Can You Earn Scholarships While In College?

Students can take advantage of scholarship databases, such as Chegg, FastWeb.com, or the U.S. News Scholarship Finder, to explore scholarship awards for which they are eligible. The more information a student enters, the increased odds of landing one or more scholarships, experts say. It’s important to answer all the optional questions to increase the odds of matching with a scholarship – especially for the lesser-known ones, says Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert and author of “How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid.”

Students don’t always have to look far to find a great college scholarship. Organizations and nonprofits located in a student’s hometown such as his or her church, synagogue or faith community may offer scholarships to their members. Local scholarships are often less competitive than national scholarships, experts say, offering students better odds of capturing the awards.

Applying early is one way to improve the odds of receiving grant aid from an institution, financial aid experts say. And it’s important that prospective students not underestimate the power of institutional aid, says James W. Lewis, president of the National Society of High School Scholars. “A lot of people don’t realize there are great institutions that have very generous scholarship offerings,” he says. “Some families select not to apply because they think they would not qualify for financial reasons, but that’s often not the case.”

Merit aid, which can take the form of scholarships or grants, is linked to academic performance and other accomplishments and is not based on financial need. Academic scholarships are often awarded by a school or private organization, sometimes based on a student’s GPA or performance on a standardized test such as the ACT or SAT.

There are scholarships available for students pursuing a specific college major, from education and biology to engineering. For instance, students pursuing a career in STEM – which encompasses the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math – can apply for a range of awards, such as the Generation Google Scholarship, which provides U.S. undergraduate and graduate students studying computer science, computer engineering or a closely related technical field the opportunity to win $10,000.

This type of scholarship has been around for some time but can be forgotten in the era of online scholarship searches. Many companies – from Taco Bell to ExxonMobil – offer scholarships to employees or a child of an employee. These types of programs aren’t limited to the private sector. If a parent works for the federal government, the child may be eligible for the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, a national scholarship competition.

For students who enjoy the spotlight, there are specialized scholarships for acting, dancing, and music. Musicians, for example, can compete in many ways for a scholarship, sending samples of their vocal or instrumental talent to competitions. And for students who don’t participate in the performing arts, there are scholarships available for other extracurricular activities.

Finding a great mentor can help students locate and successfully win scholarships for college. A mentor could be anyone working in a student’s career field of interest who can answer questions, talk about the industry, and even support students in their scholarship search. Plus, scholarships often require a letter of recommendation, and having a great one can help an applicant stand out.

Essay competitions with small prizes are less competitive because most students don’t like applying for these scholarships, Kantrowitz says. “Consider the odds of only 10 applications for a $500 prize,” he says. “That work comes out to $50 an hour if the student spent 10 hours on it.”

10. Search for renewable scholarships

These scholarships continue to pay awards every year or semester, as long as you continue to meet the requirements. Some may not automatically renew, so you’ll have to submit a renewal application each year, but it’s still easier than starting from scratch.

Scholarships for College Students