As the college application season rolls around, the question of how to afford college is on the minds of countless young people nationwide. One of the easiest ways to decrease the cost of college is to take advantage of the plentiful scholarships and grant aids offered by numerous organizations, whether at small-scale on a community level or through nationwide scholarship contests, this money is easily accessible, and knowing how to access it can be an immensely useful skill.
One important first step to take for anyone chasing scholarship or grant money is to ensure that your family plans to fill out the Federal Application for Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens on December 1st. This is a necessary step before applying for any scholarships or grants, as they usually will require the FAFSA as proof that the student is seeking aid. This step must also be completed in order to receive need-based aid at any college or university.
As you begin actively applying for scholarships, it's important to stay organized in order to keep track of all of the deadlines. Each scholarship will have a deadline, and often there will be additional deadlines for scholarship finalists to write additional essays, or come in for interviewing. When the scholarship applications start to pile up, the deadlines can be confusing, and keeping a spreadsheet, planner, or calendar with all of the dates can be immensely helpful.
When choosing scholarships to apply to, one aspect that many don’t consider is the fact that the easier it is to apply for a scholarship, and the more promoted it is, the more difficult it will be to actually win it. By carefully choosing local scholarships, or by looking at more niche awards with smaller applicant pools, you can identify less competitive scholarships that you have a greater chance of successfully winning. Large-scale and heavily advertised scholarship programs, such as the Niche or Collegeboard scholarships are extremely easy to enter, but are effectively a lottery, whereas local scholarships may require more work to enter, but will have far fewer applicants, and a much greater chance of winning money.
All too often, after being accepted to your dream school, the only thing that will stand in the way is cost. If you receive your financial aid package, and it is beyond what you and your family are capable of paying, consider appealing your financial aid offer. Anyone can appeal, but in order to have a good chance of your appeal being accepted, you should be able to prove that either your financial circumstances have changed since you applied, or you can show that another school has offered you better aid. It is far from a guarantee that this method will work, but it just might be the difference between being weighed down with debt, versus graduating with no strings attached financially.
In summary, there are many ways to minimize the cost of obtaining a college education, and grants and scholarships are among the best ways to do so. By planning ahead, staying organized, doing your research and knowing how and when to apply, and working hard throughout the process, you can greatly decrease the costs that you will incur.
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