How To Determine If A Scholarship Program Is A Good Match For You

By Rhiannon Winner on September 20, 2016

When scouting out scholarships, it’s always a good idea to know what you’re looking for. With thousands upon thousands of options, some of which are highly sought after, you have to strategize if you’re going to win anything.

Your efforts cannot be scattered between various scholarships you found after a quick Google search. You have to choose scholarships that are tailored uniquely to you, whether it’s because they fit your major or a sport you play or your personal history. You must also keep in mind what you’re hoping to get out of the scholarship, keeping in mind that there could be strings attached or a limit on how many times you can receive the scholarship. Follow along with the guide below to figure out what kinds of scholarships are right for you.

Are you financially eligible? 

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While plenty of scholarships are available to students regardless of their financial situation, some awards are designated specifically for low income students. If you believe that your family’s estimated financial contribution (calculated by the FAFSA) is low enough that you’re eligible for certain low income scholarships, you must also have documentation of this fact. Usually the FAFSA will suffice, but it’s best to do your research ahead of the application deadline so that you know what documents you need to find (if any).

Is it a niche scholarship? 

Generally speaking, you have a higher chance of getting a niche scholarship than one that is open to anyone. It will most likely still be a competitive process, but better than a scholarship with thousands of applications. With your efforts focused on niche scholarships, that begs the question: what niche do you fit into?

There are scholarships for silly or unique talents, like making duck calls, to ones for athletes that play a specific sport, students with a particular major, or students with unique personal histories. If there’s an activity you enjoy there’s probably a scholarship for it.

Am I academically eligible? 

Scholarships aren’t always open to everyone, even if on the surface you seem to meet the criteria. Fancy yourself a sure fit based on the category and application listed? Make sure you read the fine print before taking the time to apply. Some scholarships have academic requirements, such as expecting a minimum high school or undergrad GPA for them to even look at your application.

Can I get letters of recommendation? 

Certain scholarships require that you submit letters of recommendation along with your application. Ideally, these letters will in some way be related to the focus of the scholarship. If it’s focused on biology majors, you’ll probably want a bio professor to write one, or a coach if it’s for a sport. You get the idea. But given that your scholarship might be hyper focused, think about whether or not you know anyone who can write you a good letter. If you don’t, it might be time to go back to the drawing board. This scholarship probably isn’t the best fit for you.

Do I have time to devote to the application? 

It might seem like a good idea to blow through 50 scholarship applications all at once, but chances are you’d be better off focusing on just a handful of applications at a time. Obviously the more time you spend on each, the better the application you craft will be, and your chances of actually landing the scholarship will go up.

On the other hand, you don’t want to spend all of your time on just one or two scholarship applications. It’s important to keep in mind that some scholarships have relatively painless, quick applications, while others might be quite lengthy. Is it worth applying for just one or two particularly complex scholarships? If the amount of money you’ll receive is quite low, and especially if it’s highly competitive, your efforts may be better served elsewhere. Unless you have a ton of time to kill (and let’s face it, none of us do) or you think you have a very good chance of being awarded the scholarship, this one might not be for you.

How much money am I being offered? 

This may seem like step one of finding a scholarship, but it’s a question that should shape your search. Is it really worth it to spend a lot of time on applications for small amounts of money — say, $100 or so — than on ones offering a thousand dollars or more? If you have the time and energy to apply for even small scholarships, that’s great!

But college is expensive even at the cheapest schools, so chances are you’ll want to invest your time in a scholarship that will have a real impact on your cost of tuition. Keep in mind how much money you’re looking for in a scholarship while being realistic. Chances are that you aren’t going to win that contest for $30,000, and while you should apply if you have time, you’d be better off aiming for attainable scholarships that aren’t too low in payout. Figure out how much you ideally need in scholarship money and shoot for that.

The best scholarship for you is one that fits your interests, has an application you can nail, and offers enough money to make it worth it. Of course, that means the perfect scholarship varies from person to person. But if you keep in mind what you’re looking for and apply selectively with your best possible application, you’re certain to find a scholarship that’s right for you.

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