A Guide to Student Grants and Scholarships
Colleges and universities can be expensive... sometimes getting
accepted into the school of your choice can be the easy part of
the educational journey of the new student. It isn't always easy
to find the money that you need to pay for your education, but
there are ways to make paying for school much easier. Two of the
more common ways to ease the cost of continuing education are
student grants and scholarships, both of which provide certain
amounts of money that can be applied toward the cost of further
education without the need to repay them.
Student grants and scholarships aren't always easy to find or to
win, but the extra time taken in researching and applying for
them is well worth it if you are awarded any of those that you
apply for.
Defining Grants and Scholarships The first thing that you need
to know when looking for student grants and scholarships is
exactly what the difference between grants and scholarships is.
Both grants and scholarships are funds that are given to
students based upon academic performance, financial need, or
other reasons, and do not require the student to pay them back
after graduation unlike student loans.
The major difference in grants and scholarships are their
origins and the ways in which they are used. Grants are usually
given by government offices and non-profit organizations and can
generally be used to cover a variety of different expenses.
Scholarships, on the other hand, are usually created by
businesses or private individuals and are used to cover specific
costs such as tuition or dormitory costs.
Both grants and scholarships must be applied for, and are
generally considered to be highly competitive since there's only
so much grant or scholarship money to go around each semester or
each year.
Finding Grants and Scholarships
There are several different ways that you can locate grants and
scholarships to assist with the cost of attending a college or
university. Most school guidance counselors have listings of
available grants and scholarships, as well as application
information on many of them. Additionally, the financial aid
offices of the colleges and universities where prospective
students are considering attending can provide detailed
information on many of the scholarships and grants that their
students receive.
The internet can also be a useful tool in assisting your search,
allowing you to find grants and scholarships that can be applied
for that many people don't even know exist. While all of these
might not be large grants or scholarships, even smaller ones can
provide some much-needed financial aid.
The Application Process
Unlike many loans, the applications for grants and scholarships
are usually somewhat involved and may require several different
items in addition to the application. Many scholarship and grant
applications require letters of recommendation from former
teachers, community or business leaders, or others who can speak
knowingly of the applicant, and they may also require essays or
other written pieces from the applicant as well.
Those scholarships and grants that are given based upon
financial need may require that tax statements or earned income
statements be provided by the student or by their parents, so
that the decision makers might be able to determine that the
student falls within the level of financial need that is needed
for the particular grant or scholarship.
Others may also require that the student or their parents be
employed in a certain industry, be a member of a certain
organization, or meet other criteria set forth when the grant or
scholarship was first created.
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