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Helpful Hints for Earning Scholarships
1. Obtain applications as early as possible.
2. Pay attention to deadlines. Does it say the application should be "received by" or "postmarked by"?
3. Follow directions on the application. The easiest way for scholarship agencies to decide winners is to toss out applications that miss deadlines or are incomplete.
4. If you need recommendation letters, give your recommender specific directions and areas to address in the letter. Give them a deadline two weeks earlier than your deadline.
5. Have two or more people proofread anything you write.
6. Don't discount those smaller, local contest opportunities to write an essay or give a speech. Most students receive aid from several sources rather than from one big jackpot.
FAFSA Presentation Power Point (Click here!)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid presentation above was presented at FCA High School on January 23, 2012 by Peg Mason, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Colorado School of Mines. If you have questions completing this required form, feel free to call Peg at 303.273.3551.
You can also go to this site for more resources:
http://www.nasfaa.org/media/releases/Free_Resources_Help_Students_Apply_For_Aid,_Reduce_the_Cost_Of_College.aspx
Scholarships
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Deadline
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Eligible Students
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Website Link
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Information for veterans, veterans' dependents and members of the American Legion family. "Need A Lift?" CD shows state and federal benefits and scholarships. Call 317.630.1212 or go to www.legion.org. |
Link to scholarship
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Are you tall or short? Do you dance, draw, like elves, like Star Trek? Read this article for bizarre scholarships. You might qualify for more $ than you think! |
Link to scholarship
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Nov. 30
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La Raza Youth Leadership program for Latino/Latina students in grades 10--12; outstanding participants in this program receive a college scholarship |
Link to scholarship
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Dec. 1
Feb. 1
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active in community; led project that benefitted others; overcame personal challenge (2 different scholarships, hence 2 deadlines) |
Link to scholarship
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Jan. 10
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seniors OR Burger King employees OR children of Burger King employees with GPA of 2.5 or higher who intend to enroll in a two-year, four-year, or vo-tech school |
Link to scholarship
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Jan. 27
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seniors with academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement can apply for 1 of these 4 Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarships: a) anyone, b) at least one parent of Hispanic/Latino heritage, c) at least one parent of African American or Black Caribbean heritage, or d) at least one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage |
Link to scholarship
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| Jan. 31 |
female in top 25% of class with GPA 3.5 or higher who will major in engineering, computing, or engineering technology |
Link to scholarship
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Feb. 15
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students in grades 9--12 with solid grades and community service or work experience; 1,200 annual winners each receive $1,000 from Best Buy |
Link to scholarship
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Feb. 15
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senior planning to attend Univ. of Dayton; based on desire for personal development and community service, NOT GPA or test scores |
See Mr. Parrott
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Feb. 15
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senior with GPA of 3.5 or higher who will attend Johnson & Wales, Univ. of Cincinnati, Univ. of Toledo, Drexel Univ., Kettering Univ., Rochester Institute of Tech, or Wentworth Institute of Tech; minority and female students are especially encouraged to apply for these monies |
Link to scholarship
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| Feb. 29 |
senior with good grades, leader in school, volunteer worker, and college bound: Buick Achievers wants to reward students who may not be able to attend college without financial assistance; 1,100 awards given |
Link to scholarship
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Mar. 1
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for seniors entering a two-year school in natural gas-related studies; |
See Mr. Parrott
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Mar. 15
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2,200 students ages 6--18 who volunteer many hours at church, school, and community will receive monies for "efforts in the last year that went above and beyond what is expected of students their age; winners chosen based on project, benefits, and outcome" |
Link to scholarship
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| Mar. 15 |
senior enrolling in a two or four-year college in Colorado and interested in agriculture or teaching agricultural education |
See Mr. Parrott
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| Mar. 15 |
senior of Hispanic Heritage and/or actively involved in the Hispanic community; 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher; 10 hours of community service during year of funding at any non-profit; financial need, essay, leadership ability desired. Call 303.446.0541 or go to www.laef.org. |
Link to scholarship
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Mar. 19
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all high school seniors may nominate themselves for the SAMMY Award. Judging based upon academics (35%), athletics (35%), leadership (15%), community service (10%), and milk experience essay (5%). 25 winners. Visit Facebook.com/MilkMustache for complete rules, info, and application. |
Link to scholarship
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Apr. 9
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any female senior, residing in Jefferson County, who plans to attend a four-year college may apply for a one-time $1,000 award from Jefferson County Republican Women. Submit 3 letters of recommendation, transcript and ACT/SAT scores. Contact Tori Merritts at 303.238.5627 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. You may also get an application from Mr. Parrott. |
