Traditionally speaking, school starts in late August or early September, but with colleges these days, students are starting almost any time. For students who are preparing for next semester at college or for those high school seniors looking to be in college within the next year, the writing on the wall is: Apply Early and Often.

As an example of a California high school who advocates doing exactly that, the Poway Unified School District was awarded a total of $13.7 million in scholarships this year, and the graduates from Westview High School were awarded $7 million of that. The graduating class was only 527 students strong.

With the cost of college rising every year, students need to pay more attention to getting those college scholarship applications filled out. It is getting to the point where very few students can get through college without some type of student loan of financial support, and without any scholarships, it is money that needs to be paid back, and will put a severe dent in the family finances or the student’s budget after graduation, even with tremendously attractive interest rates on federal student loans.

According to various studies, the cost of average tuition and associated fees increased approximately 6% over the past year. Currently, that means that the average annual cost (that means every year) is almost $13,000 for students who are enrolled at four year public colleges, and over $22,000 for the equivalent four year private colleges. By comparison, the cost of attending a college like Stanford or Harvard is almost $50,000 per year.

The number and variety of scholarships available today is almost staggering. But even more staggering is the fact that across the country, a good number of scholarships actually go unawarded each year, simply because nobody applied for them!

There are several options for those in financial need, which include the federal Pell Grants, but many universities, corporations and various organizations also offer merit or academic based scholarships. The amount of each scholarship varies widely also, such as $150 scholarship from the local bicycle shop to a $10,000 scholarship from a corporation such as Nordstrom’s or Macy’s.

Some students think that they should only apply for the big-ticket scholarships, but that is simply untrue. Any student can apply for and be awarded many scholarships. If a student is awarded 10 $500 scholarships, is that any worse than being awarded a single $5000 scholarship? No, it is almost exactly the same.

Last year, a Florida high school senior spent almost every waking hour over the course of two months completing scholarship forms for any scholarship he could find and meet the eligibility requirements for. By the time he started college that fall, he had been awarded over 36 different scholarships, which covered more than 90% of his total college costs, including tuition, books, and housing.

It is important to note that not all scholarships require you to have a financial need or an exceptionally high grade point average. While it is certainly important to read the eligibility requirements before completing the application, there are many scholarships available to just about anyone.

The bottom line is to apply early and often! Fill out as many college scholarship applications as you can find, and when you’ve done that, find some more. The cost of college is certainly not decreasing, and you will need the financial help, and hopefully be able to graduate from college being debt-free!

By: Jon Arnold

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Are you looking for free scholarship money? Okay, I am not some sort of sales guy who is trying to sell you something, but the secret about free college scholarships is that not many know about it. College can end up to be a financial mistake if you make the wrong moves without proper funding. Scholarships are available for you to make use of it! So, why not use them while they are available? High college costs, education becomes a burden and college cost does not stop at tuition fees, it includes all associated expenses of going to a college like the travel, accommodation, food and books. All this can burn a hole in your pocket if you are paying them out of yours.

There are a wide range of scholarships you or anyone can apply to each year. But the sad fact is that most of them get wasted as no one applies for them. Most scholarships have no requirements and hence applying for them will not only reduce your financial woes and it will look good in your resume that you have actually earned a scholarship. Many people are under the wrong impression that these scholarships are there only for the needy and you have to submit proof of financial status to get these free scholarships.

The reality is that that you are probably already eligible for scholarships and grants from various private institutions and federal government departments, but you are not aware of them. These days scholarships are given on the basis of all types of people or sections and differences like religious outlooks, height, occupation, race, heritage, sports, special interests, sexual inclination, politics or just about anything can get you a scholarship.

These scholarships do not have to go entirely to the college, you can save from them, or invest it some place and not one is going to ask you what you are going to do with it. Do not let scholarships go waste since no one really applied for them. There is no limitations to the number of scholarships a prospective student can apply to, so keep applying even if you are approved for others.

Let the college scholarships help you. Take advantage of the free college money and help yourself. Good luck future students!

By: Jose Sajiv

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It has always been seen that minorities are not treated equally. Their due rights are not provided to them, which is a very depressing sign in our societies. Racism has gripped our souls. In this situation, when minorities are being treated like this, college scholarships for minorities have brought some kind of positivity in the lives of minorities. Providing equal opportunities to the minorities, related to education is very important. It is education, which helps in making a person, successful and civilized. At this point of time, the minorities are being fully supported, in terms of scholarships, which let them to acquire proper and quality education from well known and reputable universities and colleges.

Government is playing its major role in making the process of providing scholarships to the minorities in a proper way, so that their rights are properly reserved. It has been commonly seen that minorities do not belong to highly rich families. You will see less number of minorities, who are wealthy enough to bear the expenses of higher education. At this point of time, acquiring higher education means that you need to empty your pockets. The expenses are touching the limits of sky. If you are also a part of minority in your society, then you should not feel deprived, as college scholarships for minorities are only for your educational career. Minorities are already fighting for their basic rights. They are not treated well, which actually disturbs their mental peace and harmony. In such disturbing situation, it was very important to facilitate them by providing them with scholarships.

With the help of scholarships, now the governments are making sure that the minorities in their state are also acquiring good quality education by providing college scholarships for minorities. When they would be well educated, then the positive impact is going to be enjoyed by the entire society. There will be equality all around, which would help in increasing satisfaction and peace among each and every society member. This is the time, when each and every well known and acclaimed college is facilitating minorities by providing them with the scholarships, which they deserve.

By: Andre Hansen

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