Education Scholarships.
Education scholarships are available today perhaps more than ever before. And it’s no surprise that they come from a wide variety of sources for a wide variety of reasons. Let’s look at a few.
Any search for education scholarships must begin with filling out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This will tell you which education scholarships the federal government thinks you qualify for. Most of these will target low-income families making less than $41,000 a year. Those whose families qualify under the federal guidelines will receive at the very least a Pell Grant worth up to $5,800.
So if you will qualify for state and federal education scholarships under the financial need guidelines this is where you will start. The next step would be to exhaust all your minority education scholarship options.
For African Americans a great place to start is the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The organization has been around for over sixty years and even helped fund the education of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hispanics should start their search for education scholarships with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. One of the key issues around Hispanic higher education is the high drop out rate. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund has not only provided over $300 million to fund the education of Hispanic college students—they also have a track record of success in lowering the drop out rate. In fact, through their support and guidance, the students they sponsor graduate at a higher rate than the average for all students.
One reason education scholarships play such a vital role is that lack of funds is the number one reason students drop out of college. This is especially true for minority students.
This brings us to education scholarships for women. Despite nearly six out of ten college students being women, the fairer sex has still been able to cash in by flashing the minority card. There are a plethora of education scholarships targeted specifically at women.
If you are a woman or racial minority and excel in a traditionally underrepresented field like math, science, engineering or technology there are even more educational scholarships available to you. There is a very real opportunity here to unlock education scholarships targeted at someone just like you.
Is there any room left for merit scholarships? As a matter of fact there is. One of these educational scholarships is the National Merit Scholarship. After a grueling qualifying that lasts several rounds, as many as 10,000 of the best and brightest in the country will qualify for $2,500 educational scholarships. There is an enormous amount of prestige that goes with being a National Merit Scholar. To reach that status you will have to have a PSAT score among the top four percent, excellent grades, and extracurricular activities that highlight your leadership potential.
Another of the more prestigious education scholarships is the Fulbright scholarship. Since 1946 over 300,000 students, teachers, and professionals have participated in the program. Dozens have gone on to win Pulitzer and Nobel Peace prizes.