I was wondering what the best independent scholarships are / where I can find a good comprehensive list of them? Also I was wondering, are there any independent scholarships that you’ve seen that can apply to non-college programs ( such as study abroad/boarding school)?
Just for more info I don’t apply for financial aid like anywhere so, I would meet merit based scholarships not need-based ones.
Thanks for all your help!!
The best merit scholarships come from the colleges to which you are admitted. So…start looking for colleges where your SAT or ACT and GPA will put you in the running for merit awards.
You can look at the section here about scholarships…but do keep in mind that most of the large outside scholarships have a financial need component to them as well. There are a couple that don’t.
If you are asking about boarding school…are you a high school student? Again…the schools awards will be the best you will see…at places where you get accepted.
You are implying that you don’t intend to apply for financial aid anywhere and will be full pay? Is that correct?
If so, you also want to look for options that are less costly.
How much will your parents pay each year.
I am in high school right now ( going into my junior year). I can technically graduate after this year but my parents and I have been looking into other options (like boarding school) that would be a change of pace from my normal school for my senior year.
No I’m not planning to apply for financial aid anywhere. I have older siblings who all were told they they wouldn’t apply as need based so I don’t really have that option.
For college, the budget that my parents have given me is about 35 per year including room and board so if I want to go out of state or somewhere private I need good merit aid opportunities.
Most of the outside scholarships are for specific interests or talents - engineering, music, Miss America, boy scouts. Some local scholarships are not as interest specific but may be awarded for an essay, a video, a photograph. Even the local scholarships may have restrictions, like must be used instate or can only major in business.
There is no list.
If you are looking at private schools, you should still apply for need based. With a cost of attendance of 70,000 many people that don’t normally qualify for anything, do. Also, many schools require that to be completed to be considered for merit!
Most of the local scholarships my son applied to could only be used in our state. The local ones also were one time only, so not renewable. Little ones add up though!
The likelihood of getting one of the national merit based awards is slim. Especially because some take need into account even when they say not necessarily need based. My son applied to every single thing he could. He googled, listened to his career counselor at school, and was on top of it. No list existed…He was a semi finalist in 3 major national scholarships. The rejections hurt!