How to Apply for Scholarships: Your Ultimate Guide

Congrats! You’re going to college. And (probably) someone has to pay for it. Hopefully some of those someones are scholarship organizations. This post will guide you through a lot to explore and think about when it comes to how to apply for scholarships. 

Which is important considering how increasingly complicated it can be to figure out how to pay for college. No one has the same exact financial situation (except maaaaaybe all you twins out there). That’s why we have made this helpful guide for you to navigate your scholarship journey. (Gauntlet? Crusade? Odyssey? Let’s get you started in choosing your own … Scholarship Adventure! We love an adventure. Life is an adventure!)

No matter where you are starting from, this guide will help you learn more about how to get scholarships to pay for college. 

Let’s! Get! That! Scholarship Bread! 

 
 
 
 

What are Scholarships (Versus Loans and Other Types of Aid)?

First things, first my friends. What are these magical scholarships? Scholarships are free money for college that doesn’t have to be repaid. Free money is magic. 

Scholarships are different from loans, which most definitely do have to be repaid, except in the very rare and highly complex case of loan forgiveness, which isn’t something to count on. There are also several other types of money for college such as grants (similar to scholarships, though when provided by the college itself they are often based on financial need rather than merit), work-study (money you can earn by working while you are in college), and a few other categories. 

Side note: If you haven't explored CEG’s four step Guide to Paying for College, please do so. This is an incredible step-by-step guide (with a linked pay-what-you-can mini-course) that provides a full overview of all things related to paying for college. 

Scholarships generally fall into three categories: private, local, and institutional. The vast majority of scholarship funds come from colleges and universities themselves, and typically your application contains enough information to be considered for these institutional scholarships, which you can learn more about in CEG’s guide. 

This post focuses primarily on the how to apply for private scholarships and local scholarships 

It’s essential that you read the financial aid and scholarship pages of every college you apply to very carefully so you don’t miss any opportunities the school provides. 

Hot tip: for each and every college you apply to, read every page connected to applying (application, timeline, requirements, scholarships and financial aid, etc). Research is your friend. 

Now, on to the Main Event: finding and applying for scholarships that do not come directly from the colleges you apply to.

What Are Scholarship Readers Looking for?

That really depends on what the scholarship is for! Pretty much any person or organization can decide to give a scholarship for pretty much whatever they want! They decide the qualities and characteristics they deem to be rewarded, and they set it up.

They are commonly based on: 

  • Academic merit 

  • A combination of academic merit and a special quality, talent, or characteristic

  • Just a quality, talent, or characteristic

    • Sometimes that characteristic is financial need

If it’s for academic merit, then the scholarship providers will clearly state the parameters and look for people who meet and exceed the criteria. To earn a merit scholarship, you need to have excelled in the thing the scholarship is for, which could be academic, athletic, or artistic achievement. Scholarships in this category typically look for students who rise to the top of the applicant pool.

If it’s for academic merit plus a personal characteristic, then they’ll be looking for evidence of both of those things. 

Scholarships can be based on financial need, or merit or some combination of both. The definition of merit is really going to vary, depending on who is giving this free money away. For our purposes, merit is going to mean “the quality of being good or worthy, deserving of reward.” Reward = free cash money. 

For example there are scholarships that reward: 

Scholarships are also often aimed at particular groups of people, for example:

  • Underrepresented groups 

  • Underrepresented groups studying X

  • Underrepresented groups studying X who have quality Y

  • Underrepresented groups studying X who have quality Y who are from Z 

  • People whose parents work for a specific company 

  • People with quality X (and sometimes Y and Z and so on)

You’ll want to think broadly about your many qualities and characteristics! Do you have any special skills or talents? There might be a scholarship for you! More on our favorite resources in a bit.  

How to Find Scholarships Step-by-Step

1. Start Early 

If you’re a current grade 10 or 11 student reading this, that’s excellent. Keep reading, and get started early! Some scholarships allow you to apply before grade 12.

If you’re in grade 12 now, still great! There are tons of scholarships with spring deadlines. After you’ve wrapped your applications, applying for scholarships can be a lucrative way to spend your time! (But don’t burn yourself out!)

