Federal student financial aid often doesn’t provide enough money to pay for school, even for students eligible for federal grant programs. Unmet need has increased steadily in recent years, as tuition has outpaced the growth in Pell Grants, Stafford Loans and other forms of student aid. Although some students may not have such need for financial aid, on paper, they may still struggle to cover their full cost of college tuition, even with college savings and work money.
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Rather than relying on costly private student loans for all four years of college, high school students should investigate scholarship options. Awards exist for every type of college-bound student – from academic achievers and amazing athletes to average students with unique interests. Scholarship opportunities based on academic achievement, financial need, family background and student involvement are all available for high school students, as well as other awards based on more esoteric criteria. To win these awards, students need to proactively search and apply. In order to help guide students through the scholarship search and scholarship application process, we’ve prepared the following educators’ resources.
The scholarship search process can be frustrating for students, as well as for counselors. With so many different sources of scholarship information, it can be difficult for busy high school students – especially prospective first-generation college students. The abundant information available online can be helpful but also overwhelming- leaving students lost as to how and where to start their scholarship search. Our Scholarship Information for Students section endeavors to be such a starting point. Here, we answer students’ most basic questions about the scholarship search process: letting them know how to look for scholarships, when to apply for scholarships and what to keep in mind while finding scholarships. This section also contains links to helpful resources to being the scholarship search process.
It’s one thing to point students towards a list of scholarship opportunities but is is more difficult to provide the resources necessary to successfully make a difference in their college funding outlook. Many students have little or no experience applying for scholarships and depending on their situation, they may have few people in their lives able to help them. Students could help not only finding scholarships but also digesting scholarship information and formulating application strategies. In order to help counselors better guide their students through the scholarship application process, we’ve prepared this guide to the scholarship application resources for students available free on Scholarships.com.
High school juniors and seniors are dealing with tightly-scheduled lives as it is. Extracurricular activities, assignments at school, part-time jobs and volunteer experiences all demand much time and commitment. Add in standardized testing and college applications and it’s easy for financial aid and scholarship application deadlines to be lost in the shuffle. To keep students on track and ensure they get the most out of the college financial aid available to them, we’ve prepared a list of important deadlines for scholarship seekers that vary by state the FAFSA to annual deadlines for some of the largest and most popular scholarship awards.
Traditionally taken the first two weeks of May, the AP Exams test students’ knowledge from their Advanced Placement classes, with the possibility of being awarded college credit for a high score. Last year, the College Board made significant chances to the AP Exams in order to accommodate the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on students, schools and curriculums. This year, the exams will look more like they have in the past, but with some notable changes. [...]
Let’s say you’ve made it. You are enrolled in college, or have been for a year or two. You’re receiving some financial aid, or even a scholarship, but something’s missing. It’s money. No matter how generous the package you’re receiving is, there’s always one more book to buy, one more activity fee, one more dining hall bill… [...]
The coronavirus made laptops a necessity for college students. Where before students without personal computers or laptops could use on-campus computers and provided software to meet the technological needs of their courses, the shift last spring to online classes necessitated that students have a stable internet connection and a compatible device. While the majority of students were able to meet this requirement, according to a study by EDUCASE, some students found themselves without a modern laptop that could run the most up-to-date browser, use RAM-heavy software or keep up even with reliable high-speed Wi-Fi. One university has announced a unique remedy for this technical situation. [...]
