In addition to finding scholarships through the colleges to which you apply, you may want to turn to external organizations that run scholarship programs. Private scholarships are offered by national corporations and associations, as well as by local organizations, clubs, and companies. While there are a few highly competitive private scholarship programs that offer very large awards, in general scholarships from private organizations will be smaller, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
What’s the best way to find private scholarships? Start with local scholarships. Your school counselor or advisor can usually provide a list of scholarships offered by companies and organizations in your local community. Local scholarships usually receive fewer applications so you may have a better chance of winning one of these awards. Next, look for scholarships offered on the state and national levels. Some trade associations, for instance, offer scholarships for students who are planning to study certain majors in preparation for careers in their industry. Other national scholarship programs are geared towards students with specific personal characteristics. There are a number of scholarship search engines on the Internet. A good starting point is the College Board’s Big Future Scholarship Search. You can access this database at https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search.
Regardless of whether you plan to apply for individual college scholarships, private scholarships, or both, the best advice is to start your search early. Don’t wait until after you have already applied to a college or been admitted to think about scholarships. For example, in order to be considered for scholarships at some colleges, applicants must apply by a certain date or complete additional application materials. It’s also smart to target the scholarship opportunities that most closely align with your personal characteristics, talents and achievements rather than using a scattershot approach. Pay close attention to the application requirements and deadlines for each scholarship. Parents can also help their children develop a scholarship plan and calendar so they can stay on track with scholarship essays and applications. While applying for scholarships can be time-consuming, the effort may pay off with savings for your family.
However, students who apply for external scholarship aid should be aware that the aid is usually given for one year only (though the student may be eligible to reapply). More importantly, be aware that some colleges will reduce their offers of financial aid by the amount of external money the student brings in, thus negating the value of the effort involved.
