Scholarships are funds offered to students that do not have to be repaid and are typically offered based on a student's academic performance, major of study, talent, or leadership potential. Some scholarships may consider a student's financial need based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but many are awarded without consideration for financial need. Scholarship eligibility requirements and application processes vary depending on the donor source and the type of award.
| IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING SCHOLARSHIPS |
The only Scholarships that you turn in to the School Counseling Office are the local DL Scholarships that specifically tell you to turn your application & info. in to the School Counseling Office.
For all other scholarships, it is the student’s responsibility to send their own information in according to the scholarship’s stipulations and instructions!! Please DO NOT bring these to the School Counseling Office to submit or mail in for you unless you have been instructed otherwise by Mrs. Gacci!
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Gacci in the School Counseling Office.
If you have been awarded a Scholarship, please send a copy of your award letter to Mrs. Gacci in the School Counseling Office, or e-mail it to her @
[email protected] as soon as possible. Only send copies of Scholarships you have been awarded
AND have accepted. Do not send copies of Scholarships offered to you from colleges/universities that you
do not plan on attending. Once you decide which school you will attend, have paid your deposit to them and receive & accept the Scholarship, then you can send a copy of your award letter Mrs. Gacci.
DO NOT send on campus room/housing awards/scholarships as these are automatically given out and not merit based.
Class of 2024: Qualify Now @ Collegeboard.org!!Earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships by completing steps to plan for college. The sooner you start and the more steps you complete, the more chances you’ll have to win. Every month, BigFuture selects two $40,000 winners and hundreds of $500 winners who complete one or more steps. There are no essay, minimum GPA, test score, or citizenship requirements. It’s easy to enter scholarship drawings each month. Simply complete one of the steps before the deadline, and you’ll be automatically entered to win $500 and $40,000! Students whose families earn less than $60,000 a year have extra chances at scholarships because they’re eligible two entries each drawing.
SCHOLARSHIP WEBINAR VIDEO BY BERKSHIRE & HATHAWAY
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Below is the link to the Webinar Video that Todd Van Horn of Berkshire & Hathaway created. This webinar contains various best practices, look-fors, and other factors to consider when completing any scholarship application, not just their scholarship, as seen through a developer/reader's lens.
| SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS |
The following GoogleDoc contains a list of scholarships that the DLHS School Counseling Office is aware of (national, state, & local). This is only a general list and is by no means all of the scholarships available out there, as there are too many to possibly list. Students and parents are encouraged to investigate scholarships & visit the websites where provided, well in advance of the deadlines, which are listed if they are known. Scholarships are for seniors unless otherwise indicated.
Once you are accepted to & commit to a college/university/tech. school, ALWAYS look for scholarships offered by that college/university/tech. school on their website and apply if you qualify!!
| SCHOLARSHIPS FOR VO TECH & TRADE SCHOOLS |
SKILLPOINTE.COM The word “scholarship” is usually associated with four-year colleges, but this funding is available to students who choose other paths — including the skilled trades and other types of skills-based training. You may be surprised to learn how many trade school scholarships and grants are available.
Local businesses and specific industries eager to improve the skills-based talent pipeline have created programs to help students pay for the training they need. Their efforts have created many vocational scholarships with specific eligibility requirements.
Students thinking about attending a Vo Tech or Trade School may find this website very helpful. It has information on how to get financial aid and links to scholarships available specifically for students that will attend Vo Tech & Trade Schools.
https://skillpointe.com/news-and-advice/yes-trade-school-scholarships-exist-heres-how-get-them
Click HERE for a list of 56 Trade School Grants and Scholarships from the website thescholarshipsystem.com.
| COMMON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION MISTAKES |
- Missing deadlines
- Failing to proofread the application
- Failing to follow directions, especially regarding essay length and the number of recommendations
- Omitting required information
- Applying for an award when you don't qualify
- Failing to apply for an award for which you are eligible
- Failing to tailor the application to the sponsor
- Writing a boring essay
- Writing an essay that may offend the reviewer
- Including exaggerations or lies on your application
| BEWARE OF SCHOLARSHIP SCAMS! |
- If you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.
- Never invest more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships or to apply for a scholarship.
- Nobody can guarantee that you'll win a scholarship.
- DO NOT give out personal information like bank account, credit card or social security numbers.
- Beware of the unclaimed aid myth. The only money that goes unclaimed is money than can't be claimed.
WATCH OUT FOR SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT: How winning scholarships could possibly lower your financial aid offer. Read article from linkforcounselors.com website → Scholarship displacement article.pdf
| POPULAR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS |
Q: What is a merit scholarship?
A: Colleges are increasingly offering merit scholarships and not only for academic achievement or athletic skill. Schools may offer merit scholarships to attract diverse groups of students from states not highly represented at the school, or students with talents or circumstances that few others at the school have. Check with admissions offices at schools you're applying to & ask if they offer merit aid.
Q: Should students pay a company to find scholarships?
A: Students and families need to know that some scholarship offers are not what they seem. You can avoid getting scammed by ignoring offers that require you to attend a "free" seminar, pay a "small fee" or provide a credit card number.
Q: Will scholarships affect other sources of financial aid?
A: Scholarships from outside sources may affect other financial aid. By filling unmet need, scholarships may reduce the amount a family has to pay out of pocket or they may reduce loans, work-study or grant aid. Check with the school's financial aid office to find out how outside scholarships may affect your financial aid package.
Q: How are winners determined?
