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.
Invitation to Excellence: This is a special weekend program that showcases a few of the exciting academic opportunities that Baylor offers. Participants receive a one-time $2,000 scholarship and are eligible to apply for a full-tuition Faculty Scholarship. For qualifications, event dates and important deadlines, visit baylor.edu/admissions/i2e.
Baylor2 Programs: Baylor offers three dual admission programs for students interested in pursuing law, medical or seminary degrees. The opportunity to apply to these programs requires attending an event on campus. For more information about scholarships and the application process, visit baylor.edu/admissions/b2b.
Distinguished Scholars Days: These invitation-only events are offered in conjunction with the standard campus visit and are designed to showcase exciting discipline-specific opportunities available for academically talented students. Participants can apply for a $3,000 scholarship after attending the event. If a student is eligible for a Distinguished Scholars Day, they will be notified in their goBAYLOR account Visit baylor.edu/admissions/dsd for more information.
MISCELLANEOUS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Christian Connector provides a FREE Christian college information service as well as a $2,500 Christian College scholarship drawing. Students can simply log onto www.christianconnector.com to request information and automatically be entered in the $2,500 scholarship drawing.
Free Money for School - Find your personal scholarship matches at www.fastweb.com.
Cappex.com, the website that tells you which colleges want you before you apply, is giving away thousands of dollars in scholarship. Go to www.Cappex.com/scholarshipsand apply today for free.
Scholarships.com offers students free help in finding scholarships and other valuable financial aid information. Go to www.scholarships.com for more information.
Varsity Tutors holds a monthly $1,000 college scholarship contest where students must write an essay in response to a monthly prompt. Visitors to the Varsity Tutors scholarship webpage are able to vote via social media for submitted entries. The top five entries with the most votes are reviewed by Varsity Tutors at the end of the month and one winner is subsequently chosen to receive the $1,000 college scholarship. Interested students can enter the contest here: http://www.varsitytutors.com/college-scholarship
Going Merry (www.goingmerry.com) - One place for students to find and apply to scholarships online, absolutely free.