Last Dollar Scholarship

Up until this point, you’ve done everything right – filled out your college applications early, applied for scholarships often, submitted your FAFSA as soon as possible – but still college is beyond your reach. Then a last dollar scholarship may be just what you need to cover those minor expenses. These "last dollars" are intended to fill the gap between students' financial aid and the real costs of college, such as computers, books and supplies, room and board and even graduation expenses. A last dollar scholarship is awarded to a student whose official Expected Family Contribution (EFC), located on your Student Aid Report, and financial aid packages totals are less than the cost of tuition and fees. Last dollar scholarships vary greatly from state to state and can be the determining factor, in some cases, as to whether a student will attend college or not.

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If college is just an arm’s length away don’t panic, there are countless options available to fund your education. The College Opportunity Resources for Education (CORE) Philadelphia Last Dollar Scholarship offers up to $2,000 to Philadelphia high school seniors to help pay first-year college expenses. The Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant provides an award from the State of Maryland which, when combined with the Federal Pell Grant and the EFC, will help cover the cost of full-time study at a Maryland college or university. Below are just some of the last dollar scholarship awards available to high school and college students. You can find more information on these and other awards by completing a profile and conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com.

ACHE Police Officers and Firefighters Survivors Educational Assistance Program

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: Varies
  • The Alabama Commission on Higher Education, a statewide 12-member lay board appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House and confirmed by the Senate, is the state agency responsible for the overall statewide planning and coordination of higher education in Alabama, the administration of various student aid programs, and the performance of designated regulatory [...] More

Asparagus Club Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/15/2023
  • Amount: $8,000
  • The Asparagus Club awards a maximum of ten scholarships per year. Each scholarship is $2,000 per semester not to exceed four consecutive semesters. Recipients must retain full-time student status and earn at least a 2.5 GPA to earn a scholarship each semester/quarter. Scholarships are available to rising college freshman through postgraduate studies (must be enrolled at the time of disbursement [...] More

Sertoma Hard of Hearing or Deaf Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 3/31/2023
  • Amount: $1,000
  • Sertoma's Scholarship for the Hard of Hearing or d/Deaf, is the leading funder of scholarships for Hard of Hearing or d/Deaf students since the program's inception in 1994. Students with a clinically-significant bilateral hearing loss, graduating from high school, or undergraduate students pursuing four-year college degrees in any discipline are eligible for the scholarship.
    Applicants must [...] More

The Associated Grocers GMRA Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 6/2/2023
  • Amount: $10,000
  • The Grocery Manufacturers Representatives Association (GMRA) is a nonprofit organization formed in Louisiana to bring grocery manufacturers and retailers together. The organization is comprised of approximately 80 companies and is dedicated to preventing trade abuses, promoting uniformity and certainties in business practices, and establishing confidence among sellers, buyers, and sales [...] More
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Last Reviewed: March 2023

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