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 There are at least five different ways to help pay for a college education. You can use your own money, get a federal student loan or grant, apply for a private loan, or get a college scholarship. Here we're going to discuss some of the scholarship programs out there and how you can find a college scholarship to help pay for school.
Finding College Scholarships
Fortunately for many students there are lots of scholarship programs out there. This is because it takes very little effort to set up a scholarship - virtually anyone can set up a fund. Consequently, the amount of money ranges from those that pay for your entire college education to those offering a couple of hundred dollars a year.
In this article we're going to discuss the various types of scholarships offered to college students, and we're also going to help you find college scholarships by providing you with website links to some of the larger scholarship programs in the US as well as those niche scholarships that providing money to specialty groups such as orphans and foster children.
Types of College Scholarships
The types of college scholarships vary greatly - some are offered to students that study in a particular area such as accounting or biology. Others are offered to individuals based on race or gender. For example, African Americans are offered scholarships through the United Negro College Fund.
To make it easier to understand where you can find information on college scholarships, were going to provide you with a list of resources that are broken down into two groups - General scholarship resources that are more "open" - meaning that virtually anyone might qualify - and some of the larger organizations that sponsor programs that are targeted to certain students.
General College Scholarship Resources
Here is a list of some of the larger college scholarship resources we've found. These websites tend to offer general databases of scholarships from around the country that the user can query to find out contact information or detailed qualifications.
The Scholarships Page
The Scholarships Page was started in 1997 out of a student's frustration in finding scholarship information to help pay for college expenses. This website does not offer scholarships directly; rather it allows the user to browse for information based on gender, heritage, area of study, and state of residence.
Scholarships.com
Scholarships.com is both a popular and a free college scholarship search website that can help students find scholarship information and resources on the Internet. Users need to create a personal profile and once that is created Scholarships.com match that information with relevant and attainable college scholarship awards.
CollegeNet.com
CollegeNet.com claims to store a database of over 600,000 scholarships representing $1.6 billion in annual funds. The website includes both keyword search and profile search features. CollegeNet also claims to take steps to protect your personal information and does not share profiles with marketers.
Targeted College Scholarship Resources
Below is a list of scholarship resources that are targeted to certain college students. The targeting is sometimes based on things such as ethnic background, race or gender. Some are targeted to employees that have worked in certain government jobs.
Scholarships for Foster Children
The National Foster Parent Association offers scholarships to foster children so they can pursue education beyond high school. Scholarships are offered for college or university study, vocational and correspondence courses.
A second source of college scholarships for foster youth can be found by searching through the Education and Training Voucher program at the state level. Qualifying individuals are eligible for scholarships up to $5,000 per year while attending school.
Scholarships for American Indians
The American Indian College Fund distributes roughly $4 million in scholarships and programs to more than 6,000 students. Students are selected based on academic success, community involvement and financial need.
Scholarships for African Americans
There are literally thousands of scholarships that are administered through the United Negro College Fund with funding provided by individuals and businesses alike. Scholarships are based on grade point average, unmet financial need as verified by the college financial aid office. To qualify for a scholarship, students must have first completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Scholarships for Women
The Society of Women Engineers provides college scholarships to young women that have been admitted into accredited programs in preparation for a career in engineering, engineering technology and computer science. Each year, this society makes available roughly $300,000 in funding to approximately 130 female students.
US Senate Youth Program
The US Senate Youth Program is a scholarship that is made available to college students that were Presidents, Vice Presidents, Secretary or Treasurers of their high school class or any other civic or educational organization. Each year, two students from each state are awarded $5,000 in college funding for undergraduate studies.
Scholarships for Orphans
The Orphan Foundation of America helps orphans and foster youth that want to attend college and vocational schools find scholarships. All scholarships are awarded based on eligibility and academic achievement.
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