Paying for college can be a daunting and downright scary task, but it’s not impossible to do! Scholarship money is out there. In fact, Debt.org reveals there’s almost $50 billion worth awarded in grants and scholarships each year. With that kind of money available, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get a piece of the pie for your college education, too.
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Typically, scholarships are merit-based, meaning you earn
them based on your performance in one or several areas (like academics,
athletics, civic responsibilities, extracurricular activities and more). And
the best part about scholarships? You don’t have to pay them back. They are
often referred to as “gift aid” because that’s exactly what they are–gifts.
In your search for the perfect scholarships, you’ll find
many sites to help. Some of them strictly provide a search tool, while others
are more comprehensive and offer additional resources or blogs about college or
financial aid in general. In addition, some sites collect your personal
information (by creating a profile) to narrow your search and guide you to the
perfect scholarships based on your characteristics. Others sites are more
general–and give you thousands and thousands of scholarship options. Whatever
path you pick, you’re bound to find something that sticks.
After all, there are billions of dollars to give away.
To help you in your search to help pay for your college
education, take a look at our list below of the best scholarship websites. They
are listed in random order, not ranked in any way. Just a few minutes browsing
the web could turn into a very practical way to pay for your schooling.
Let’s do this!
1. Collegenet.com
Based in Portland, Oregon, CollegeNet is a technology
company that was the first to automate classroom scheduling for higher
education. The company has since expanded to include online admission software,
career services, recruitment, and management tools. College Net has a long list
of prestigious clients like Stanford and Princeton Universities. While the
technology CollegeNET provides is extremely important, especially in the
ever-changing world of online education, the site also acts as a resource for
college scholarships. CollegeNET operates Mach 25 scholarship search
engine, which allows you to search for aid by keyword or other profile
features. The company itself is a major contributor of scholarship monies,
awarding over $2 million to students.
2. Scholarships.com
Scholarships.com has
a simple mission: ‘you find money, and colleges find you.’ Their number one
goal is to match you to awards that will help pay for your college–$19 billion
worth available. All you have to do is create a profile, fill in some details,
and get searching! You can even let the website do the work, and get matched
with eligible scholarships through the information in your profile. This option
can help you save hours and hours of online searching. Or–if browsing is your
thing, you can utilize that feature, too, and look for scholarships that fit
what you need. You can find scholarship options in a wide variety of
characteristics, including academic major, athletics, art, ethnicity, first in
family, GPA, minority, music, state, name, or type. The site also provides many
resources for students from how to write a standout college scholarship essay
to college application checklists and timelines. While you’re on their site
looking at scholarships, you can also take a look at their college search tool,
which will a variety of information about colleges (tuition, enrollment,
programs/majors, admission requirements, and more!).
3. Niche.com
Niche.com is
a little different than Scholarships.com, which only shares information on
college scholarships. In contrast, Niche.com provides information on several
topics, from places to live to K-12 schools to scholarships. You’ll even find
college rankings and college search capabilities. Niche.com combines personal
reviews and real experience with scientific data, research, and analysis to
create in-depth profiles and rankings to help you find jobs, schools, and
places to live. Even though it might have a little extra information, you can
still find what you need in regards to financial aid for college! There are two
ways to utilize this website for finding the money for college: (1) browse
their scholarship categories or (2) set up a profile and get matched with
potential scholarship opportunities. Choose one, or the other, or both!
Categories include filters by state, major, niche-specific scholarships,
minority scholarships, or easy-to-apply scholarships. Other categories include
options for religion, sexual orientation, military service, disabilities,
gender, and more.
4. Fastweb.
Fastweb.com boasts
itself as the ‘leading online resource in finding scholarships to help you pay
for school.’ Not only do they help you find money for college, they make it
easy to do. The website works in just a few easy steps. First, interested
applicants will fill out a detailed profile and then you’ll immediately match
with potential, targeted scholarships. The site has over 1.5 million
scholarship options, which turns out to be over $3.4 billion dollars worth of
financial aid funding. Yes, we know–that’s a lot. And you deserve some of that!
One feature that makes this best scholarship website standout is its list
organization. You can keep track of what scholarships you want to apply for,
which ones you don’t, and which ones you’ve already completed. The website
doesn’t stop there, though. You can find information on student loans–which are
different than scholarships. Scholarships are ‘free money’ you don’t have to
pay back, while you must pay back student loans, most times with interest. In
addition, you’ll even get an extremely well-rounded plethora of information in
other related areas like available internships and part-time jobs. One last
unique feature is its student deal section which connects students to discounts
on products like Dell computers or Priceline.com!
