College Scholarships Explained: Expert Answers to Top Questions

Understanding College Costs and Scholarships

Everyone knows that college is expensive. Some say that outside scholarships are easy to come by and can help bridge the gap between financial aid, merit aid, grants, and the total cost of attendance. However, with the rise of self-proclaimed college admissions “experts” and “influencers,” it has become harder to separate fact from fiction. It is important to understand the types of scholarships that are available and to read the fine print. For example, many, perhaps most, scholarships have a need-based element, eliminating many students from eligibility.

From experience with some well-known online scholarship platforms, I’ve learned that many exist primarily to collect and sell personal information. Instead of generating funds for college, these sites end up filling your inbox with junk email. While scholarships do exist, claiming they are easy to obtain is just not true.

To identify potential scholarship opportunities, it’s essential to understand the different types of scholarships and their sources. Click HERE for a breakdown of scholarship types and valuable resources.

What is a Scholarship?

A scholarship is any amount of money awarded to a student to cover tuition, fees, and other educational expenses at an eligible institution. It’s typically tax-free as long as the funds are used exclusively for qualified education expenses. Scholarships help reduce the cost of attendance without creating a tax burden for the recipient.

What is a Qualified Scholarship?

A qualified scholarship is one for which an individual is eligible based on specific personal attributes or circumstances. Scholarship providers carefully outline eligibility criteria to ensure the award aligns with their institutional goals. While many scholarships are based on financial need, others have other or additional highly specific requirements, such as academic achievements, interests, or demographic factors.

How Do I Find Qualified Scholarships?

Before diving into your scholarship search, take some time to reflect on what makes you unique. This self-assessment can guide your efforts toward scholarships that align with your personal traits, background, and experiences. Ask yourself questions like:

• Where do my ancestors come from?

• Am I disabled, or do I have a medical condition?

• What is my religion?

• What activities or hobbies have I dedicated significant time to?

• What special talents or skills do I have?

• Am I left-handed?

• Am I part of a minority group?

• Am I the first in my family to attend college?

• Am I passionate about environmental issues, sports, or academics?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you identify scholarships that fit your profile and increase your chances of success. Below are eight steps to help maximize your return on the effort you invest in applying.

Eight Steps to Help Maximize the Return on Effort When Applying for College Scholarships

Step 1: Check your high school website

Some high school counselors make great efforts to research and list local scholarship opportunities. Typically, scholarship link information is posted on the counselors’ page of the school website. Many of these lists include scholarships that any high school student in your city can apply for, so when possible, seek out resources from other schools in your city/region.

Pro Tip💡 Read all scholarship-related emails from your school counselor.

Step 2: Identify state-specific scholarships

Most state education agencies have at least one grant or scholarship available to residents. Click on the interactive map on theNational Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators website to see what is available to you.

Step 3: Investigate tuition exchange and/or reciprocity agreements 

Some states have programs that allow students to attend university in another state and pay in-state equivalency or close to it. ClickHERE for details on programs in New England, the Southern Region, the Midwestern Region, and the Western Region.

Step 4: Identify membership organizations

Do you belong to a minority affinity group, a credit union, a church, any social/service/academic clubs, or an honor society? If so, be sure to check their respective websites to see if they offer an academic scholarship program for members.

Step 5: Track down what scholarship opportunities are available at colleges you hope to attend or that you are already attending

Details on college-specific scholarships may be found on college/university websites. However, since most automatic merit scholarships are GPA and/or test-score-based, consider emailing college admissions counselors to ask about the specific criteria they use to award scholarships. Having such information can make you more deliberate in your efforts to achieve the maximum amount of merit scholarships possible. 

Pro Tip💡Use Jeff Selingo's "Buyers and Sellers" list to indetify colleges that offer generous merit aid (Hint: "Buyers" are more generous.

Step 6: Explore which local businesses have scholarships

Many local businesses give back to the community through academic scholarships. Visit the websites of your parents’ and grandparents’ employers to see if you qualify as the family member of an employee or retiree. Also, check out your local Better Business Bureau’s website for programs they may advertise for their business members.

Step 7: Conduct a Google search and/or Use ChatGPT

Use Google to search for scholarships that fit your profile. Your best odds will always play out when applying for local scholarships, so be sure to add your city and state to your search keyword strings. Remember to remove location-specific keywords for a second, more national-level search. 

Pro Tip💡 Use ChatGPT and/or Google: < City,State> + <”Scholarship”> +

Step 8: Use the Scholly Scholarship App (click HERE)

As mentioned above, most scholarship sites prioritize gathering personal information to sell. Although the website previously stated that it does not sell personal information, it is now more difficult to determine.

Pro Tip💡Never pay to apply for a scholarship.

Frequently Asked Scholarship Questions

Question 1: When should I apply for scholarships?

That depends. Since scholarship applications have various deadlines, take the time to make note of all of the submission deadlines for scholarships you plan to apply for. As a general rule, plan to apply for scholarships during senior year. Some scholarships are available for younger students to apply for. 

Pro Tip💡 If you are applying for need-based scholarships, be sure to gather your parents' financial information, such as tax returns.

Question 2: Can I apply for any scholarship I want?

No. Most scholarships have specific criteria you must meet to be eligible. Some require you to be nominated by your high school counselor or another designated individual. Look closely at eligibility requirements and follow up accordingly.

Pro Tip💡  Some outside scholarships will require you to attend a certain university, and the deadline to apply for these may occur prior to the date that you make your final decision on which school’s offer to accept.  That’s okay. Go ahead and apply for them anyway. The worst that can happen is you turn down the funds because the award criteria no longer apply to you. In that case, the funds will go to another candidate.

Question 3: Can I use the same essay for multiple scholarship applications?

You can and should be strategic in your approach. As you look at prompts, look for opportunities to reuse essays you have already written. In some cases, the fit might be perfect; in others, you may have to tweak the content to make it relevant. If you need to tweak, don’t cut corners; make sure it is clear that you are addressing the relevant prompt.

Question 4: Who should I ask to be my recommender?

As a rule of thumb, ask a teacher who taught you a core class unless the scholarship application makes a specific request. For example, some will specifically ask for a recommendation by a member of the community who is familiar with your service involvement. 

Pro Tip💡  Make sure to ask before assigning someone as your recommender.

Question 5: What is a good way to keep track of all the different scholarship due dates and requirements?

Given the varied deadlines and requirements, I recommend using a spreadsheet to organize scholarship applications by date.

Question 6: Once I’ve completed all of my scholarships, what else do I need to do?

Writing a quality recommendation letter takes time, so you should ALWAYS send your recommenders a thank you note expressing your gratitude to them for taking time out of their busy lives to support your college process. Moreover, since many scholarship programs require you to reapply to receive dollars each year you are in school, you want to show genuine respect and appreciation to people you may need to rely on again in future years.

Pro Tip💡  If you are awarded funds due to a recommendation, be sure to inform the recommender.  

Final Words of Wisdom

Applying for scholarships requires significant effort, and for many, the return on investment may not seem worthwhile. While some tasks—like filling out forms and requesting transcripts—are simple busy work, in some instances, writing essays that encourage deep self-reflection is required. 

To improve your chances, be prepared to work hard, conduct a thorough search, stay organized, and track deadlines carefully. And remember: rejection is part of the process: don’t take it personally. 

For a curated list of scholarships or anything else related to the college application process, feel free to email Kathy@fineeducationalsolutions.com.