Following is information on several types of scholarship opportunities:

• The first link provides information on the various competitive scholarships that are awarded by colleges and universities. (This is not an exhaustive list, so also check the websites of the colleges in which you are interested to see what they offer.)

• The second link contains information on more scholarship opportunities.

• The third link contains information on local scholarships.

• The fourth link contains information about the prestigious Kesseler Centralis Scholarship.

• The fifth link takes you to Scholar Snapp, a website that makes it faster and easier for you to connect to scholarships that will help you pursue a college degree. 

• The sixth link takes you to College Board, an organization that connects students to college success.

An important consideration is time; make sure that you know the deadlines for each scholarship so you don't miss out. Many of the competitive scholarships have deadlines of November 1.

Scroll through all the links so you don't miss anything; there may very well be good scholarships out there for you. Links are provided for many major scholarships; use them to find out what you may be eligible for; then fill out stellar applications.

Competitive Scholarships for Top Students
More Scholarship Opportunities
Local Scholarships
Kesseler Centralis Scholarship
Scholar Snapp (This site helps students save time by allowing you to move your own personal information between application forms)
College Board (Scholar Snapp functionality is now available through this site)

TIP, the Tuition Incentive Program, pays for the first two years of college and beyond for students who graduate from high school or complete their GEDs. To be eligible, you must have been Medicaid-eligible for 24 months within 36 consecutive months from the time you were in middle school. If you are eligible, you have been sent a letter. If you think you are eligible but have lost the letter, please see your counselor ASAP. To get TIP funds, you must apply before graduation.

Marianne "Angel" Ragins knew by the seventh grade that she wanted to go to college and that financing her education would be her sole responsibility. She spent more than 200 hours filling out scholarship applications, often late at night after completing homework and after working 30 hours per week. Her hard work paid off in the result of over $315,000 in scholarship money -- possibly the largest sum ever received by one student -- and all of it through non-athletic awards. Ragins has since written a book, Winning Scholarships For College, in which she offers tips to students and parents applying for college scholarships. Below are the rules she emphasizes in her book:

Keep your slate clean and stay out of trouble. The faculty writes your recommendations, so keep them on your good side

Straight A's don't do it alone. A lot of students have good grades and test scores but don't get financial aid. Take part in school activities and community groups. They show your potential.

There's lots of money out there. Librarians can show you where to look. If you take the SAT or ACT, check "yes" in the Student Search Service box; you'll be bombarded with brochures. Read them all. Decide what you're interested in.

As senior year starts, look back over all you have done--academics, athletics, clubs, community and church work--and be sure to put everything on applications. For easy access, keep copies of personal essays, transcripts and reference letters on file.

It takes a lot of time to fill out all those forms, but -- if you're reasonably talented -- it should be no problem at all to find money for college.

The Counseling Department makes every attempt to check that the links we provide are reputable, but students should still read and understand each site's terms of use and privacy policies before using them. Beware of any sites you may encounter that may not be legitimate.

Some basic rules for safe searching are:

• Never provide financial information.

• Do not pay for information -- either to apply for the scholarship or to receive the scholarship. You should never have to give money to apply for or to receive a scholarship.

• Always use reputable sources for your search. Many phony websites are set up to trick you into providing personal or financial information.

• Know that you can find all information about scholarships yourself. This information is freely available, and you do not need special access to get it.

This page contains links to outside sources. The Crawford AuSable School District is not responsible for any content housed/published on those sites.