What are College Scholarships?
College scholarships typically refer to gifts of money that don’t require repayment and are used to cover college expenses. They are distinct from student loans, which do need to be repaid, and usually from work based financial aid programs where a person gets money only by working. There are many ways to get college scholarships, and numerous types of organizations that can offer them. They range in amount and qualifications, and some are highly competitive, while others may be fairly easy to obtain. Qualifications to get a college scholarship can depend on many things. Some are strictly based on the merit of the student, which means students with higher grades may be more likely to obtain them. Others depend on a student or the student’s relative’s affiliation with certain organizations like labor unions, church groups, or employment with a certain business. These may still be decided on merit or they may merely have minimum requirements for obtaining a scholarship. Sometimes financi
College Scholarship programs essentially provide free money for college. Scholarships are awarded by charitable foundations, businesses, schools, universities, government agencies and private organizations and are awarded based on criteria set by these organizations. The criteria could be academic, athletic, membership in a specific group or club or on the basis of community service. Finding College Scholarships The search for college scholarships or grants is a timely process and applying can also take time, as some scholarships require essays or other material you will need to provide for consideration. There are several resources available when searching for college scholarships. One of the most important resources is the school you plan on attending or are already attending. Your high school counselor may be able to provide information on scholarships and many universities have an office devoted to helping students find scholarships or grants. Additionally, the university and publi
