It’s Never Too Late to Apply for College Scholarships
With college costs, it makes sense to get all the help you can when paying for college. The good news is that scholarships are available year round, so you can apply for them anytime.
“Many scholarships offer rolling deadlines,” says Jodi Okun, the founder of College Financial Aid Advisors. “You might be surprised at how many scholarships are live and active right now. You can even keep applying throughout the school year.”
If you know where to look and how to apply for college scholarships, you increase your chances of success. (FULL POST HERE)
If you’re like most high school seniors, your parents, teachers and just about everyone else has probably told you that you should apply for college grants and scholarships. But every time you’ve looked into it, it seemed like a lot of work and you assumed there’s little likelihood that you’ll get any. After all, how many college grants and scholarships are out there? How many would you even qualify for? And would they make a big difference?
It turns out figuring out how to apply for scholarships and grants could be quite lucrative. In the 2014−15 academic year, post-secondary students received an impressive $123.8 billion of scholarships and grants, according to the College Board.
So with billions of dollars in grants and scholarships being awarded each year for a long list of reasons (e.g., merit, need, athletics, community service, heritage, arts, language, religion), there is likely something in there for you — you just have to find it. (FULL POST HERE)
The Internet has made it easier than ever to find information about different scholarship opportunities. Unfortunately, while a web search may help you find more money for school, it also increases your chances of falling victim to a scam.
Hundreds of people are affected by scams and problems related to scholarships and educational grants every year according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The best way to avoid these scams is to learn how to identify them quickly. Here are some warning signs to look for when applying for scholarships.
Asking for Money Upfront
If you’re required to give money before you receive money, then it’s probably a scam. However, there can be some confusion here because there are legitimate services that offer to help you find scholarships for a fee.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are some companies that lawfully require a fee to gain access to a list of scholarships, to create a curated list of award opportunities for a particular student or to compare a student’s profile with a database of scholarships.
The difference between these companies and a scam is that a scam will guarantee you’ll receive money in exchange for a fee. Legitimate companies don’t guarantee anything. And that “guarantee” probably comes with stipulations that make it nearly impossible for you to get your money back. While it may not make financial sense to use a fee-based service when you can find most of the information you need for free, it is legal. (FULL POST HERE)