Can you apply for a scholarship/grant before being accepted to a college? If I receive a scholarship and have yet to get accepted how will the school I finally get accepted in receive the money? Does that make sense?
You will need to apply for most scholarships while you are also applying to colleges. If you are awarded an outside scholarship, the scholarship organization will have steps for you to follo so that the money goes to the college you decide to attend. Also the college you choose will have its own requirements for steps you need to follow to keep them informed.
Some schools do have separate applications for scholarships and most often you do need to apply for those before you are accepted.
If you aren’t accepted, you won’t receive a scholarship that you could use at another school. Many outside scholarships can only be used in the state where the (usually high school) student lives.
And many outside local scholarships can be used…anywhere. My kids got $5000 in outside scholarships for freshman year only…and neither of them went to college in the state of our residence or their high school.
@twoinanddone honestly…I’ve never heard if a restriction on outside scholarships unless they specifically are earmarked for instate use. None of our local ones were.
And the larger outside scholarships (questbridge, Coke, etc) don’t have to be used instate either.
The outside scholarships (not awarded by specific colleges) could be used anywhere. It’s scholarships awarded by specific schools that can’t be used elsewhere.
To answer the OPs question…if you are fortunate enough to earn an outside scholarship (not from a college), the awarding agency will have a means for you to use it at the college to which you matriculate.