Full-Tuition Scholarships
Full-tuition scholarships are the holy grail of
college scholarships, one-off prizes that will cover the majority of your
college costs over the course of four years. These
scholarship awards can cover anything from just your tuition to all of your
living expenses, depending on the terms set out by the provider. While these
scholarship opportunities are rarer than others and tend to involve tougher
competition, they are definitely out there.
Universities, states, and even several cities offer full-tuition scholarships based
on varying criteria. The most common of these are merit-based
academic scholarships, awarded based on SAT or ACT
score, high school GPA, community service
experience, or other criteria by a college, university, or state higher education
agency. Local scholarships, funded publicly
or privately and offered to students from a certain geographic area, are also gaining
popularity. Many such scholarships require students to attend a specific college
or one of several colleges in a state or other geographic area.
Additionally, several corporate scholarships
and foundation scholarship awards cover a student’s full tuition for anywhere from
one to four years. Corporate and foundation scholarships typically give students
more freedom to attend college where they choose, including
private colleges or out-of-state schools while still receiving
scholarship money to cover most, if not all, of their tuition expenses.
These awards tend to have strong merit or need requirements, or sometimes both.
A number of scholarships for minorities
fall into this category, as well.
While there might not be a full-tuition scholarship opportunity for everybody, it’s
still worth taking the time to look. You can find full-tuition scholarships and
other large dollar amount scholarships
when you conduct a free college scholarship search
on Scholarships.com. And remember, even if you don’t find one full-tuition scholarship
that solves all your financial woes, you should still
apply for scholarships! Awards of $1000 or $2000 can add up quickly, and
every dollar you receive in scholarships is a dollar you won’t have to pay back
in student loans.