2. Think broadly

Check out the Action Item under point #4 in the Scholarship Basics section of our Guide to Paying for College. What are all of your positive attributes? You’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about who you are and what you are good at over the last few months, so put all of that thinking into action! There are scholarships for everything under the sun, so make a list and then dive into those scholarship databases (see below) with some key terms.

3. Do your research

Think local, think national. Any time you’re doing research, understand your trusted sources and avoid ones that seem fishy. Never pay for a scholarship search.

4. Focus on fit over quantity

While you should apply to a lot of scholarships if your own personal timing and schedule allow for that, there are some scholarships that get a ton of applications and require a lot of work. These may not be the best fit. Look carefully at the scholarship, and see if they provide information about how many scholarships they give out and how many people apply. Focus your energy first on scholarships that seem like they could have been tailor-made for you! Apply to those, and then move on to others that are more general. 

If it’s easy to apply to, chances are that a lot of people will apply. If it’s challenging to apply to and is pretty general and for a relatively smaller amount of money, maybe don’t prioritize it. If it’s highly specific, consider adding it to your priority list. 

5. Pay attention to the details

Many have rigid requirements, and if you don’t meet them all, chances are there’s someone who does. They’re likely going to give the scholarship to the person who best fits exactly what they’re looking for. Lots of scholarships go unclaimed because they are so very specific that people who qualify simply aren’t able to find them.

6. Get Organized

Spreadsheets, tables, and calendars, oh my! Hopefully your organizational skills are sharper than they’ve ever been, given that you may have just navigated a highly complex application process. Or maybe you learned that you need to be even more organized?! Well, here’s a wonderful opportunity to practice. 

Here’s another idea: Make a separate email account/address for scholarships! Some types of email accounts let you create several addresses (sometimes called an “email alias”) in the same account. This will allow you to automatically filter emails sent to that address into a dedicated scholarship folder. Another option is to just be very diligent about your filter and folder system. 

As a counselor, I’ve had many students who missed deadlines, opportunities, and yes, even accepting scholarship offers because their inboxes were a catastrophe!

7. Recycle Your Essays and Letters of Recommendation

You probably wrote a lot of essays for your application! Here’s a chance to get even more mileage out of them. Adapt, reuse, recycle. Of course your essay needs to truly respond to the prompt, but there might be writing that you’ve already done that can help in your scholarship applications. Are there particular turns of phrase, literary devices, or entire essays you loved? Use them again! Make them work for you. 

If you’re a 12th grader, your teachers and counselor have also already written letters of recommendation for you! It’s easy enough to ask them to send those letters to organizations offering scholarships. Most schools have strict confidentiality protocols in place, so teachers/counselors will need to send them directly to the scholarship organizations.

Hot tip: make this as easy as possible for your recommenders! Fill out the basics of any paper forms. If you’re applying for a few scholarships, provide them with an organized list with everything they need. Remember you’re asking them to recommend you. Be kind. Say thank you. They are not your personal assistant :)

8. Ask for help

There are likely people who wish to support you in this process—teachers, counselors, friends, parents, friends of parents, relatives, coaches, and more. Choose a few of these people that you feel might be aware of scholarship opportunities and ask them! Maybe your chemistry teacher knows of an amazing scholarship a previous student received.

Also, check out this amazing strategy for turning those awkward situations where an adult asks you, “So, what are you doing with your life?” into opportunities for them to actually help you! 

Any time an adult asks you about college, your future plans, or any other question you might not have an answer for, take the first opportunity to turn the conversation around by saying “Hey, do you know of any local scholarships?” 
Read more about how to get nosy/curious/helpful adults to do some work on your behalf in the Local Scholarships section of CEG’s Paying for College Guide.

9. Continue to apply, even when you get to college

Many organizations offering private scholarships allow anyone who is about to go OR is already in college to apply! You can keep up this fun game for years! 
Did you also know that many colleges have internal scholarships for students meeting specific criteria throughout undergrad? Take USC as an example! Check out this list of scholarships for ongoing students, this page that links to department-specific scholarship for ongoing students, and this page that links to a PDF of dozens of scholarships just for students who have already been accepted to USC’s School of Cinematic Arts!

