Using A Scholarship Search Engine
Choosing a college is hard enough, but paying for college can be even harder. Scholarships can help to ease the financial burden, but how do you find them? With millions of scholarship possibilities available, it is easy to overlook a scholarship for which you would be eligible. The Scholarship Search Engine can help you find many scholarships that can assist you in your efforts to finance your college education.
NextStudent allows you to sign up for free, and to search their database of more than 69,000 sources for college funding. Every year, these sources offer over $16 billion, distributed throughout 5.9 million scholarships. The Scholarship Search Engine allows you to discover which of these scholarships is appropriate for you and to find information on the application process to receive a particular scholarship award.
Using the Scholarship Search Engine is simple. First, you must sign up and enter your pertinent information. You will be asked for basic information, such as name, address, and phone number. You also need to enter an email address and password. Once this is complete, you will have to answer a series of questions about yourself (or your student) and your educational background, including testing scores and grade point average (GPA). Finally, you will be asked about your heritage and racial background, interests, awards, and club or group affiliations. Part of the information you will be asked will concern whether or not you are seeking a minority scholarship. All information is stored on a secure server and is kept confidential, so there is no need to worry that your information will fall into the wrong hands.
Once you finish filling out the questionnaire, just click “Search” and the Scholarship Search Engine will do the rest. You will instantly receive a list of scholarships that may be a good match, based on the information you provided. Each scholarship will have a detail page with a brief overview of the requirements, along with the amount of the awards, number of scholarships available, deadlines for applying, and application information. Remember that for some scholarships, you may need to write a personal, descriptive scholarship essay.
In order to get the most out of your search, always remember to be honest and accurate with your answers. Try using a higher SAT or ACT score to get more results; you can always retake the test to improve your score and qualify for an award. Try selecting different majors or do not select a major, in order to see a broad range of results. Return often to this process, as additions are made to the Scholarship Search Engine regularly and new opportunities may be available to you.