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The college scholarship search can be both exciting and overwhelming for students, their families, and practitioners. For many students, scholarships can make college more affordable, reduce borrowing, and set them up for future success. However, scholarships often require significant time and effort from students and those supporting them. Here are a few strategies that school counselors, college access professionals, and others can use to help their students navigate the scholarship process, reduce stress, and make the journey easier for everyone involved. Let’s explore some of our top recommendations.

Set Clear Expectations

The scholarship search and application process can start as early as junior year (sometimes earlier), and students should keep applying throughout senior year and after they enroll in college or another postsecondary program. Scholarship opportunities are available at different stages of education, so the search doesn't have to end at high school graduation. Most scholarships require students to apply before they receive the funds. Additionally, most scholarships also have set deadlines, essay requirements, and may request references and transcripts. Limiting the search to scholarships without these requirements can significantly reduce the number of opportunities available. By setting clear expectations about timing and scholarship requirements, you can help students avoid missing deadlines and submit stronger applications.

Build a Scholarship Toolkit

While you may assist students with scholarship applications every year, high school seniors and their families might be going through the process for the first time. Creating a scholarship toolkit to help them prepare for the general process can make a big difference. Depending on the types of scholarships available in your area, the toolkit can include guidance on building a scholarship resume, essay prompts for the most common scholarships your students apply for, instructions for requesting transcripts, and guidance on accessing financial aid documentation, such as the FAFSA Submission Summary, when requested. Share uAspire's scholarship toolkit or use it as inspiration to create your own.

Recommend Specific Scholarships and Search Engines

There are countless scholarship search engines and even more scholarship opportunities available, which can be overwhelming for students trying to figure out where to begin. Encourage students to start with scholarships from local foundations, community organizations, employers, colleges, and high schools before expanding their search to national scholarship platforms. Creating a list of local community scholarships and several recommended scholarship platforms can give students the confidence to start their scholarship search. One idea is to highlight one scholarship each month that you recommend your students apply for. Some of the scholarship search engines we recommend include BigFuture, Fastweb, and Appily.

Create a Process for Students to Seek Support

Scholarship applications can demand a lot from everyone involved, including essays, transcripts, financial information, reference letters, and more. Having an entire class of students ask for support with these different items can be overwhelming. Establishing a clear process for when and how students can seek support can help manage these demands. Setting clear expectations for when to request items and how to access your help will minimize last-minute requests. Regular, proactive outreach to remind students how to access support can also help.

Share Scholarship Challenges

Winning a scholarship can be a game-changer, but students need to be aware of potential challenges. Here are four key challenges to consider:

• Scholarship Displacement: Receiving an outside scholarship can sometimes affect a student's existing financial aid package. Depending on the college's policies, applicable state law, and the student's total financial aid, a school may need to adjust certain types of aid. Encourage students to notify their college's financial aid office about outside scholarships and ask how the scholarship will be applied before making financial decisions. Students receiving scholarships and grants that cover most or all of their cost of attendance should also check with their financial aid office about how additional scholarships could affect their overall aid eligibility.
• One-Time Scholarships: Many scholarships are non-renewable, meaning they are limited to one year. For these scholarships, it’s important to help students consider costs beyond the first year and ensure that their college decision won’t become unaffordable without the scholarship.
• Renewal Requirements: Renewable scholarships often have specific requirements, such as maintaining a minimum GPA or participating in community activities, that students must fulfill to continue receiving the scholarship. Ensuring students understand these renewal requirements can help set appropriate expectations and prevent surprises later on.
• Scholarship Scams: Students should be cautious of scholarship opportunities that require payment to apply, guarantee an award, or unnecessarily request sensitive financial information. Encourage students to verify the organization offering the scholarship before sharing personal or financial information.

Sharing these challenges you've seen other students encounter can help new applicants learn from your experience and avoid similar pitfalls.

Celebrate Scholarship Winners

Winning a scholarship is a fantastic accomplishment! Celebrating scholarship winners is not just about recognizing students' hard work; it also helps make the scholarship process more tangible for other students. It sends a message that scholarships are achievable and motivates future seniors to apply. Sharing success stories can build a community expectation around applying for scholarships and make the school community more excited to support students as they apply.

Applying for college scholarships is a critical step toward making college more affordable for students and their families. Winning a scholarship can significantly shape a student’s college trajectory by making previously unaffordable options accessible or by reducing their loan debt. By creating a plan to support students throughout the scholarship journey, you can help reduce the burden on yourself, your fellow teachers and counselors, and the school community while helping students access more scholarship opportunities and submit stronger applications.