10 Tips for Earning Scholarships

• Start looking for scholarships your junior year and check with your counselor weekly during your senior year. Find local and state scholarships at ScholarshipQuest.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities. Nearly all scholarship applications ask about involvement in school and community activities. Track your activities using our Activities Resume.
• Take the ACT and SAT your junior and senior year to get the best possible score. Many college-specific scholarships are based on your scores.
• Get organized. Keep track of deadlines and materials required to complete an application. Set aside time on weekends to work on applications.
• Give yourself enough time to write an effective essay. The review committee will give you high marks if your essay shows effort, good writing skills, and proper grammar and punctuation. Read our Ten Steps to a Successful Essay for helpful tips.
• Apply for every scholarship that meets your criteria. This could mean 30, 40, even 50 or more!
• Ask the colleges that interest you about their college-specific and major-specific awards. You may be more likely to earn these - and they are often renewable.
• Follow the application directions or you'll be immediately disqualified. Include required documents such as transcripts or letters of recommendation.
• Carefully proofread your application. Don't rely on spell check. Ask an English teacher to check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Realize it will take hard work. Making the effort to apply for scholarships during high school could mean less hours you'll have to work during college, or a loan-free life after college.