Beans for Books Grants

Lately, we've made a few blog posts about efforts to lower the amount students are forced to spend on college textbooks.  Professors are starting to turn to more and more online and open-source course material, Congress has legislated changes in the way textbook sellers do business, and students at the University of Michigan can now print a bound copy of a non-copyrighted book for $10.  However, cool stuff happening at other schools or scheduled to happen in the future doesn't necessarily help you afford that $150 biology textbook now.  For those of you still struggling with coming up with an additional $500 or more to buy books, this week's Scholarship of the Week can help.

Beans for Books, a non-profit organization started by students working at coffee shops, raises money to help top students afford the textbooks they need to continue to succeed in college.  Grants of $500-1000 are awarded each semester to be used solely for buying books.  The application cycle for the spring semester is just beginning, so if you're anticipating a semester laden with science, math, and foreign language classes, now is the time to apply!

Prize: Winners will receive a grant of $500-1000 to be spent on textbooks for the next college term.

Eligibility: Students who will be enrolled in college in the following semester, and who demonstrate financial need and maintain a GPA of at least 3.7 on a 4.0 scale.

Deadline: Varies by semester.

Required Materials: Completed online scholarship application, available on the Beans for Books website.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.