SEARCH FOR AN OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIP
Common Outside Scholarship Search Engines
U.S Citizen & Eligible Non-Citizen Students
Foreign Students
In addition, most high schools have information regarding local scholarship opportunities and many employers have scholarship programs for the children of employees.
Advice on Applying for Outside Scholarships
- Do Your Research
- Register for the search engines listed on this page
- Visit your school’s guidance and/or college counseling office for information on scholarships
- Check in with your parents’ employer to see if they offer scholarships for children of employees
- Create a separate email account just for your scholarship search
- Use free services such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.)
- Make sure you meet all deadlines
- Start researching the summer before you apply to college; some scholarships may have deadlines in the fall of your senior year
- Give your teachers/counselors/employers plenty of advance notice to prepare a recommendation
- Don’t wait until deadline day! There are never penalties for submitting early, but you may often lose out if your miss the deadlines by even a day
*** You should never have to pay for a scholarship search. All of the websites listed above are free of charge ***
How do outside scholarships affect my Columbia financial aid award?
The scholarships you receive from outside sources will be used to reduce the
work study portion of your financial aid package. For example, if you are
awarded a $2,000 National Merit Scholarship, your work study expectation will
be reduced by the full $2,000. Only after your work study has been completely
eliminated will your scholarships begin to reduce any Columbia Grant you may
have received.