10. Stay on top of things

Remember those sad missed email stories? Keep track of who you have and haven’t heard from. Check websites for updates about when they’ll notify finalists and winners.

Local Scholarships: The Untapped Gold Mine

Do you live in a city or town? Or really anyplace with other people? Well, most places have scholarships connected to them! You might be surprised by how many local businesses offer an annual scholarship! There are also scholarships provided by local governments, agencies, and community organizations such as YMCA and Girl and Boy Scouts. Civic organizations such as Rotary, Lion, Kiwanis, clubs and religious organizations and cultural organizations. 

Information about local scholarships should be pretty accessible. Your city or town likely has a huge list on its website, and it’s also likely scholarships from your town or region will be in one of the databases below. 

Talk to your counselor or teachers and ask if they’re aware of any local scholarships. Ask adults in your community as well. Ask businesses if they offer a scholarship. Who knows, maybe your question will inspire them to start offering scholarships and you could be the first recipient! 

Local scholarships tend to average around $500- $1000, which can add up quickly, and the best part is that fewer people apply compared to larger national scholarships. You can apply to many local scholarships and increase your chances of winning something. 

Read more about local scholarships here. 

What Happens to University Financial Aid When You Receive Outside Scholarships?

You might be wondering, “Will this scholarship affect my financial aid?” 

The answer isn’t super straightforward. 

You’re required to report all outside scholarships to the school you will attend. 

If the total of all scholarships and financial aid is over the estimated cost of attendance (COA), then yes, it will affect your financial aid. You cannot be awarded significantly more than your calculated need. 

A reminder: 

Cost of Attendance (COA) - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = total Calculated Need (sometimes called Demonstrated Financial Need)

Some colleges guarantee to meet all demonstrated financial need, while for others there can be a gap. If there’s a gap, typically colleges will allow for scholarship money to fill this gap. 

If there’s no gap, then they’ll likely start to offset their own packages with any outside scholarship money you’ve earned. For example, they might allow you to keep all of the grants and scholarships awarded by the school itself and reduce the amount of any loans (un-free money you have to pay back) that are part of your package. Colleges might allow for you to offset your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and/or Work Study, etc. with outside scholarship money.

The best and only way to find out your college’s exact policies is check with them. Be transparent! Be honest! This is the only way forward. 

Remember, it’s possible to negotiate with the financial aid office in some universities. Let’s say you receive a scholarship and your college wants to use it to offset a grant. You can ask if you can use the scholarship to offset something else instead. Something not already in the category of free money. 

How to Get Grants for College

Grants, like scholarships, are free money that does not have to be repaid. In order to get grants, you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA. The vast majority of grants are based on financial need. 

Many grants are first-come, first-served, so get that FAFSA in early! Read our guide to filling out the FAFSA here. 

After you fill out the FAFSA and any other forms your colleges require, you’ll start to receive aid packages from the colleges that accepted you. All colleges require the FAFSA, and some colleges require their own college-specific form and/or the CSS Profile.

Some grants require recipients to complete service obligations, such as the TEACH grant, a grant for aspiring teachers which has strict requirements for GPA and also requires recipients to teach in a high-need field for four years after graduating. Often, students will learn about field-specific grants like this after entering college and choosing a major—in this case, education. 

The Biggest Mistake that Scholarship Applicants Make

Not reading the details!!! 

Take the time to read descriptions c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y. The last thing you want to do is waste precious time applying for something you don’t qualify for! 

Read the details and make sure your submission responds to the prompt exactly as stated. Yes, you can recycle your old essays, but make sure you’re editing them to suit the purpose. 

