Though the assumption many high school students have is that scholarships are only available for the academic elite, this isn’t necessarily the case. Yes, some scholarships are extremely competitive. If you are hoping to get a full-ride to Harvard, you’ll need to be one of the top students in your state. Great grades, incredible leadership, and volunteer history. Compelling personal essay.
Even then, you might not get it.
But even with that being said, it’s not just the valedictorians who are claiming award money. If you have a reasonably good transcript and are willing to put in the work, you will find award money.
In this article, we take a look at what is out there, what criteria you should concern yourself with, and how to find award money.
What are the Criteria for College Scholarships?
While it would be impossible to list every consideration that scholarship committees weigh when they make their decisions, here are a few common factors that will definitely influence your options:
- GPA: Your GPA reflects the cumulative average of your time in high school. Really though, the transcript that scholarship committees will see is typically cut off in your junior year. Most students are already applying for scholarships in the spring—sometimes even fall—of their senior year so it is important to make your first few years at school count.
- Extracurricular Activities: A well-rounded resume will show a scholarship committee that you are more than just your grades. Many colleges look kindly on students who have demonstrated leadership ability in high school because it indicates that the students will play an active role in the campus community. It also shows that you can balance multiple responsibilities—a key skill for finding success in college.
- Demographic: Some scholarship opportunities are restricted to specific demographics. This could be a racial minority. It could even be a circumstantial consideration—first-generation college students being a common example.
- Test Scores: Standardized exams are trending out as a college entry requirement. Many schools now leave them as optional. If you aren’t a good test taker, probably don’t waste your time (and money) with the SAT or ACT. However, if you do think that you can nail the exam, go for it. Not only will a good score help you qualify for good opportunities but it will also improve your odds of getting into really competitive schools.
- Social Proof: Some good letters of recommendation can serve as icing on the cake for a scholarship application. While they won’t be enough to boost up an otherwise mediocre application, they can help you stand apart in a competitive system.
- Personal Essay: Many scholarship opportunities will include an essay component. This is a good opportunity to set yourself apart. It may even be able to help you explain away less-than-competitive aspects of your academic transcript. For example, a B-average student whose essay explains that they have been taking care of younger siblings and working two jobs might actually win out over an A-average student with nothing else on their resume. It just depends on how the review committee feels about your submission.
There are, of course, also athletic scholarships. Those are kind of self-explanatory. If you are killing it at your sport, you might be offered one. If not—well. Hopefully, you’ve been studying hard.
What is the difference between a grant and a scholarship?
The biggest difference is that scholarships are traditionally merit-based, while grants might place a heavier emphasis on other factors.
A grant might be based on your financial need. It could be offered to people who have satisfied a very specific requirement or people who fall into a specific demographic. In this way, they tend to be less competitive, but they will still usually involve an application process that should be taken seriously.
You can apply to both to increase your overall award money.
Conditional Scholarships
Some scholarships are offered on the condition that you meet other criteria—sometimes after you graduate. For example, your state might create a scholarship that is designed to funnel more teachers into high-need schools.
The condition, in this case, would be that you must spend the first few years of your educational career working in a school that is considered low-income.
If you don’t meet that criteria, the scholarship will turn into a loan that you would need to repay. This might feel like a high-pressure situation—what if I can’t find work in a low-income school?—but the reality is that most schools meet this criteria.
Chances are pretty strong that you will wind up working in a low-income school without even meaning to. Might as well get money for it, right?
Do Graduate Programs Offer Scholarships?
They do! Graduate school scholarship opportunities are not quite as robust but there is also a smaller candidate pool. The vast majority of people don’t go to graduate school, after all. The same criteria described up until this point applies.
Graduate school is a good way to advance your career, earn more money, and expand your understanding of an aspect of your discipline that interests you the most. Keep in mind that for some careers, getting a Master’s degree is pretty much necessary to perform higher-level work. For example, you need to get an MSW to work in social work leadership positions.
For some jobs, you may even need to think about getting a doctorate degree. Even nurses can radically improve their earning potential by getting a PhD.
The Process
It is a process. One that you need to dedicate a good deal of time to if you are going to be successful. Spend at least a few months finding and applying to every opportunity you can. You never know where you will get your hits and the reward vs. time investment ratio can be really high.
Is it a drag to spend two hours working on an application? Sure. But if the ensuing award is worth $3000, you’ll be earning an average of $1500 per hour for your effort. A good rate if you can get it.
Getting scholarship money is all about persistence. Find as many opportunities as you can and send those applications out. If your transcript is decent, you will get hits eventually.
