[Links Updated 3-2-2023]
If you have a junior or senior in high school, you are probably thinking ahead to paying for college. Today I’d like to share with you our family’s experience in searching for scholarships.
I read an article this morning that said the enrollment rate for students from middle class families is significantly lower than that of lower-income or wealthy families. The author felt it was because of the EFC or Estimated Family Contribution. The family earns too much to qualify for federal aid, or they have too many other assets. But not enough to just pay for tuition out of pocket and still cover expenses. It can feel very frustrating!
Fortunately, my daughter and son did really well in school and on the ACT which allowed them to secure some merit scholarships at their universities. Merit scholarships definitely help, but unless you are offered a full ride, there could still be a significant amount left over to pay.
Are you stuck paying the balance with student loans? Maybe not! Merit and athletic awards aren’t the only source for scholarships.
Everyone has probably heard of the big scholarships awarded by Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper and The GE-Reagan Foundation. You should definitely apply to those, but just know that you are competing with a LOT of qualified applicants.
Where We Found Scholarships
1. Essay contests
My daughter participated in her high school’s Laws of Life competition and received $50. A drop in the bucket? Yes. But every little bit helps. She also participated in competitions offered at two universities on her list of potential colleges. Both schools offered a grant (upon university enrollment) just for attending the competition even if her essay didn’t win the big prize. When it came time to finalize her decision, she was able to show that grant amounts to her desired school and they increased their financial aid offer.
You might also want to check out this list of writing competitions from We Are Teachers.
2. Guidance Office
Check out your high school’s guidance office. Our school district awards several scholarships each year that are only open to students in our high school. Some are need-based, but many of them are not. At your school, there may be scholarships offered by booster organizations as well. My daughter applied for several and received two $500 scholarships.
3. Google Search
You might be surprised to discover all the organizations that offer scholarships! Do a Google search with your city + “scholarships”. We found several to apply for that way, and my son received a $1000 award. You might also find some specific to your state.
In our searching, we also realized there are a number of hobby-related scholarships which is really nice if your teen is into music or chess or archery. (My kids are not archers. I just randomly picked an activity then Googled “archery scholarships”. See what I mean!)
4. Scholarship Search Engines
I am going be honest here and tell you that these annoy me. We found many of the links were old or that the programs had ended years ago. But if you are willing to sift through them, you can find several for which your student might qualify.
[Updated to add: One of my senior’s parents recommended Scholly, a scholarship search engine he saw on Shark Tank. Scholly seems to offer a very thorough application and has a free version as well as a paid annual subscription. I used my youngest son as an example and the free version turned up three scholarships. Two of which seemed rather random. He’s not going to write poetry or an essay about opera. I can just see the eye-roll now!]
5. College Website
Once your student has selected his university, make sure to search the available scholarships on the college’s website. My son discovered he qualified for a music scholarship even though he wasn’t majoring in music. You will find some here that are also available only to upperclasssmen which helps reduce costs beyond that first year.
Be sure to check these sources often because other scholarship applications become available throughout the year. Hopefully, your scholarship search will turn up several for which your student will qualify!
If you enjoyed these tips, please check out the Finishing Strong community for parents of high schoolers on Facebook.