A great way to save money on college is through scholarships. According to the Education Data Initiative, over 1.7 million scholarships are awarded annually.
The data also shows that private sources award over $7.4 billion in scholarship money annually.
This money can help lower the cost of college for students and ultimately, decrease the amount of student loans needed to get a degree.
National Scholarships
“Every year we see the reports that a lot of money is left on the table for students that they didn’t apply for or they didn’t know,” says Lukas Mendoza, at College and Career Counselor at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend.
Mendoza works with students at the school who are applying to college and looking for ways to pay for it.
Often, he says they don’t know where to start searching for scholarships.
He says, there are websites that high school students and college students can use to help them find scholarships and grants to pay for colleges.
Scholly is one of the sites that Mendoza recommends.
According to its website, the founder of Scholly created the site after he realized how broken and time consuming the scholarship process was.
On Scholly, students can be matched with and search for scholarships from around the country.
Fastweb is another website that helps match students with scholarships.
According to Fastweb, the company wants to simplify the college scholarship search by saving time and matching students to scholarships they may not have otherwise found.
The site also helps students find internships and part time jobs.
“I like is Fastweb.com,” says Mendoza, “students will create an account and be able to personalize that account. So they can mark what they are interested in, the classes they have taken, their GPA area, and then they will get a email with scholarships tailored to them.”
Additionally, Mendoza also steers students toward BigFuture.
BigFuture can help you search for scholarships and other ways to help pay for college.
According to its website, BigFuture is a “free, comprehensive set of digital resources that helps all students take a productive first step after high school.”
The website can help students plan for college, pay for college and explore careers.
No matter how you search for scholarship opportunities, Mendoza says you should never pay to search. Websites and companies that ask for money to help you find ways to pay for college are likely scams.
Statewide Scholarships
The state of Indiana has its own website to help Hoosier families and students plan and pay for life after high school.
“They ought to start with Learn More Indiana,” says Chris Lowery, the Commissioner for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
Learn More Indiana is run by the ICHE.
According to the site, it provides resources, tools and real-life guidance for students of all ages.
On the site, you can find information on 21st Century Scholars which is an early-college promise program that Indiana students can get signed up for in 7th and 8th grades.
The site also has information for high school students on financial aid and college including lists of scholarships and grants as well as national scholarship search ideas.
“Learn More Indiana is a great source to find out about specific scholarships here in Indiana, but it is also a great source to find out about federal programs and other websites and resources that a student and family can access for just a variety and host of scholarships and grants,” says Lowery.
In Michigan, MI Student Aid is the resource for student financial aid.
The Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning which is within the Michigan Department of Treasury administers college savings plans and student scholarships and grants.
The website offers student aid programs, resources and scholarship search options.
Local Scholarships
Local scholarships are often offered by community organizations, clubs, businesses, governmental organizations and school districts.
“These organizations, they have the money, and they want to give it out to students,” says Mendoza.
Mendoza says he and high school counselors at other schools around the state can help students find organizations and scholarships offered throughout the area.
He says organizations often reach out to high school counselors seeking students willing to apply.
The Scholarship Foundation of Saint Joseph County is one resource for local students.
Not only can students find scholarships and financial aid but the board of nearly 75 Directors also serve as mentors to scholarship recipients.
According to the foundation’s administrative director, the foundation is privately funded by people and corporations along with bequests and memorial gifts.
This year, the foundation awarded 138 students over $302,000 in renewable scholarships.
You’ll want to check out the website soon because the deadline for eligible students to apply for traditional scholarships for the 2023-2024 school year is February 15th, 2023.
The Community Foundation of Elkhart County has its own list of local scholarship opportunities.
Many of the scholarships are available with one application.