Other Things Not to Do in Your Scholarship Applications

  1. Waiting until it’s too late to apply 

  2. Spending too much time on scholarships with lots of work and lots of applicants 

  3. Not recycling essays and recommendations 

  4. Recycling essays in a way that is sloppy and/or obvious

  5. Submitting essays that don’t catch the reader’s attention 

  6. Not applying to scholarships that you might actually get!

CEG’s Best Recommended Scholarship Resources

With hundreds of scholarship websites, all touting that they offer the largest database with the best features and the most money, it’s tough deciding which are worth investing time in. Here’s what we’ve found: 

Our Top 5 Recommended Scholarship Sites:

  1. Cappex

  2. Unigo

  3. BrokeScholar

  4. Big Future

  5. CollegeXpress

In our opinion, these are all some of the best sites. And here’s why:

1. Cappex

Cappex is said to have the largest database. Big and detailed and easy to use, it was voted Best Database by Reviews.com, and we happen to agree. They have a fresh web design and easy to use profile and settings. 

2. Unigo

While Unigo may not have much in the way of supplemental articles and materials, it does have one of the best search engines out there. You can save time by using their advanced search filters to match who you are with the right scholarships. 

3. Broke Scholar

Broke Scholar is beautiful. It is a well-designed website that is enjoyable just to look at. You won’t have to create an extensive profile, just get on and search. Remember to save your tabs, because without that profile you won’t be able to save your place on the website. They also make additional information on grants and fellowships available.

4. Big Future

Made from the folks over at College Board, Big Future has the most supplemental material and resources on scholarships and financial aid. For example, they offer a financial aid 101 course or career or major searches. Big Future also doesn’t offer personal profiles, so you won’t be able to save your place (get another bookmark folder started). 

5. CollegeXpress

College Xpress is a smaller, friendly, and transparent scholarship resource. Create a quick profile and get entered to win a $10,000 scholarship. It has a college and grad school search based on different rankings they collect from either admissions experts (think Steven Antonoff), facts and numbers, or user experiences. They also have a summer program search tool to help you find a great internship. 

Other Scholarship Resources:

Sallie Mae - enormous, easy to use, probably highest amount of money in scholarships.

JLV College Counseling - Made by a former counselor. Interesting categories to search by (due date, circumstances, by age/grade level, etc). Limited features. 

Student Scholarships - Homey, old, but seems like a team dedicated to scholarships specifically. Thousands of Q&A and Videos about careers and majors. 

College Greenlight - First Gen and underrepresented students focused platform. Laser focused but easy to navigate.

CareerOneStop - Full of options. Job search, career search, college search, and scholarships. Pretty extensive list of scholarships. 

Scholarship Scams and How to Avoid Them

A final note about scams. 

 
 

Unfortunately, we are living in a scam era and there are people who will try to take your hard earned cash! Luckily this scenario is pretty rare, but be on the lookout. 

Never ever give your personal information or financial information to someone who contacts you by phone or email. Always triple-check the source. Many scammers will have official-sounding names, and websites that show logos of other actually legitimate sites.

Tell-tale signs of a scam:

  • Requires a fee of some sort to enter a scholarship 

  • Guarantee of winning a scholarship if you enter 

  • Soliciting you via calls or emails 

  • Limited time offers 

  • Requests for personal information 

  • Scholarships that literally anyone can enter

  • Anything else that sounds too good to be true 

There are plenty of legitimate scholarships out there, and this is another opportunity to be a savvy consumer of information. 

Read through the College Board’s Big Future site for information on two types of scams to be aware of. 

Ask for help if you need it by talking to a counselor or teacher who has helped students through this process before. 

Best of luck in your scholarship adventure. You got this.

Hillary has an MA in Counseling Psychology from New York University, and is a highly skilled college counselor with 15 years of experience advising students as they reach for their college dreams. At the heart of Hillary’s approach is developing a deep understanding of each student’s unique interests, abilities, and values. Her expertise encompasses all aspects of the college search and application process, from helping students to choose the right courses and extracurricular activities to building college lists and writing powerful and meaningful essays. Hillary specializes in both US college admissions and global university admissions. She has visited over 100 college campuses in the United States, Asia, and Europe, speaking with admission committee members about what makes a student truly stand out in an application. Hillary loves to travel, eat, adventure, and explore, and is currently splitting time between New York City and Tokyo, Japan.

Top Values: Curiosity, Humor, Love