Outside Scholarships for Your College Student

Paying for college is one of the biggest financial challenges families face, and even with financial aid, many parents worry about how to cover the costs. The good news is that one underused way to do this is through outside scholarships. These may come from businesses, service clubs, foundations and community groups. And as gift aid, they don’t need to be repaid and can help your student’s college dreams come true.

As a parent, you can play a crucial role in helping your student find, apply for, and win these scholarships — both before they set foot on campus and during their college years.

The Power of Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships are scholarships that students may earn that are outside of a college’s financial aid program. These can cover a range of expenses, including tuition, fees, books, or living expenses. And many aren’t awarded to students based on their academic achievements. In fact, many outside scholarships are for leadership achievements, service, artistic talent, or even personal background.

Students can find scholarship opportunities on the national state or local level. The local scholarships–awarded by churches, services organizations such as Rotary or Lions–may be easier to secure. This is because fewer people apply for them locally. In fact, many students find thousands of dollars of their education simply by stacking several small scholarships together.

Start the Search Early — and Stay Organized

One way you can support your student is by helping them build a scholarship search plan. The key is to start early and continue to plug away at it.

Junior year is a great time to start their search. Students will have an idea of the colleges or universities they want to attend, and what those schools will cost. Starting in the junior year gives them plenty of time to search for scholarships and meet all the relevant deadlines.

Encourage your student to use one of several reputable databases: Sites like Fastweb, and Scholarships.com allow students to create profiles and receive tailored scholarship matches.

Starting close to home is easy. Many high school guidance counselors know of local organizations offering scholarship assistance to students, and can often help your students with the application process. Your employer may also offer some assistance for employees’ children. Sometimes even-part time employees qualify for this aid.

Ultimately, since this is one more “marathon, not a sprint” effort, encourage your student to treat scholarship searching like a part-time job — setting aside time each week to research and apply.

Help Them Build Strong Applications

Scholarship applications often require essays, recommendation letters, and sometimes interviews. With their essays, review them and help them discover their authentic voice, but refrain from writing them. Scholarship committee reviewer can tell a student essay from a parent-written one easily. Encourage your student to share their authentic voice, but you can help by proofreading and offering feedback.

Help them engage in thoughtful storytelling within their essays. The essay prompts they’re responding to often ask about leadership experiences, challenges they’ve overcome or their projected future. As young people, they may not realize that some of their past experiences might be scholarship gold. Help them brainstorm experiences that demonstrate resilience and help them stand out.

Finally, help them create a system to stay on top of deadlines: Missed deadlines are one of the most common reasons applications fail. Work together to track due dates and requirements in a shared calendar or spreadsheet.

Outside Scholarships Beyond the First Year

Many students stop searching for scholarship aid once they start college. This is a mistake for two reasons. First, some scholarships they’ve been awarded may only apply to the first year of college. Second, there are thousands of scholarships available for after a student starts college. Your student could receive one!

Your students’ college financial aid department is one great source for scholarship aid, both from within the school or outside. Another good source is the student’s academic department. Some professional organizations offer scholarships to students entering their career field, and some of these scholarships for continuing students may go unawarded. And while some of these awards may not be large—some only as small as $500—that can still cover books for a semester.

Understand the Fine Print

As your student seeks outside scholarship assistance, be sure they know how the outside aid may impact their financial aid package. Some schools will reduce a student’s loans or work-study when new scholarship money comes in — but others might reduce need-based grants.

Encourage your student to contact the financial aid office as soon as they receive any award. Ask how the scholarship will affect their aid and whether they need to submit documentation. Being proactive can help ensure the money works in their favor.

Yes, There Are Scams Out There

Unfortunately, scholarship scams are common. Remind your student:

• Never to pay a fee to apply for a scholarship.
• Avoid “guaranteed scholarship” services, since no one can guarantee a scholarship award.
• Be cautious about sharing personal data like Social Security numbers unless you’re certain of the organization’s legitimacy. If a scholarship agency asks for a social security number, ask them if it’s really necessary. Often, it’s not. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers a comprehensive publication about this which offers guidelines to help families avoid fraud.

Final Thoughts

The scholarship process takes time and effort, but with parental support, students are far more likely to succeed. Parent involvement—from helping them organize their applications to helping them stay on track with their applications—can make a huge difference. Further, even small scholarships can reduce the debt they may carry after graduation.

So, help them start early, stay organized, and think beyond the obvious. With many tens of millions of dollars in awards available each year, the opportunities to reduce college costs are greater than most families realize.