5. SallieMae.com
Sallie Mae considers themselves a ‘bank with a purpose’
whose goal is to help families plan/save for and pay for college. They offer
private student loans to help families keep costs down. But–Sallie Mae is more
than just a bank; they give back their communities and offer scholarships
search tools to help students find gift-aid for their college
education! Not only can you find applicable scholarships through their website,
but you can also apply for one of their own scholarships. In 2018, Sallie Mae
awarded $500,000 in monies through scholarships, contests, and sweepstakes.
6. Finaid.org
Another scholarship website to check out is Finaid.org. Here you can
search from over 1.5 million different scholarships worth $3.4 billion dollars.
The site is connected to Fastweb’s search tool. One stand-out feature this
website offers is that if you provide your email address, you can get email
notifications when new scholarships have loaded that match your search. Like
other best scholarship websites on this list, Finaid provides a list of
scholarships by student characteristics, achievement, and interests. They even
include a list of unusual scholarships–from scholarships for people who are
tall, to vegetarians, to bowlers.
7. The College Board
The College Board has been committed to higher education for
over a century. Founded at the turn of the 20th century, the College Board
houses a membership association of over 6,000 schools. You might recognize the
name College Board if you took a college-entrance standardized test like the
SAT. And yes–it’s the same entity. They not only own the SAT but also are in
charge of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which allow high school students to
take college courses while they are still in high school. But did you know that
their reach goes beyond testing? That’s right–you can search for
college scholarships on their website, too. Register for the SAT,
take a practice test, and find money for college all in the same place. Search
from over $6 billion worth of scholarships, and find what’s right for you!
8. Cappex.com
Join over 12 million students who use Cappex.com as their college
information resource. At Cappex, you’ll have access to scholarships worth $11
billion. Their scholarship search tool allows you to filter options to find the
best fit for you! The website goes beyond just finding the money for college,
though. The website is a hub for all things related to college, or as they call
it, “your entire college search in one place.” Utilize advanced tools like:
- a
Fit Score: a tool that helps you find colleges that match what you are
looking for
- a
calculating tool: an online tool that helps you calculate your chances of
getting admitted into any school
- a
major or career finder: a tool that helps you find the right major and
career options
With the most current and complete college profiles in the business,
Cappex uses advanced algorithms to match you with your best options. They will
also get you connected to colleges directly!
9. moolahSPOT.com
At moolahSPOT.com,
you can search from over 3.2 million scholarships and grants to find money to
pay for your college education! Their scholarship tool will help any kind of
student, from a high school senior to a current college student to a
non-traditional or adult learner going back to school later in life. It doesn’t
matter what kind of student you are–there are options out there for you, and
moolahSPOT will help you find them. In addition, this best scholarship site
will also help students of all income levels. Their database will display both
need-based and merit-based options–most which won’t even take into
consideration your family’s income. The website also features resources to help
students find the right scholarship and earn it!
10. Scholarshipmonkey.com
Scholarshipmokey.com makes
it easy for you to search for college scholarships! You can try one (or more)
of three ways:
- Create
a profile! Don’t worry; it only takes a few minutes to set up. Once you
set up your profile, you can complete a personalized search, tailored just
for you!
- Search
for various scholarships by keyword.
- Search
for scholarships using their master list. Examples include scholarships
for women, minorities, future nurses, religion, or major, just to name a
few.
Scholarship Monkey’s user-friendly website makes it easy to
find what you need–and makes it one of the best scholarship websites to use.
11. Chegg.com
Back in 2006, a Princeton research project was born–and it
eventually turned into a scholarship-finding website called Zinch. But in 2011,
as Chegg continued to expand and grow, they acquired Zinch as a part of their
brand. So if you’re looking for Zinch–look here, at Chegg!
Chegg.com is
an extremely user-friendly and comprehensive student website, with a
scholarship finder as one of its main features. You can filter the options by
your characteristics (like your high school grade or college year and your GPA)
to help find the right scholarships for you. One unique feature that Chegg has
to offer is its online tutors that will help you craft the perfect college
scholarship essay. Services range from simple proofreading to creative ideas
and development. And it’s all for one goal–to make you stand out in the crowd
and get the money you need for your education!