A: Although scholarships are competitive, keep in mind that you don't have to be the best student in your class to receive one. You simply need to be the best student who applies and meets the qualifications for that scholarship.
| HOW-TO PROGRAMS AND BOOKS |
The Scholarship Academy – Offers curriculum to help students identify tailored scholarship options and build solid scholarship profile.
| SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHING WEBSITES |
- raiseme.com The RaiseMe platform aggregates scholarships students can earn for achievements such as earning an A in English or participating in a club. More than 300 partner colleges award scholarships based on these achievements once students enroll. When students track their achievements throughout high school, RaiseMe can help them see how their hard work can pay off later.
- CollegeNet.com CollegeNet.com is a service that not only works to develop applications and web-based events, but it also provides an entire search for students who are interested in seeking out updates and newly-promoted scholarships nationwide. The database is updated monthly at CollegeNet.com, giving students new scholarships to review and to vote on once becoming a member of the site themselves.
Scholarships.com Scholarships.com was originally founded in 1999, and now boasts more than 2.7 million scholarships with a total value of more than $19 billion in value since its launch within its record database. Using Scholarships.com is simple and free and only requires a few minutes to get started. Listings are updated regularly and consistently every few months to help with informing students of the latest scholarships that are available to them that may be of interest. Once you register to become a member of the Scholarships.com website, you can then choose which types of scholarships you are most interested in and that are most relevant to you. The site also gives registered users of Scholarships.com the ability to opt-out of any type of scholarships that are not interesting or useful to the educational path you have in mind for yourself in the future.
Fastweb.com FastWeb.com was originally founded and launched more than 15 years ago, and currently boasts more than 1.5 million scholarships and $3.4 billion in their database altogether over the years of providing scholarships to students nationwide. The site itself claims to have helped and assisted more than 50 students all together with finding scholarships and applying for them.
FinAid.com FinAid.com is one of the most well-known online resources for finding out more information regarding scholarships and financial aid you are qualified to receive based on your income, age as well as your previous education schooling you have completed. Although there is not currently a live search to find various scholarships that you are qualified for or that you may be interested in pursuing yourself, it is possible to seek out additional information regarding the authenticity of scholarships being offered and how to determine whether an opportunity is credible and legitimate before applying and submitting your own personal information.
CollegeBoard.com The official College Board was founded originally in 1900, making it one of the oldest educational-based organizations still in existence and thriving today. However, today, The College Board has transformed into a massive database of more than $3 billion worth of various scholarships that are available and that have been awarded to students around the world. New scholarships are added to The College Board’s database annually, although any edits and changes that need to be made to current scholarships listed are done on a monthly basis to ensure students always have proper access to scholarship information available. It is also possible to receive an entire book of various scholarships and opportunities available near you with the use of The College Board.
ScholarshipMonkey.com ScholarshipMonkey.com is another free online searching database available to compare different scholarships available and relevant to your own plan and path in education personally. Using ScholarshipMonkey.com is free and only requires a few minutes to register to become a member. The site itself claims to have helped more than 1 million students altogether to find scholarships and opportunities to help them with affording and attending the college of their choice. With more than 4,000 sources of scholarships listed within the database of ScholarshipMonkey.com, the site itself has been able to help with promoting more than $3 billion worth of scholarships since its original launch. Although using ScholarshipMonkey.com, it is important to manually opt-out of sharing your information and personal data with other companies and third parties via email or by requesting your information be stored privately by sending a handwritten or typed letter. Once you become a member of ScholarshipMonkey.com, your information may be shared with other companies and educational institutions that are currently offering scholarships of their own.
SallieMae.com SallieMae is no longer only known for providing various loans for houses and students, but it has also become a resource directory for seeking out new scholarships that are potentially appealing to you and relevant to any career or position you want to fill yourself once you graduate. SallieMae has shared more than $18 billion worth in scholarships with millions of students since it began providing resources and opportunities to online users and students nationwide.
Zinch.com Zinch is one of the most recent resources available online to help with comparing different scholarships available in all fields and industries today. Using Zinch is free and easy, as the service has provided more than 5000 different scholarships worth more than $1 billion altogether. Zinch has one of the most updated and visually-intuitive platforms for students to begin searching for and comparing different types of scholarships available today. Once you register to become a member of Zinch and you have verified your email address, you can then begin to browse for scholarships that are most relevant to you based on your current status as a student as well as whether you are interested in a traditional college scholarship or if you are seeking a vocational scholarship or even a scholarship to help you to attend the grad school of your choice. Zinch also gives users the ability to add their zip code as well as their cumulative GPA in high school to find scholarships that are most fitting and suitable for each individual member who has registered to become a part of the online community. After you have searched for the scholarships that are relevant to you and your own educational qualifications and GPA, you can then review deadlines as well as submission requirements before applying for any of the scholarships that are available to choose from yourself.
NeedyMeds.org This Website has a listing of scholarships that are offered for students with specific medical condition(s) or diagnoses and also non-medical challenges such as social, emotional, psychological or educational issues. There are also some for students who have a parent or a family member with a specific diagnosis. Most can be used at any school. Some cover one specific condition, while others cover whole types of diagnoses (such as all types of cancers) or even all chronic diseases. Some address the needs of those with non-medical specific challenges. Most have some type of eligibility requirements, usually financial ones. The scholarships are sorted several ways: By All Conditions, By Residency of Applicant, By Scholarship Name
- Peerlift - Proven scholarships, internships, summer programs, and more gathered by fellow students like you. (Founded by a team of 2017 Coca-Cola Scholars!) Learn more about the creation of Peerlift.
- Study.com - Study.com wants to help empower traditionally underrepresented students by helping them reach their education goals.