95% of all scholarship aid comes directly from the colleges in which students enroll.  Every college offers both academic and talent based scholarships. When you apply for admission, request a list of scholarships available from the institution and inquire about application procedures. Every college has different procedures.

 

Colleges are required to put a price calculator and information about scholarships on their websites. A very easy Goggle search would be to put in the name of the college you are interested in with scholarship and search.

 

You will need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for all need based aid. You can log on to StudentAid.gov to learn about the FAFSA. The FAFSA opens October 1st of the student's senior year and now uses prior year information so that the IRS retrival tool can be used to help fill out the form.   EVERY COLLEGE ESTABLISHES ITS OWN DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE FAFSA.  DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINE; it is better to file an estimate than to apply late.

 

Help completing the FAFSA is available. The University System of Ohio has posted helpful information on its website, that provides tips and advice for filling out and filing the FAFSA. 

 

Some colleges require that students complete the CSS Profile and/or an institutional financial aid application. Be sure to consult the financial aid office at every college to which you apply to be certain that you are completing all of the correct paperwork. The CSS Profile is available online. Keep copies of all forms, including income tax forms, the FAFSA, the CSS, and all institutional application forms.

Students are encouraged to log on to FASTWEB to explore additional scholarship opportunities. Fastweb maintains a file of over 600,000 scholarships. When information about National Scholarship competitions is received in Guidance, it will be placed in a file that students can browse if they are interested.

 

Be sure to check with your parent's employer and your employer for scholarship opportunities. Many businesses and unions offer financial assistance to eligible members. Your church and organizations within the community in which you hold membership may also offer assistance.  

 

You will likely be contacted by numerous scholarship search services that offer to find scholarships for a fee. Please be aware that you have available to you through the internet all of the same resources that the search services use. You can access this information at no cost; however if you do not have the time then a college planning resource may be beneficial to you and your family.

 

The Fairfield County Foundation is the largest source of local scholarship aid. Foundation scholarships are grouped together at the beginning of the scholarship listing. Scholarship applications are open December 1st and deadlines are in March of the student's senior year.

The best way to keep up-to-date on scholarship sources is to keep in touch with your counselor. Let your counselor know about your talents, achievements, and interests so he/she can assist you in finding scholarship aid. All scholarship opportunities that come into the guidance office  are forwarded to the senior and parent through InfoNOW e-mail.  Please be sure that you check your e-mail regularly for those scholarship opportunities. You can also check other area high school guidance websites for scholarship programs that they may have listed.

 

Apply for admission early in the fall to have the best opportunity to earn scholarships. Some on-campus scholarship competitions require that applications for admission be received as early as October 1. Since the majority of scholarships come directly from the institutions, you are jeopardizing your chances of receiving assistance if you wait until December or January to send out applications. Make a good first impression! Applications should be typed or printed neatly in black ink. Answer all questions completely. Proofread! Have someone else proofread! Give teachers and counselors plenty of advance notice if you need recommendations. A copy of your Senior Project Resume needs to be given to anyone who is writing a recommendation for you. Quality recommendations take time and information so please provide that to your recommender.

 

 

Do not eliminate yourself from the competition! Scholarship committees are not always looking for the valedictorian. They may be intrigued by your community service, your financial situation, your contributions to school, or any number of attributes. Some committees focus on finding a student who has not received financial assistance from other sources. As long as you meet the minimum criteria, GO FOR IT!

 

WATCH DEADLINES!  Scholarship committees usually make no exceptions for late applications.