Chegg also offers other services, too–not just a scholarship-finding tool. On the site, you can find assistance with things like:
- Finding
internships
- Tutoring
- Writing
help
- Test
Prep
- Finding
or renting textbooks (yes, you can rent textbooks from Chegg!)
- Get
expert advice (even at 2 am!)
- Utilizing
their flashcard search tool, which allows you to search from over 500
million online flashcards (or make your own) to help you on your
educational journey!
As you can see, Chegg is way more than just a scholarship
tool or place to find information on colleges. It will help you save
money and be as successful as you can be while you are getting
your education.
12. Careeronestop.org
Career One Stop offers exactly what its name suggests–a
one-stop place to find resources for your career. There are resources for just
about any scenario, including laid-off workers, military and veterans,
entry-level workers, workers with disabilities, and more. Before you start
thinking, “what does this have to do with scholarships?” Career One Stop offers
resources for that, too. Sponsored by the US Department of Labor, their FREE
scholarship tool can help you find award opportunities within
their database of over 8,000 listings, which are listed in order of nearest
deadline. Their easy filter options also allow you to search for scholarships
based on keywords, location, level of study, type of scholarship, and more. You
can find financial aid for any level of study, including vocational training,
Associate’s degrees, professional training, Bachelor’s degrees, and
graduate-level degrees. This best scholarship website can help you fund your
college education from the bottom up!
13. Unigo.com
What stands out most on the Unigo.com site is
its commitment to your personality. The world of college scholarships can get
quite stiff–and so many of them are based on merit. But what if there were
scholarships that were based on the unique qualities of you? Like humor, or
your favorite things about yourself, or things you love. Have you ever wondered
what would happen if the world was suddenly overrun by zombies? How would you
survive? What if you had a chance to re-do a mistake in your life? Or what
would you do if you were a superhero for a day? We know–it sounds like we’re in
a creative writing class. But no–these are actual essay topics on Unigo.com
that can get you money for college. Tap into the best parts about you, your
goals, dreams, characteristics (even your humor!) and use them to your
advantage for these scholarship applications. While some scholarships require
you to be 18 years of age or older, many of the ones at Unigo only require you
to be 13 years. Get started early and start collecting money for your college
education. The site also offers monthly scholarship options, which require no
essays, no fuss, and no long applications!
14. Petersons.com
Petersons.com has
a pretty straightforward goal: to help you “find, prep, and fund
your college education.” On this best scholarship website, you can
find information about any college or university (anywhere!) as well as utilize
their free scholarship tool. The tool will help you find the right scholarships
for you, but you can also search for other types of free financial aid like
grants, prizes, fellowships, and forgivable loans–a database that holds over
$10 billion in scholarship monies. Petersons is therefore one of the most
comprehensive gift-aid scholarship sites out there. Search from almost 2
million scholarships and 4000+ providers to find the right aid for your college
education! The site also offers additional features like test prep information
and a guide for international students looking for US colleges.
15. Additional resources
In addition to all of the best scholarship sites listed
above, there are still more options for you to explore. Don’t forget to also
take a close look at these resources:
- your
specific college’s website: if you already know what college you
are attending, take a close look at their website. Many times–there will
be college or program-specific scholarships available as well. If you
can’t find anything, don’t be afraid to call the school and get a little bit
more information. Each scholarship could be a potential money-saving
opportunity.
- your
high school’s (or district) website: if you are still in high
school, you can take advantage of the resources available to you. Your
high school might have specific scholarships (for academics, athletics, or
extracurricular activities) just for you! If you can’t find anything,
reach out to your high school counselor for help.
- your
community or town’s website: it’s possible that your city could
have a list of available scholarships or at least point you towards
community or service organization that might have some as well. Though
some of these scholarships might be smaller, every little dollar amount
counts!
- from
the federal
agency website: while this website isn’t 100% dedicated to
scholarships, it will discuss the different types
of financial aid available, as well as get you started on your
first steps like filling out the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.
- from
your state grant agency: you can find more info on
grants and forgiveness loans by searching your state grant agency’s
website. No–they aren’t the same as scholarships, but they
are still sources of free or forgiven money for your college
education.
Now you have all the resources you need to help fund your
college education. These best scholarship websites will direct you to
college-specific, program-specific, usual, and personal scholarships. And
hey–don’t not apply because you think the pool is too large.
That’s the exact reason why you need to apply for these scholarships! There is
so much money to give away–why not to you?