The cost of an education these days isn’t cheap and students are continually trying to find solutions to help defray the cost of exorbitant tuition. Scholarships are one of the main sources of tuition assistance for students. Students who are willing to put in the extra effort to find appropriate scholarships will be handsomely rewarded in the most beneficial way possible.
A scholarship, at its most basic definition, is money for college that students won’t be expected to repay after graduation. Scholarships are offered from four basic platforms: merit-based, need-based, student specific and career specific. Scholarships generally reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award, depending on what specific scholarships students pursue.
Merit-based scholarships are usually based on a student’s abilities, specifically athletic, academic, artistic or otherwise. Merit-based scholarships also often factor in other aspects of an applicant’s personality, including their extracurricular activities and even their community service. The most popular scholarships that are merit-based judge applicants by their academic achievement in combination with their scores on standardized tests like the ACT and SAT.
Need-based scholarships are more similar to grants in that students can qualify for these scholarships only after their financial need is assessed. Students will fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to determine whether or not they and their families have a true need for tuition assistance via a scholarship. The federal government awards these need-based scholarships, and hundreds of students have received scholastic assistance that’s helped them complete college and earn their degree.
Student specific scholarships are actually exactly what they sound like. These scholarships sort applicants by a number of different standards, depending on the scholarship. Some scholarships are offered based on race or religion, so minority scholarships are popularly placed in this category. Other student-specific scholarships are offered based on medical history, or even the simple fact of being left-handed!
Career-specific scholarships are some of the more specialized scholarships available to students. A college or university typically awards these, though sometimes they can be offered by private organizations. A career-specific scholarship is awarded to students who are planning to pursue a specific field of study. Usually, the fields that award such monies are high-need areas, such as nursing or education.
Regardless of what types of scholarship students decide to apply for, there are some basic guidelines to make sure you’re as successful as possible when trying to win scholarships. The first is to apply early and start as soon as you can, because most scholarships have set deadlines that must be met. The second tip for applicants is to make sure you read and re-read the requirements to make sure you’re eligible from the start and completing everything you need to. Finally, no matter what, students should stay active in their schools and communities and make sure to maintain a superior GPA.
Even with the high cost of tuition today, students have options when it comes to finding financial aid. Scholarships and grants, such as the Pell Grant, are available to students across a wide range of subjects and a broad expanse of financial need. These financial monies for education apply to both land-based and distance learning college courses. Students don’t need to feel like their dreams of a college degree are unattainable simply because of the cost of tuition – they should start applying for scholarships today!