Can I Fill Out One Application for All Scholarships?

It would be a great time-saver for students if they could fill out one application for all scholarships that they are interested in, regardless of who is awarding the funds, Scholarship procedures have not gotten quite that centralized yet, but the fact is that, within individual colleges, corporations and other scholarship funds, it is now possible to apply for multiple awards with a single application.

College such as, for example, Loyola University in Chicago, not only have streamlined the application process as far as providing name, personal information, grades and so forth, they also require only a single essay from each scholarship applicant. For students who are pressed for time, as every college-bound young adult is (or will be), this can be a tremendous time - and energy-saver - not to mention the money saved on postage.

Other scholarship funds have different procedures. Some corporations, as well as such private groups as the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (now known simply as HENAAC), allow multiple scholarship applications from one student submission, but if the fields of study are sufficiently different they will accept multiple essays and student statements. However, the bulk of the submitted materials - test scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc. - will be used as a "common pool" for all of the various programs and awards for which a candidate applies.

The question of application fees is a common one. If a student is filling out one application for all scholarships awarded by a particular college, it would seem reasonable to charge only one application fee. In fact, this is not always true, although such groups as Youth for Understanding (YFU), which offers scholarships for foreign exchange and study, do charge the single fee for multiple scholarship applications. On the other hand, some state colleges and corporate scholarships handle the matter differently.

Sometimes it is the number of scholarships being applied for that will determine the amount of the fee. Other times, it is a matter of the fields of study and their relationship or differentiation that is the determining factor. There are far too many scholarship granting organizations and institutions to generalize on this topic.

The only thing a student can rely on is the information obtained directly from the scholarship-granting group, company, union or college. It is a simple matter to determine in advance, when parents and students come together to establish a budget for college applications, to factor in the different fees. Before getting down to the actual paperwork, a student should read the entire package of materials from each scholarship fund.

If the answer to the question of multiple applications is not immediately found, the student should make a call directly, or ask for assistance from a guidance counselor. In no case should a student ever make an assumption about what fees are to be paid, and in what way, for scholarship or college applications. With so much riding on the outcome, this is the time to try to save a few dollars if multiple fees are required. On the other hand, every dollar counts, so get the right information and use it correctly.

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