably wasn’t a Playstation 3). Chances are you already have a great topic in your decision to return to school! Many scholarships have an essay component and few have an upward age limit, which makes these great scholarships for returning students.
You don’t know what you’ll qualify for until you look, so start your scholarship search and apply for scholarships for returning students today!