“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss
Paying for a child’s education beyond high school can be a daunting experience for most families given that the average yearly cost to attend could reach as much as $25,620 for a public institution and $34,740 for a private one. Most families realize they would not be able to handle the cost without the help of some form of financial aid. The federal government provides all U.S. citizens the opportunity to receive such help by applying for federal financial aid. Students, regardless of their family’s financial status, are advised to submit the FAFSA application each October to determine whether they will be eligible to receive federal grants and/or loans.
Federal aid is one source of possible funding available to students, but there are also thousands of private sources available that can help students fund their post-secondary education. Whereas with federal aid, a student may experience eligibility issues due to their family’s financial situation and may only be able to qualify for federal loans. However private scholarship sources use various qualification criteria which may include merit, ethnicity, community service involvement, athletic ability, etc. Below, I have listed a few private sources that students may want to consider and make application to. Please be mindful that there are thousands of these sources out there. Students have to be diligent in researching and finding the sources that they may qualify for. Consider starting your search by utilizing some of the following:
- high school guidance counselors
- local businesses
- civic groups and foundations
- religious and community organizations
- employers (theirs or their parent’s)
- scholarship search websites
Scholarship websites provide a way for students to search through thousands of sources via a database to find those that they would most likely qualify for. Some of the most popular scholarship search websites are:
Fastweb CollegeBoard Niche Scholarship.com Scholarship Monkey Cappex Unigo Peterson CareerOneStop
Scholarships
- Emergency Dentists Dental Scholarship
Deadline: July 1, 2019 Award: $5,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Student of any major (high school and college)
- U.S. citizen or foreign citizen residing legally in the U.S.
- Create a 2 minute video indicating “what superpower you would love to have and how you would use it to help create better dental health in all people”.
Website: emergency dentist
2. Foundation for Your Future Scholarship
Deadline: July 24, 2019 Award: $2,500
Eligibility Criteria:
- High school senior or college student
- Can live anywhere in the U.S.
- Must submit a 500-1000 word essay answering the question “who do you look up to and why?”.
Website: Foundation for Your Future
3. Bachus & Schanker Scholarship
Deadline: July 30, 2019 ( for fall) November 30, 2019 (for Spring)
Award: $2,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- High school senior who will attend a 4-year college/university or a full-time college student attending a 4-yearcollege university in the U.S. with a 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Submit an essay of at least 800 words giving “your opinion on the importance and efficacy of the 7th Amendment and how it affect your life”.
Website: Bachus/Schanker
4. Apex Hosting Minecraft Scholarship
Deadline: July 31, 2019 Award: $2,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Currently enrolled in college or high school
- Have a 3.0 or higher GPA
- Submit short essay of at least 500 words giving your opinion on “how minecraft can be a positive influence on education and career development”.
Website: Apex Minecraft
5. Citizen Bank Undergraduate Scholarship
Deadline: August 1, 2019 Award: $2,500
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be 17 years of age or older at time of application
- Be legal resident of U.S. or the District of Columbia
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate in an accredited post-secondary institution for the 2019-2020 school year
- In 250 words or less answer the essay question “if you had $100,000 to spend, how would you use it to impact your community”.
Website: Citizen Bank
6. The Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
Deadline: August 1, 2019 Award: $20,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- High school student attending school in the U.S. and will graduate during the 2019-2020 school year
- Planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution.
Website: Coca Cola Scholars
7. Horatio Alger Association Scholarship
Application Dates: August 1 – October 25, 2019 Award: $25,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be a U.S. citizen enrolled as a high school senior
- Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0
- Show a strong commitment to pursue and complete a bachelor’s degree at an accredited non-profit public or private institution in the U.S.
- Have a critical financial need
- Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities
- Display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity.
Website: Horatio Alger
8. Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program
Application Dates: August 1 – November 13, 2019 Award: $40,000/year
Eligibility Criteria:
- High school senior planning to graduate from U.S. high school
- Plan to enroll in an accredited 4-year college
- Demonstrate unmet financial need
- Unweighted GPA of 3.5 or above
- Minimum SAT total of 1200 or ACT composite of 26.
Website: Jack Kent Cooke
9. The Power of Resilience Scholarship
Deadline: September 30, 2019 Award: $1,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
- Have a GPA of at least 3.0
- Submit a 1,000 word essay discussing a serious life challenge you faced and how you overcame the challenge.
Website: Power of Resilience
10. Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway
Deadline: October 7, 2019 Award: $100,000
Eligibility Criteria: Must explain your goal of how you will change the world.
Website: Dr. Pepper Giveaway
11. Spencer Student Scholarship Program
Application opens: Mid-October, 2019 Award: $7,500
Eligibility:
- Full-time undergraduate junior or senior
- Major or minor in risk management and a career objective of risk management
- Enrolled in an accredited U.S. or Canadian college/university
- Relevant work experience
- Demonstrate leadership skills.
Website: Spencer Scholars
12. U.S. Bank Student Union Scholarship Sweepstakes
Deadline: October 25, 2019 Award: $5,000 – $20,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Legal resident of the United States or District of Columbia
- Be at least 16 years of age or older and be enrolled as an undergraduate student as of September 1, 2019
- Will be attending a 2 or 4-year U.S. brick and mortar college/university
- Complete a complimentary U.S. Bank online financial education lesson.
Website: U.S. Bank
13. Voice of Democracy Youth Scholarship
Deadline: October 31, 2019 Award: $30,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be student in grades 9 thru 12
- Must be enrolled in a public, private or parochial high school or home study program in the U.S. or it’s territories.
Website: Voice of Democracy
14. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
Application Dates: November 1, 2019 – February 1, 2020
Award: $30,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Graduating high school senior
- Plan to attend an accredited 4-year institution in the U.S.
- Have a minimum SAT score of 1,000 combined on the math and critical reading section or a composite ACT score of 21
- Be U.S. citizen
- Show financial need
- Demonstrate a dedication to community service.
Website: Jackie Robinson
15. The Regeneron Science Talent Search
Deadline: November 13, 2019 Award: $2,000 up to $250,000
The Regeneron Science Talent Search is a science and mathematics competition for high school students which provides them the opportunity to present their original research to be reviewed and judged by professional scientists. The application dates are June 1, 2019 – November 13, 2019. To find out more please visit the website below.
Website: Regeneron Science
16. Ron Brown Scholar Program
Deadline: January 9, 2020 Award: $10,000/year
Eligibility Criteria:
- Black/African American high school senior
- U.S. citizen or hold a permanent resident visa card
- Excel academically
- Demonstrate financial need
- Must participate in community service activities
- Must exhibit exceptional leadership potential.
Website: Ron Brown Scholars
17. Engebretson Foundation Scholarship
Deadline: March 1, 2020 Award: $5,000/semester
Eligibility Criteria:
- Graduating U.S. high school senior
- Plan to attend a 4-year college
- Have at least a 3.75 GPA or above and/or top 5% of graduating class
- Have an ACT score of 28 composite or higher or at least 1240 on the SAT
- Demonstrate financial need
- Would have applied for federal financial aid.
Website: Engebretson Foundation
18. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship
Deadline: March 2, 2020 Award: $10,000
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be at least 14 years of age at time of entry
- Open to high school, college and university students enrolled during the time period of the contest
- Legal resident of the United States , District of Columbia, or U.S. territories
- International students with visa to attend school in the U.S. are also eligible
- Must submit original photo, artwork, or computer graphics for the front of a greeting card.
Website: Create A Greeting Card
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