I’m looking to find a way to cover the entire cost of college with scholarships, combining both merit scholarships from the school and external ones. Has anyone here successfully paid for college, or at least most of it, using only scholarships? How did you achieve this? Did you use scholarship search engines like Cappex and Unigo, or rely primarily on local scholarships?
I have about $7,000 left to cover after scholarships, which is why I’m here looking for additional options.
I have. Last year I applied for 59 different quality scholarships (all had essays and many needed proof of enrollment, SAR, official transcript, recommendations ect), and I won 12 scholarships totaling in $17,095 in scholarship funds. My tuition + fees for the year was about $20,000, so most of it was paid, and I paid the rest out of pocket by working part-time. So about 1 in every 5 that I applied for gave me a scholarship. The biggest scholarship was $2400, so they add up.
My advice:
1.)
Make a really good essay that is about 750 words that is a career goal statement, that addresses your goals to give back to the community in your career, and how you can pay it forward. List specific goals that are in line with your career path. Make a version of that same essay that is 500 words and 300 words. I used practically the same essay for almost all 59 scholarships I applied to. So I didn’t spend hours applying as if it was a part time jobs like some people say. I spent 2 hours making a good essay that I got proof read by my universities writing department. Most applications take 5-20 min to apply. Don’t make a pity essay, make it an inspiring essay.
2.)
Go for scholarships that have little to no competition. Those were the only ones who helped me. One scholarship gave me money even though I wasn’t eligible because so few people applied. It was a business degree scholarship that required you to be in management or finance. I am in the healthcare field. Look at your schools scholarship office for department scholarships or local scholarships in your area. Google them if you have to. I emailed many local businesses inquiring about scholarships but never had luck. They are hard to find, but apply for brand new scholarships. Four of my scholarships were the organizations first time giving scholarships so there were few who applied.
3.)
Be organized. Keep an excel file or google sheets document with the scholarship and the due date. Organize them by due date and make sure you always apply by the due date. Add scholarships through out the year. Every Sunday I look for scholarships in the morning for about 15 min and add them if they are any good. I make a note if there are any due in a week or two and set a reminder to apply. Scholarships are due all throughout the year so this will be on going.
4.)
Make good friends with a professor or academic advisor. You are going to need recommendations and you want good ones. You need to be good enough friends that they wont be ticked off that you asked them to write a bunch of recommendations. Ask for a generic one that can be used for multiple scholarships. 3 of my scholarships specifically mentioned that they were impressed by my academic recommendation.
5.)
Get good grades. This is not absolutely necessary but I had a high GPA and it helped.
It is possible and it defiantly took the stress off paying for college. Feel free to ask me any other questions.
(If there is no essay, it is probably a garbage scholarship that will sell your information)
Thanks a lot for the information. I’m currently a junior in high school and have made an Excel sheet with some scholarships, though I think some might be highly competitive. I’ll look for more low-competition opportunities. I’ve also spoken with my counselor, who said he would email me if he found any local scholarships, but I haven’t received anything yet.
Yes, my sons have won a TON of scholarships! It’s definitely possible, so keep applying. Focus on local scholarships initially, but don’t overlook big awards or even smaller ones. Treat the application process like a part-time job and make sure to apply SMART.
Not me, but one of my closest friends worked as a TA at her university and had her tuition fully waived. On top of that, she mentioned that the TA wage covered her food and boarding expenses as well!