Applying for Scholarships

For an official site of information and resources visit bigfuture.collegeboard.org

When Should you Apply for a Scholarship?

....RIGHT NOW!! ASAP!!!

Most Scholarships are open to students starting as soon as you enter High School. If you have not applied to any scholarships yet that is OK! The summer before your senior year is a great time to determine which scholarships you qualify for and want to take the time to complete.


If you have time look into any potential scholarship deadlines ASAP that may be approaching soon. It doesn't hurt to apply this year and then try again next year!

What is a Scholarship?

A scholarship is additional financial aid that you can receive to pay for school related expenses. While some scholarships are required to be used for specific expenses, such as tuition, most scholarships can be used for ANY expense ranging from room and board or a laptop for school.

Scholarships often have specific requirements based on things such as:

  • Academics (GPA, test scores, field of study, etc.)

  • Participation in Extracurricular Activities (sports, art, drama, clubs, etc.)

  • Socioeconomic Status (low-income)

  • Ethnicity

  • Belonging to a specific community such as being a foster youth, homeless, having a disability, military family, etc.

Types of Scholarships

It is very important to understand what types of scholarships exist so that you can find and then focus your efforts on applying for specific scholarships.

  1. Academic (or Merit): These scholarships can range anywhere from $1000 to a full-ride scholarship that covers all college expenses. They can be offered to you directly by the schools you apply to or from outside organizations that you have to apply for individually and typically have strict GPA requirements (Usually 3.5 or higher).

  2. Community Service: Financial Aid from these types of scholarships vary greatly and are a primary component of many scholarship applications and for some scholarships are the sole criterion used when determining a recipient. Participating in clubs such as Red Cross, ASB, Link Crew and other service clubs can be helpful, but you can also reference any community service outside of school such as walk-a-thons, church groups, youth groups, fundraisers, etc!

  3. Athletic: Many schools have a limited amount of scholarships available for athletes. Most schools will recruit you directly to offer an athletic scholarship and your chances of receiving one can sometimes be increased by excelling academically. Most smaller out-of-state schools have increased tuition if you do not live in that state, but many of these schools, such as community colleges, may completely cover your college expenses. Do not be afraid to look into smaller schools if you are looking to play college sports!

  4. Talents/Hobbies: There are many scholarships that are based on specific talents, hobbies, or skills and most general scholarships often ask you about these things as well. Some talent related scholarships include, but are not limited to:

    • Music (instrument, singing, etc.)

    • Fashion

    • Arts (theatre, drawing, painting, design, etc.)

    • Video Games

    • and many more!

  5. Personal Circumstances and Background: There are a variety of scholarships that are based on specific circumstances such as income, ethnicity, gender, field of study, being a foster youth, adopted, homeless, disabilities, illnesses, and almost anything else you can think of. While there are scholarships created for these specific things it is important to note that many scholarships also ask about these things, any adversity you have been through and may also have you reference it in an essay submission.

Applying for Scholarships

Before researching and applying for any scholarships you should make a list of the following:

  • Personal Background (Ethnicity, Gender, Special Circumstances specific to you such as Low-Income, Disabilities, etc.)

  • Any Extracurricular Activities, Clubs, Community Service, and other things you are involve in

  • Hobbies, Interests, Traits, Skills

  • Academic Info such as GPA, Test Scores (SAT/ACT, etc.)

  • Field of Study and/or Prospective Career Choice

Not only do you want a list of these things, summaries, essay templates/concept map (to avoid starting new essays from scratch), etc., which will allow you to find and apply more efficiently and save you time.

*Always take not of and follow all* application guidelines and requirements such as word counts, following the writing prompt and staying on topic, and submitting all required materials (make a checklist).

Finding Scholarships

Read First:

  • A scholarship application will never ask for you social security number or credit card information. Be careful applying for "sweepstakes", "giveaways", "featured or advertised" scholarship scams. Again a scholarship will never ask for any payment or charge you a fee.

  • Always take not of and follow all application guidelines such as word count, following the writing prompt and staying on topic, and submitting all required materials (make a checklist).

1. Local Scholarships

  • Kern Community Foundation - OPEN to ALL Kern County Seniors and opens from Dec. 1 to Mar. 1 of each school year for Seniors.

  • MORE COMING SOON....

2. Fastweb.Com

  • This site is not sponsored by the federal government like the one below, but is a reputable site.

  • You should never provide your Social Security Number, Credit Card/Bank Information, or pay a fee.

3. Government Sponsored Scholarship Finder (Careeronestop.org)

  • You should never provide your Social Security Number, Credit Card/Bank Information, or pay a fee.

  • Scholarships are in order by deadline closest to the current date and can be filtered to search for specific types of scholarships.