With the rise of inflation rates and market prices, the price of education anywhere isn’t affordable anymore. This makes it a lot more challenging for the students who aren’t rich to afford a proper education, so the best go-to option for any such student is to look out for a scholarship. But Do colleges actually provide you with a fully funded degree? If so, then how to get it? Read along to find out. Here we will see about Do colleges give out scholarships?
The simple answer is Yes! Colleges give out scholarships based on specific criteria and situations; the benchmarks for scholarships vary from college to college or even state to state. While a few universities and colleges might not even budge to provide a scholarship because of being budget-strapped, most offer scholarships if you are a bright pupil looking forward to shining soon.
Let’s jump right into the details to better understand the matter.
What is a Scholarship?
A Scholarship is financial aid that a college, university, or an organization funds for the sake of a student that meets specific provided criteria for their forward completion of their undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
Scholarship can be provided to the election in the form of cash or as fully paid college tuition fees at the beginning of the degree or at the time of the scholarship issue. If the amount is paid in cash, the student is expected to spend every penny for their study and tuition fees only.
Indeed, some Scholarships might fund your entire degree from the start until even your Ph.D. These scholarships might even be sponsored by an institution, organization, the state, and your club or research team.
Why do colleges provide scholarships?
They are many reasons why a college or a university might provide you with a scholarship; the most illuminated reasons are as follows:
- For the country’s future: This might be the noblest cause that anyone can cite. There are indeed colleges that give out scholarships for the betterment of the youth, the ones who apply and qualify for a scholarship often turn out to be the best of the students with promising futures ahead of them.
- For boosting the average academic scores of classes: As mentioned before, Mostly the brightest of the students under specific categories qualify for the scholarships, amongst which mostly are Academic geniuses with over 4.0 GPA. In the long run, they perform really well, earning the college reputation and advertisement. And on this basis, most universities provide scholarships.
- For Students in need of financial aid: This might be another noble cause; the leading cause for the lack of a scholarship is often the student’s financial condition, who otherwise would ultimately fail to attend any good college due to their low income. Such students primarily understand their situation, are hardworking and earn merit beforehand. Hence such scholarships altogether turn out to be a win-win outcome.
- For Athletic students: Besides providing scholarships for the above category candidates, colleges give thousands of scholarships to students affiliated with a good sport. Such scholarships require you to have exceptional skills in the sport that you practice or be really good at and sometimes even need you to be affiliated with some club or organization.
How do you get a scholarship, and what are the criteria for a major or field?
There are quite a few ways to get a scholarship from your dream college, so you should start preparing early: “Early bird gets the worm,” Well this is the foremost yet the most obvious thing, constantly check out the criteria, your eligibility, and how to get a scholarship from the designated college and start working hard accordingly.
If you want to get in through Academic merit, get your SAT, ACT, or SSAT and your High School grades up as much as possible.
And if you are targeting to get in through Athletic merits, better start honing your skills more and get in touch with college coaches in the sport and fulfill any criteria that the college might demand.
Few lucky and well-talented students do get scholarship offers from various sources. It’s a rare yet possible scenario.
Do your research in the sector and find out more about your target college on the internet. Few sites to look into for information are
- College Data
- International Scholarship
- Top Universities
Read the application form and any other document or information you may find on the internet or as provided by the college, as it mainly contains tips on how to quickly get in and earn a scholarship with all the Do’s and Don’ts of the college; this keeps you well prepared as a freshman of what to expect.
You may also talk and inquire about former or current students to get more insight into the matter.
Few of the top colleges in the USA that provide scholarships are:
- Yale university
- Washington and Lee University
- Stanford University
- California Institute of Technology
- Clark University
- Cornell University
Conclusion
Getting a scholarship is indeed a challenging task at hand, yet if you are financially struggling or are looking to finance your own college years with your own money without bothering your parents or even trying to get through your college without drowning in loads of student debt you better start preparing and researching now.
The covid situation has stricken many colleges, and the criteria to get in are higher than ever. Hence it might be harder to get into a good college than earn a scholarship. But there isn’t any obstacle that cannot be tackled through hard work and dedication. So, just put the blood and sweat in. Best of luck!
FAQs
- How to qualify for merit-based scholarships?
Ans. These scholarships are entirely based on pre-college academic grades or athletic achievements. Hence, polish your skills well and earn a lot of “merit” before applying.
- Where do I start?
Ans. Check out the college’s criteria you want to meet, get as much information, and prepare accordingly. Better Start researching at the moment.
- How to qualify for a need-based Scholarship?
Ans. You might need to write to your college or preferably file FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA to qualify for this.
- What are the deadlines to apply for scholarships?
Ans. Mostly, the beginning of the academic year, i.e., From January to April.
