How to Apply for a College Scholarship

To apply for a college scholarship, a student needs to know how to present the most appealing picture of his academic and social progress. Each scholarship has its own criteria for application, and each awarding committee is looking for different characteristics as they choose the recipient.

In reality, there are scholarships available for every student who plans to pursue a college education. The key to receiving the scholarships needed is for a student to know the criteria and to apply only for scholarships that he is eligible to receive.

Determine Eligibility Before You Apply for a College Scholarship

Some scholarships are merit-based - given to students with high grades across all of their classes - while others are need-based - given to students whose families cannot financially pay for college tuition. Still others may focus on specific factors like:

• Athletic Ability or Experience
• Community Service
• Entry into a Specific Major or Career Field
• Religious Affiliation
• Ethnicity

While many college scholarships are readily available to students across the country and from all walks of life, other scholarships have a very limited scope of eligibility. It is wise for students to seek out every possibility at the national, state, and community level. A scholarship may be awarded only to students from a certain community or even to a student with a specific last name.

Filling Out Scholarship Applications

After locating every scholarship for which she is eligible, a student will need to carefully fill out each application. This process shouldn't be rushed but should be given careful attention to ensure that the scholarship committees receive the best possible picture of the student.

Of course, all instructions should be read before beginning to fill out a scholarship application. Depending on the requirements of the scholarship, for example, the student may need to enter his family's total income or only his personal income. One scholarship application may request information about the student's activities only since grade nine, but another may want to know about activities beginning with middle school.

It can be helpful to write the responses to each question on a separate sheet of paper as a sort of 'rough draft.' When all the needed information has been gathered and recorded, the student can transfer the responses to the actual application. This lessens the chances of making a mistake since using white-out or crossing out responses makes an application look messy.

If, to apply for the college scholarship, the student needs to write an essay, she should allow plenty of time for reflection, writing, proofreading, and editing. Ideally, the essay should be written - on separate paper - at least two months before the application deadline. For many students, it's helpful to then put the essay away for about a week before going back to proofread it and make any needed edits.

It may also be a good idea to have a parent or teacher to proofread the essay as well, though they shouldn't attempt to edit the piece. Once the essay is finalized, the student can type or write it - in his best handwriting - on the application form.

When mailing in the application, a student can present a professional appearance by using a large manila envelope instead of a standard business-sized envelope. It can be a good idea to mail the application with "delivery confirmation" so that the student will know when it has been received by the scholarship committee. Of course, it should be mailed well before the deadline - an application received a day late guarantees that the student won't receive the scholarship.

Determining eligibility before trying to apply for a college scholarship and then taking time to carefully fill out the application will help a student to obtain the maximum amount of financial aid possible.