Searching for scholarships to help pay for college can seem both financially rewarding and daunting. With perseverance, organization, and timeliness, one can often find funding to help defray college expenses. The best approach is to use one or more of these cost-free scholarship search websites to create a profile, (answer a questionnaire about your background, interests, etc.), and find scholarships that might be a fit. We recommend that you devote one hour per week to researching scholarship possibilities and then apply for scholarships for which you are eligible. Try to apply for scholarships that require an essay, (there will be fewer applicants), and adopt a methodical and timely approach. A cautionary note: scholarship scams abound, so don't pay anyone to look for scholarships for you. You can do it yourself at no cost and, at the same time, avoid these scams.

Try all possible sources of financial aid.  The more sources you explore, the greater your chance of success.

• Apply early.
• Meet deadlines.
• Keep organized copies of all forms and correspondence.
• Fill out form accurately and completely.
• Talk to the financial aid office at all the schools to which you are applying.
• Check out ALL scholarships.

Helpful Organizations and Websites:

• Scholarship Experts
• Kaarme
• Sallie Mae
• Scholarships.com
• Fastweb
• College Board
• Texas Scholarships
• Scholarship Monkey
• Scholarship Map
• Campus Explorer
• College for All Texans
• Every Chance Every Texas
• FAFSA Website
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Education Grants
• FinAid
• Merit Aid
• The Scholarship Page
• Student Scholarship Search
• US Department of Education