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The Scholarship and Grant Process

Understanding Financial Aid
Basic scholarship and grant advice
Best sources of free money
Campus-based scholarships and grants
Local and regional scholarships
National scholarships
College department scholarships
Letter of Special Circumstance
Scholarship and Grant Summary Chart
Loan Summary Chart

Basic Scholarship and Grant Advice

DON’T assume you’re NOT eligible for scholarships and grants.  For need-based scholarships and grants, there is no real cut-off for parents earning too much income.  If your family’s income and assets are sizeable, you still are eligible for merit-based and specific attribute scholarships from colleges, private organizations, and scholarship foundations.

 

Plan ahead to meet scholarship application deadlines.  Applications will take significant time to complete; frequently multiple essays and letters of recommendation are required, along with a multiple page application.  Contact teachers, counselors, employers, and community leaders you plan to ask for letters of recommendation well ahead of time.  Teachers and counselors may need 2-3 weeks of time to complete a letter of recommendation due to their busy schedules.  Don’t wait until the last minute to start working on applications.

 

Have extra copies of your grade transcripts and student résumé filed and ready to be included in scholarship application packets. 

 

Undoubtedly, you will discover scholarship announcements one or two days before the application deadline; have copies of required documents (transcripts and student résumé) ready to go.


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