Looking for money for college? Grants are a great option. But there are also tons of scholarships available for students to help pay some or all of your tuitions costs.
In this article we’ll look at how to find the best scholarships, how to apply, how to spot scholarship scams and a list of some top scholarships.
How To Find Top Scholarships
There are plenty of different ways to look for scholarships for online colleges. Using technology, websites and platforms it’s easier than ever to find the best scholarships online.
But before you start looking for one, you first need to determine what type of scholarship you want to apply for.
There are different types of scholarships available, and they are not just for those who play sports or have a GPA over 3.5.
If you do your research right, you will know that there are plenty of different scholarships for every type of student. You can find scholarships based on gender, ethnicity, community service, the arts and much more.
Really the best advice we can give you here is to fire up your favorite search engine and start searching around for specific types of scholarships. You can also reach out to the schools you’re applying to or your high school guidance counselor (assuming you have a good one) for advice on scholarships for you to look into.
How To Apply for College Scholarships
Once you figure out what type of scholarship you qualify for, you can start figuring out where you can apply, and how. Remember, you can only apply for scholarships that you are eligible for.
To apply for a scholarship at online colleges, you first need to do your research on their requirements. Every college has their own different qualifications, so create a list for each one.
Once you have compiled all of the qualifications required by the college, you can simply visit their website and send your application. Later on, we will provide you with a list of online colleges that offers scholarships.
Avoiding Scholarship Scams
While there are plenty of legitimate colleges and organizations offering scholarships online, there are also some who takes advantage of people. So, to avoid scams, we have some tips for you…
- Be careful of those who are asking for a processing fee in exchange for a small scholarship pay out. Usually, these types of offers are only done for the purpose of collecting the processing fee.
- If you are asked to pay a service charge for scholarships, that should raise a red flag. Reputable scholarship services are usually free. So if you get asked to pay a fee, it’s usually not a good sign.
- Similarly, if you get an email notification or announcement that you have won a scholarship award for something that you have not applied for, do not fall for it. It’s most like a trap or a phishing scam that will get your information and use it for other scams.
Some Top Scholarship You Can Apply For
There are thousands of scholarships available for college students. Here are just a handful of well regarded scholarships to get you started…
- Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program
- Foot Locker Scholars Program
- Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
- The Barron Prize
- Golden Apple Scholars Of Illinois
- Spirit of Giving Scholarship
- Horatio Alger Scholarship Award
- Greenhouse Scholars Scholarship
- Acs Scholars Program
- Nitro College Scholarship
Keep in mind the ones listed above are well regarded but also highly competitive. You may have more success finding some less well known college scholarships.
More on Grants and Financial Aid
This article is part of our Guide to Online College Grants.
Check out the next article in the series: How To Get Grants for College