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.
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.
The ACHE Police Officers and Firefighters Survivors Educational Assistance Program is a grant covering tuition, fees, books and supplies for dependents and eligible spouses of Alabama police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. There is no limit on the amount awarded to recipients. Awards are available for undergraduate study in public institutions in Alabama. Students who are [...] More
The Asparagus Club awards a maximum of ten scholarships per year (subject to availability of funds). Each scholarship is $2,000 per semester (fall and spring only) 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. Eligible applicants must be rising juniors, seniors, or graduate [...] More
This fund was established through the generosity of the members of Associated Grocers Inc. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This scholarship is dedicated to the memory of Sam S. Politz, a former President and CEO of Associated Grocers Inc. Students must be Louisiana high school seniors or graduates enrolling full time into an accredited university or college. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5, a [...] More
Sertoma's Scholarship for the hard of hearing or deaf, is the leading funder of scholarships for hard of hearing or 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.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren is proposing the elimination of existing college student loan debt for millions of Americans; over 42 million individuals. [...]
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's engineering school will soon be called the "Grainger College of Engineering" after receiving another $100 million gift from The Grainger Foundation. The Grainger donation is the largest amount ever gifted to a public university to rename a college. [...]
Thirteen parents and one coach charged in the "Operation Varsity Blues" college cheating scandal will plead guilty in accordance with plea agreements. While elite parents implicated in the admissions scandal cheated to help their children get into college, there is a growing concern about how students, in general, may be cheating their way through college; specifically by buying ghostwritten essays online. [...]
