On the following pages are current scholarship and loan offerings from state student aid offices across the country. The scholarships are listed alphabetically by state. Be certain to review…
- the state in which you have legal residence
- the state of the college you are currently attending or planning to attend
- all the states you have previously lived in for an extended period of time (including your state of birth)
Each of these listings provides website addresses, mailing address for the aid office, as well as phone, fax and e-mail if available.
Also note the inclusion of either a contact department, such as Scholarship and Grant Department, or contact person, such as Program Director, for these listings. This information will help forward your correspondence quickly to the right department and person.
Listings are formatted to be as complete as possible, while still being easy to read. The name of the award and description – including amounts and deadlines – is given at the beginning of the entry, followed by a detailed description of what the eligibility criteria are. Carefully read the eligibility requirements for any aid in which you are interested. Each scholarship has been researched thoroughly, and the listing presents as much information as possible, so you can determine if you will qualify for the funding offered.
Do not waste your time applying to scholarships for which you are not eligible, but be as broad as possible in your search. The final section of each entry provides you with contact information, website address, phone, fax, addresses, and email if available.
Once you have determined the scholarships and student loan programs that are available to you, and to which you would like to apply, contact those state agencies. When mailing or emailing correspondence, such as inquiry letters, be sure to include the full state agency name, the scholarship or loan program name, and the contact name on the envelope.
Note: Program details and availability change from time to time.
How to Read the Listings
Below is a list of all possible categories listed under “Who Is Eligible?” and a brief description of each:
Award Is Open To: Tells you what year of school you should be in if you are applying; also tells you whether or not foreign students can apply.
Majors/Fields of Study: Lists any majors or areas of study you should be interested in; if “All Majors” is listed along with other additional majors or fields, this indicates that the award is open to all majors but that certain specific majors are preferred.
GPA: This is the grade point average requirement, if any.
Class Rank Percentile: This is what your standing should be among your classmates.
Ethnicity/Heritage: Your ethnic background
Religion: The religion you practice
Disabilities: This can include physical, mental, or, in some cases, extreme financial disabilities you may suffer from.
Citizenship: Many scholarships require U.S. or other types of national citizenship.
Residency: This includes cities, counties, or states that are your primary place of residence.
Other Personal Descriptors: Look here to see whether there are any other special qualifications for eligibility, such as your marital status, sexual orientation, gender, or whether you are an orphan or adopted child.
Student Attended School In: A number of awards require that you attend high school in a specific city, county, or state.
Student Graduated From: Some awards are based on your having attended a specific high school, which will be listed here if applicable.
Student Plans to Attend: This lists any specific colleges, universities, or other institutions of higher learning you are required to attend to win the award or loan.
Student Activities: This lists memberships or activities, such as participation in a club, fraternity/sorority, association, union, or sport, that are required for eligibility.
Student Employment: Companies you must be employed by, or general descriptions of employment, in order to be eligible.
Parent Activities: Clubs, associations, unions, or other memberships that a student’s parent(s) must be involved in before the student can be eligible.
Parent Employment: A list of companies for which a parent must work, or a general job description, in order for the student to be eligible.
Military Service:
Person Serving: Describes whether a student or family member must be a member of the military.
Military Branch: Branch of the service, such as Army, Navy, or Coast Guard
War/Military Action: Describes any military conflict the person(s) listed in Person Serving must have fought in.
Other Descriptors: This includes whether the person described in Person Serving is injured, deceased, missing in action, or simply an honorably discharged veteran.
Each listing is divided into four sections. The first section describes the award, the second section details eligibility requirements, the third section outlines any requirements that should be fulfilled when applying, and the final section lists contact information, such as addresses and telephone numbers. The entry listings have been specifically designed to help you find the information you are looking for quickly. What follows are step-by-step instructions on how to interpret the directory listings.
Award Description
Each listing begins with the name of the name of the award and information about how much the award is, how many awards are available, whether the award is based on financial need and is renewable, and dates when the award is announced and delivered to the recipient or his/her selected school. If the information is not available or not relevant, then it will not be included here. When award money changes depending on a student’s need or the availability of funds, then the amount will be listed as “Varies.” The same applies to the number of awards per year, which may also vary.
In the following example (which is not an actual scholarship), approximately 35 Frank D. Templeton Scholarships are available for $6,000 each. The award is based on a student’s financial need and renewable, and the application deadline is November 1. Winners will be determined by December 1 and receive the award (or it will be sent directly to their school) by December 15.
Example:
FRANK D. TEMPLETON SCHOLARSHIPS
Amount: $6,000;
Awards per Year: Approximately 35;
The Award Is: Based on financial need and renewable;
Deadline: November 1;
Other Dates: Winner is determined by December 1; award is dispersed by December 15.
Eligibility Requirements
Reading the eligibility requirements is a must. If you do not look them over carefully, you might be wasting your time applying for a scholarship you really aren’t eligible for. To make this process as easy as possible, we have broken down the requirements into easy-to-scan sections. To add further clarification, the Other Comments section describes in more detail any special limitations that might not be easily outlined elsewhere. It is important to read the Other Comments section because sometimes conditions for eligibility may merely be preferences, or there may be cases where only some of the eligibility requirements listed have to be met.
In the following example, in order to be eligible the student must have had either a parent, grandparent, or other ancestor who served in the Army during World War II and was either missing in action or a prisoner of war.
Example:
Military Service:
Person serving: Ancestor, Grandparent, Parent;
Military Branch: Army;
War/Military Action: World War II;
Other Descriptors: MIA, POW
Other Comments: This section provides a brief overview of the purpose of the program. In addition this section provides space for any other comments that may help to clarify the contents of any of the above fields, when necessary, or to explain other conditions for eligibility that do not fall within the above categories.
Website Links
Almost every single program offered has some sort of website associated with the program. Please check these sites for in depth information on eligibility requirements and other useful information. Some of these links contain applications for programs that may be downloaded.
Contact Information
This information contains the “how to apply” information. Additionally, this section contains information of a contact organization or name that can be reached to answer questions.
