College Scholarships for High School Seniors

There are many types of college scholarships for high school seniors available. Many of them are merit based, which means they are awarded to students who demonstrate excellent academic and sometimes extracurricular performance. In addition, the scholarship application itself is a big factor. For a merit-based scholarship the student must usually write an essay, send transcripts, and even get letters of recommendation from teachers and/or guidance counselors.

Some scholarships are for students in specific states or those who are attending certain colleges. There are scholarships for students in various organizations and those for students who sign up for the military following high school. There are even scholarships based on particular areas of study. For example there may be scholarships for students going into healthcare, to name one example. Among these different scholarships, the merit-based scholarships are awarded the most often. For these, grade point averages are taken into consideration. However, there are scholarships for students in financial need as well.

Some college scholarships may be reserved for a particular gender or ethnic group. One thing you should know is that you can apply for multiple scholarships. However, the process can be difficult and time consuming especially if you are unprepared. It takes time to complete applications, get recommendation letters, obtain transcripts and complete any other requirements such as essays. The time frame for scholarship application is very strict, and if you are late your application will not be considered.

You can learn more about college scholarships for high school seniors by speaking with your guidance counselor or college advisor. He or she can point you towards scholarship programs they are aware of that suit your needs. You can also look up scholarships on the Web. You might even want to begin searching when you are a junior in high school to make sure you have a good list of scholarships to apply for and have plenty of time to acquire the necessary application and gather your materials.

Scholarships can help students pay for college, but full scholarships are rare so students may need other forms of assistance. There are federal loans and grants most college students can qualify for to help take care of more of the cost. You might also want to look into work study programs, and if you still need financial assistance there are private lenders who can often help students if they have a credit worthy co-signer. There are so many ways to get help paying for your higher education that anyone who is academically able and who wants to go to college can manage to do so.