I need to start applying for scholarships, but I don’t even know where to start! I’ve signed up for some websites that are supposed to find scholarships for you, but none of those have been any help. My school isn’t being very helpful either, and I just don’t know where to go from here. My top school(UC Davis) had a bunch of scholarships on their website, was I entered in for them when I applied to the school? Because I keep googling them to try to find more information and everything leads me back to Davis’s website. Maybe I’m just being completely stupid, but I’m so confused and could really use some help. Any advice is welcome!
Can you talk to UCDavis office of admissions?
Have you been accepted to any schools? All students should have a safety (a school they’re sure to get into, that they’ll be able to afford, and will be happy to attend). This can be a community college or a 4-year school that’s within commuting distance.
Some students qualify for federal Pell grants. You can find out if you do by completing the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid). If your family’s income is within the limits (I think under $60k/year) you can qualify for up to about $5k/year in grant money. Some states have their own grants too, but the best aid comes from colleges themselves. Each one has a Net Price Calculator on its website that you can fill out to get an idea of how much that school will cost your family. Some colleges give need based aid (calculated using their own formula) which can be in the form of grants or loans. They may also have merit aid. If your stats are high enough (CR+M SAT score, GPA, and/or ACT score) you may be able to get a grant from some colleges. Check the websites of the schools you’re interested in to see if they have any scholarships. There’s also a thread at the top of the Financial Aid forum that lists colleges that give guaranteed awards based on certain scores. Students can take out federal loans of up to $5500 as a freshman, $5500 as a sophomore, and $7500 each year as a junior and senior, but I think you have to fill out the FAFSA to be eligible for those.
How many schools have you applied to? How much can your parents pay for school each year? Are you in state for UC Davis? Do you know if you qualify for Pell? Give us some details so the experienced posters can help you better.
What year are you? Junior? Senior?
senior
Yeah, I would certainly say talk to admissions. Many colleges do automatically consider applicants for scholarships. but it’s them you’d have to ask. Email an admissions rep and ask them.
Did you retake ACT? You scores look great and may qualify for UC regents. Did you also apply to other UCs like UCSC? I think the chances for regents may be better there.