Navigating the Application Process for Scholarships

There are thousands of sources of money to help students with college costs, from grants, loans and financial aid to academic and athletic scholarships. Despite the many varied sources of funds, the actual application process for scholarships is remarkably similar for all of them.

One reason for the similarity is the fact that there are both state and federal regulations that govern the awarding of scholarships. Over time, both colleges and such private funding sources as corporations and fraternal organizations developed procedures for the scholarship application process that reflected legal requirements and the economic factors involved.

The first thing that applicants must do is request scholarship application "packages" from the various sources of college funding. Following research into where the money is available for education in their chosen career, students would contact colleges, universities, corporations, fraternal organizations, labor unions and other sources of scholarships. Their first task is to decide what the most likely and logical source of funding is available before undertaking to start the application process.

Most scholarship processes will work from a timetable that states when personal and family information, documents, transcripts and test scores need to be turned in. Along with one of the earlier submissions, the student will be asked to submit an essay detailing their career goals and explaining their need for the scholarship.

After the first information is submitted regarding the family’s financial status, a scholarship fund’s judges will determine what other sources the student has available for college costs - such as financial aid, grants, etc. This is so that the scholarship fund can arrive at what is called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the amount of money, if any, that a family would have to contribute to the cost of the college education.

Midway through the application process for scholarships, a fund's judges will have a good picture of students’ financial situations and begin to look more closely at the academic qualifications. There will be a deadline for the submission of test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation and other documents that the judges will use to eliminate some applicants.

Toward the end of the scholarship application process, there will be in-person visits as well as a series of interviews. If a scholarship is being awarded by a college, or a certain department or program of a university, a campus visit and some group meetings may be required. Regardless of the funding source, every application process for every kind of scholarship will require personal interviews to help the judges make their final decisions on awards.

It is important that students, and their parents and families, become well informed about every application process that they are facing in their quest for scholarship money. In addition, it is crucial that students follow the application requirements precisely, and not make any errors of omission or commission that would invalidate their applications. The process is competitive enough without giving other applicants an advantage by making mistakes.

There are always a few unique attributes to any application process, no matter what the source of scholarship money, so students and families need to be diligent and careful. They should not be shy in asking for help or additional instructions if some part of the process is unclear or a submission request is unable to be fulfilled in a timely manner.

The scholarship application process can be problematic and confusing at times, and is certainly stressful for the student. It is therefore very important to remain cool and calm - so that the scholarship money can eventually be collected!

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