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Applying for College Scholarships: Timelines, Tips, To-Do Lists

An 80’s one-hit wonder may have summed it up best with their song, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”. With a wide range of resources and opportunities available when applying for college scholarships, your future can be bright indeed. If you’re wondering about when and where to start, continue reading for a quick tutorial on applying for college scholarships.

When to Begin Applying for College Scholarships

Junior year is an ideal time to start research and considerations on applying for college scholarships. This allows ample runway for identifying targets and marking your calendar with deadlines. Most scholarships repeat annually, making a year long cycle the most complete vantage point. Top scholars and athletes fit the criteria for many typical scholarship awards. If your talents don’t fully align with either of these categories, there’s still a broad range of other qualifiers that might be a match. From geographic background to cultural, religious or ethnic affiliations, as well as music, hobbies and more, many unique scholarship opportunities are out there. Plus, nothing says you have to limit applying for college scholarships to just a single scholarship. Obtaining multiple small dollar amount scholarships can combine for a total significant award amount, effectively reducing expenses and student loan debt.

Where to Begin Researching College Scholarships

Local, State, Federal and Private scholarship funds and foundations are all places you’ll want to check for opportunities that may be a good fit. Keep reading for more information about scholarship resources and opportunities.

Planning and Search Resources

• BigFuture™ is a free online tool that helps students explore resources, career pathways and calculate college costs. Plus, registering and completing all the college planning steps on their platform automatically qualifies students for a chance to win scholarships! Get started by taking the Career Quiz, College Quiz or access the Scholarships Search
• Scholarships.com provides a free search engine that helps students find scholarships they can qualify to receive.
• Fastweb.com is a database platform where students can create a profile then get personalized recommendations for scholarships.
• Unigo.com is another platform that matches scholarships directly to the details students input when they create a profile.
• US Department of Labor offers a huge database of scholarships that can be searched according to deadline, location, award type and other search criteria

Home Means Nevada – – and Scholarship Opportunities

Scholarships specific to the high school you attend, school district or state all represent types of localized opportunities that can prove less competitive than national scholarship competitions. In the State of Nevada, The PEF administers over 1,000 scholarships per school year for students residing in state. The Rogers Foundation is another organization helping Nevada high school students with awards of $100,000 in scholarships annually. For students with a parent employed with a large Casino Resort such as Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Resorts World and Boyd Gaming, college scholarships programs are available for employees’ children/dependents. Many of these awards focus on hospitality-related fields and have GPA/financial needs requirements. Specific programs for Hospitality and Trade Union members are also available. Aside from the state’s vast hospitality industry, other local businesses or organizations with operations in Nevada may offer scholarship. Include inquiries into potential opportunities from these local sources when researching scholarship possibilities.

Important applications to be completed beginning Oct 1st of Senior Year High School

Complete a FAFSA – This is required for all federal student aid (grants and loans)
Create a CSS Profile – This is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid.

National Merit Scholarship

These scholarships are for high achieving students. To participate in this opportunity, students must take the PSAT/NMSQT in their Junior year. Only scores obtained in this time period can qualify for National Merit Scholarship consideration in their High School graduation class cohort. Students achieving semi-finalist status should also be aware that this status then requires an application and essay submission according to specified deadlines in order to qualify for consideration in the final round.

Private Scholarships

• Taco Bell Foundation awards scholarships of up to $25,000 for students age 16 to 26 attending two and four year universities or vocational, technical and trade schools. No GPA, test scores or essay required! Submit a 2-minute video from your smart-phone or tablet. Deadline for these scholarships is typically some time in the first week of January each year. Refer to current year details on the Taco Bell Scholarship Foundation web portal.
• Coca-Cola Foundation offers an achievement based award for students in their final year of high school, recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. 150 Coca-Cola Scholars are selected each year to receive this $20,000 scholarship.Application deadline typically September of Senior year. Refer to current year details on the Coca-Cola Foundation website.
• The Gates Foundation provides a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding high school seniors from low-income households. Exceptional student leaders can achieve their maximum potential with this opportunity. Review details and deadlines on the Gates Foundation website.

Other large corporations such as KFC, Burger King and Dell also offer scholarships.

Final Points to Keep in Mind

•  Stay away from scams such as scholarship databases that require registration or processing fees. Other red flags: companies that claim they’ll do all the work for you and random notifications that you’ve won a scholarship for which you didn’t apply
•  Read and understand all the rules and requirements for every scholarship application before submitting
•  Stay positive, consistent and creative throughout your scholarship journey. You will find the right scholarship for YOU!
• Don’t feel that you must go it alone. Reach for support resources such as Excel Academy’s college counselors. They can provide valuable assistance with your research and applications process.

We continually add more scholarship opportunities to this page, like the ones listed below – keep coming back to stay up-to-date

October Scholarship Alert 🚨🎓

• The US Bank Scholarship Program is another no-essay, non-merit based opportunity, this program offers awards ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 for eligible U.S. residents age 17 or older who are accepted or enrolled at a qualifying college, university, trade or vocational school by September 1st of the next year. Students register online and complete financial education modules in the Zogo app to qualify for prize drawings; an alternative mail-in entry option is also available. The final entry deadline is October 30th of the current year, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time—visit the U.S. Bank scholarship website for registration and complete eligibility requirements.

November Scholarship deadlines 🍁⏳

• The Cooke College Scholarship is an undergraduate scholarship program available to high-achieving high school seniors (GPA 3.75 or above) with financial need (family annual gross income up to $95,000). The scholarship is last dollar funding after all institutional aid and can provide as much as $55,000 per year to pursue a bachelor’s degree in any area of study at any accredited undergraduate institution. Check out details and application on the Cooke College Scholarship Program website.
• The Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholarship focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the nation’s most promising future leaders in STEM. Each year, around 2,600 students enter Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study and full application for holistic review. The 3.1 million in annual awards includes a $250,000 first place, the largest academic prize available to a U.S. high school student. Review all the details on Regeneron Society for Science website.
• Mensa Foundation Scholarship Program awards over $200,000 in scholarships annually, supporting students worldwide in achieving their educational and career aspirations. Selection based solely on 550-word essay describing academic and career goals. Mensa membership not required. Learn more on Mensa Foundation website.
• University of Arizona – Arizona Tuition Award: Applying to college could also put you in the running for merit aid! This competitive tuition scholarship supports eligible incoming, first-time, full-time undergraduates classified as non-Arizona residents—including qualifying Nevada students. No separate scholarship application is required: your completed admission application serves as your application for the award. Submit by the November 1 Early Action deadline for priority consideration. Awards are based on a comprehensive admission review and available funding, and may be renewed for up to four years (eight semesters) by maintaining a 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona GPA and meeting credit requirements. Review the Arizona Tuition Award’s eligibility, renewal rules, and deadlines, and confirm the terms for your enrollment year.

January Scholarship deadlines 🎉🎊

• Marjane Satrapi Aware for Graphic Novel is a new prize honoring the celebrated author’s powerful legacy. A $10,000 first place award goes to the most original and compelling graphic novel. Only the first 1,000 applications will be accepted. View details and application for this and other literary scholarships on the Penguin Random House website.