See Mr. Parrott
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| Apr. 16 |
One-time $5,000 scholarships to students who have a clear vision or goal for their future; high school seniors with 2.8 GPA or higher are selected based upon academics, school/community involvement, financial need, and clear goal. |
Link to scholarship
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Apr. 16
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senior who has a parent or legal guardian with a terminal illness or who has lost a parent/guardian to a terminal illness while the senior was in high school; minimum GPA of 2.5; Diane Dawson Memorial Scholarship |
Link to scholarship
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Apr. 27
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seniors attending a high school in Arvada and headed for a vocational degree program ($1,000) OR for a two- or four-year academic degree program ($2,000); criteria includes service to school, community, or church; academic achievement; financial need; complete and punctual application; two recommendation letters; counselor report; personal interview; Rotary Club of Arvada |
See Mr. Parrott
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Apr. 30
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juniors or sophomores can take practice ACT tests at CollegeinColorado.org and then apply for a $500 scholarship; clink the link to the right here for more information |
Link to scholarship
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May 4
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seniors who will attend Grand Canyon University: a $5,000 or $2500 scholarship that is matched each year tuition was paid at Faith Christian Academy, which could add up to $20,000 college tuition over the course of four years |
See GCU admissions rep
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| May 31 |
senior who is 17 or older and NOT an employee of Al's Formal Wear |
Link to scholarship
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June 1
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juniors or seniors: write a 500--1,000 word essay on this topic: "Describe a teacher, counselor, or experience that has influenced your decision to go to college. Please include how a college education will help you make a difference in your community." 8 winners from Denver area ($1,500--$5,000). |
Link to scholarship
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June 15
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juniors or seniors: write a 500--1,000 word essay answering this question: "What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change as a result of this difficulty?" |
Link to scholarship
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June 22
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senior who is a student athlete of any sport; answer these questions in a short essay: "How has your education contributed to who you are today? Why do you want to earn a college education?" |
Link to scholarship
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Financial Aid & Scholarship Sites
College Affordability: This site reports on the highest (top 5%) and lowest (bottom 10%) academic year charges for each college. Tuition reports include tuition and required fees. Net price is cost of attendance minus grant and scholarship aid. Data are reported by institutions and are for full-time beginning students.
College Invest: This not-for-profit organization is a division of the Colorado Department of High er Education. Their main goal is to help students get an education beyond high school. They focus on providing expert information, simple planning tools, scholarships, savings plans, and low-cost student and parent loans, all to take your education dollars as far as they can go.
College In Colorado: This is a public service site sponsored by the State of Colorado. You can plan for college, track your high school classes for college admission, compare colleges you’re interested in, research careers and salaries, explore financial aid, apply online for admission, and apply online for financial aid. If you are going to a public college in Colorado, apply for the Colorado Opportunity Fund here: it will reduce tuition for EVERY Colorado student citizen.
FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the application that most colleges accept as the only required financial aid application needed for their college. It can be filled out annually by current and anticipating college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid.
FAFSA PIN: The FAFSA PIN is a 4-digit number that is used in combination with your Social Security Number, name, and date of birth to identify you as someone who has the right to access your own personal information on Federal Student Aid Web sites, such as FAFSA on the Web. You will need to request this PIN prior to filing your FAFSA online is you wish to sign the FAFSA online.
FastWeb: This site is one of the best places to search for scholarships with programs for free scholarship-matching services. This site will assist you greatly in finding financial aid and money to help pay for college.
FinAid: “The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid” provides information about loans, scholarships, and military aid as well as financial aid tools and calculators.
Merit Aid: This site has some features that make it especially helpful in comparing the amount of merit aid available for various colleges. This is much easier than going to multiple college websites to determine how much merit based aid you/your child will be eligible for at a variety of colleges.
Sallie Mae’s Online Scholarship Service: Sallie Mae helps students find unique scholarships that may be offered by different organizations, including federal and state governments and private sources, such as: Employers, Individuals, Companies, High schools and colleges, Religious groups, and Professional associations
Student Financial Assistance Programs: Here you will find one of the largest sources of student aid in America, providing over $60 billion a year in grants, loans, and work-study assistance. At this site, students can find help for every state regarding the financial aid process. It includes quick links to FAFSA Online, the Student Guide, and School codes.
Scholarships.com: A free site where students can find colleges and colleges can find them in addition to discovering scholarships.
StudentScholarships.org: Voted the number one free resource for students. Can call 1-888-214-3185.
Zinch.com: Get matched to $1.9 billion in scholarships and thousands of colleges. If you win a scholarship listed at Zinch, they will double your money. A scholarship is offered every week; simply answer a 3-sentence essay for a chance to win.
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