Hello, I am a High School Junior currently searching around for colleges in-state and out-of-state. I was wondering, can I apply to a college specific scholarship before I even apply to that college or I have applied but I haven't gotten my acceptance letter yet? For example, I plan on applying to the University of Connecticut but I don't know if I will be able to afford to go there just yet. I want to apply for their scholarships that would help me afford going there, but can I even do that before I am accepted? I don't want to enroll there and then realize I can't even afford it. I live in Kentucky so I will be paying out-of-state tuition. I know there are plenty of none college specific scholarships but a lot of these college specific scholarships have deadlines that I don't want to miss when I become a senior. If I know I won a certain scholarship then I know I can enroll to that certain college since money won't be as big as an issue.
Thank you for your time.
You can usually apply for scholarships after you apply to the school and before and after you receive your acceptance (depending on the scholarship deadline and acceptance notification date).
Usually you apply for scholarships right after you apply to the school. You don’t wait.
You have to apply to the school to apply for their scholarships. But you will know what you are going to get before you have to choose a school. After you apply to a college, and separately apply to their scholarships if a separate application is necessary you will get a financial aid and scholarship letter with your acceptance or shortly after. You usually have a deadline around May to accept the college or not. So you can compare offers first.
For many schools, you just need to apply EA and you will be automatically considered for their merit scholarship. There is no point for them to review a merit scholarship application before a student even apply to them. Most likely, they would review your application for merit aid at the time or after your admission is granted.