It’s Not Too Late to Find Money for College

When my nephew graduated high school, my sister was in a panic. Her son, who was ranked number 18 in a class of 700 students, had procrastinated on applying for a number of scholarships for which he easily would have qualified. She had no idea how they would pay for him to go to college. Like many parents, she had heard that by the time graduation day came, all the good scholarships would be gone.

All the “good” scholarships? Is there a bad source of free money? There may be scholarships with conditions your college-bound student can’t or won’t comply with for whatever reason, but there are just as many that offer money with no strings attached. You just have to find them.

Scholarships.com is the largest free and independent resource on the Internet for scholarship and financial aid information. Its database searches 2.7 million college scholarships and grants worth more than $19 billion. Your student simply fills out an online profile, answering questions about his or her academic performance, extracurricular activities and individual background. Scholarship.com uses that information to find the scholarships most relevant for each student. It even sorts and ranks those scholarships based on each student’s individual characteristics. The site also offers its own scholarship awards and contests worth $18,000. Plus, there’s a free library of financial aid tools, as well as student loan options and budgeting tips.

If your high school graduate is still on the fence about which college to attend, Scholarships.com offers a college search tool. It provides detailed information on colleges and universities nationwide, featuring information on everything from cost of attendance to crime statistics.  Your student will also find great articles for surviving life in college.

Another great source for scholarship information is a college or university. If your graduate already knows where he or she will be attending school, check with the financial aid office about what type of scholarships the school offers incoming students. That same nephew of mine, who had no idea how to pay for college, graduated this weekend from the University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelors of science degree in computer engineering. He attended the school on a full scholarship, including room and board. His younger brother just completed his freshman year at the same school, with the same scholarship. Neither one of them applied for the scholarship. It was offered to them based on their exemplary high school performance.

There is money out there for college, and all the good scholarships are not gone. You just have to use the right tools to find them.