Scholarships

• "Competitive" Scholarship
  A money award for college that only a small number of the applicants win. Since the competition is tough, these scholarships usually have higher requirements and can offer bigger amounts of money.
• FAFSA
  Stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It’s the main online form you fill out to apply for financial aid from the government, colleges, and some scholarships. Everyone going to school after high school should fill this out)
• Federal
  Refers to the U.S. government—federal financial aid comes from national programs like FAFSA, grants, or student loans.
• Funds
  Another word for "money"
• Institutional Scholarship
  A money award that is given to you by the actual college you have been accepted to attend. 
• Internal Scholarships
  A money award that is offered by employers or organizations to their employees or their members
• Merit Based 
  Money given for college based on your achievements, like good grades, test scores, or talents (not based on family income
• Need Based
  Money given to help pay for college based on your family’s financial situation.
• "One Time"
  This means the scholarship will only be given out ONCE. So you'll receive the funds for your first year of college, but NOT the second, third, or fourth years. 
• "Outside" or "Private" Scholarship
  A money award that is not given by a specific college. Instead they come from private donors, companies, social clubs like the Masons or Elk Lodge, churches, etc. 
• "Renews" or "Renewable" 
  This means the scholarship money can be distributed EACH year of college. These types of scholarships often require students to meet some sort of condition each year to receive the funds again. For example, you might have to maintain a 3.0 GPA or remain on the Gymnastics team, etc. 
• Room and Board
  The cost of living on campus (your dorm room) and your meal plan (food).
• "Stackable" Or "Stacking"
  This means that the scholarship does NOT prevent the recipient from also receiving other scholarships. So the student can "stack" several scholarships together to help lower the cost of college. 
• Total Cost of Attendance
  The full price of going to college for one year, including tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other expenses.
• Tuition
  The cost of your classes at a college or university.

• A+ Scholarship Program
  If financing college is going to be difficult, check out the A+ Scholarship program. Students who enroll in the A+ program and meet all of the requirements are eligible for tuition reimbursement (FREE) for two years at any community college or some technical college in Missouri. 
   Students can either earn their Associate's degree or transfer to a 4 year college. 

Learn More About Missouri's A+ Scholarship Program 
 

• "Bright Flight" Scholarship (Officially named the "Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program") 
  This is one of the most well-known scholarships provided by the State of Missouri. This is a merit-based scholarship. 
  There are several criteria but the main one is a high score on the ACT test which entitles qualifiers for a $1,000 or $3,000 scholarship annually. 

Learn More About Missouri's Bright Flight Scholarship

The easiest type of scholarship to receive is an "institutional" scholarship - money awards given by the actual school you plan to attend. 

Many institutional scholarships are not competitive and given to every student that meets a certain criteria (for example, 3.5 GP and 28 on ACT). 

Other times an institutional scholarship requires you to take additional steps - write an essay, interview, submit a scholarship-specific application, audition, etc. 

IMPORTANT - Some colleges with rolling admission also have a “priority date” you need to meet if you want to be considered for their scholarships. This means you must apply to the school by that date, and only admitted students will be reviewed for institutional scholarships. For example, if a college’s scholarship deadline is January 1 and you apply in March, you might still be admitted—but you wouldn’t qualify for their scholarships.

To find out what institutional scholarships you may be eligible for contact the Admissions Office and/or the Financial Aid office at the colleges in which you are interested

IMPORTANT - when you create your account for any of these local search tools, create an email account just for scholarships. These tools may use your email address to send you lots of notices or marketing messages from their affiliates. It can really clog up your email Inbox quickly!

• SchooLinks
  Has a scholarship search feature, called "Scholarship Matching". Any scholarships that are sent to South High or Parkway to advertise are entered into SchooLinks. 

Learn to Navigate "Scholarship Matching"

• My Scholarship Central
  This search tool helps students in Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, and the Metro East find the scholarship providers that serve their area. 

Go to My Scholarship Central

The following scholarship search tools "match" you with local, national, and international scholarship opportunities. The majority are competitive scholarships. The ones with the highest dollar amounts will usually be the hardest to win. 

IMPORTANT - when you create your account for any of these national search tools, create an email account just for scholarships. These tools may use your email address to send you lots of notices or marketing messages from their affiliates. It can really clog up your email Inbox quickly!

• Appily.com (formerly, CapEx) 
  Appily boasts its the largest, multi-billion dollar scholarship search tool. It offers free accounts. 
   
• College Board's "Big Future"
  Enter your information to find matches from over 6,000 programs, totaling over $4 billion scholarship dollars yearly.
   
• FastWeb.com
  Sign up for a free, personalized scholarship search engine containing 1.3 million outside scholarships worth over $3 billion.
   
• Sallie Mae Scholarship Search
  This tool from the Sallie Mae family allows you to easily find and sort through thousands of college scholarships.  This tool offers personalized filtering options to find scholarships that fit your background, major, state, and more.
   
• Unigo
  This site has 1,000's of scholarships, but you can save time by using their advanced search filters to match who you are with the right scholarships.

Don't forget to check for internal scholarships! The dollar amounts for internal scholarships may be smaller, but they are a lot less competitive and they are usually stackable. 

Below are some sources you could contact to see if they offer scholarships:

• Parent/guardian's employer
• Parent/guardian's social clubs (sorority/fraternity, the Mason's, etc) 
• Your bank or credit union
• Your place of worship
•  Local businesses you frequent

BEWARE OF SCAMS -
Not all scholarships are real—some are scams. Be cautious when applying online. If a scholarship asks you to pay a fee to apply or to "unlock" your eligibility, it’s likely a scam.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a helpful resource to show you how to spot fake scholarships and protect yourself.

How to Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams

While there are a few scholarships open to Juniors, most scholarships are for Seniors. 

Deadlines TYPICALLY range from October through March of your Senior year.

BUT, there could be some scholarship deadlines earlier than that. If earning scholarships is a big part of your college financial planning creating an account on the scholarship search engines in January of your junior year could be a good idea. 

If you choose to use some of the scholarship search engines, be sure to check back often. The lists will update as information about new scholarship opportunities are added. 

Searching and applying for scholarships can be as time-consuming as a part-time job, but many students have found great success when willing to devote efforts towards this endeavor.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before deciding to apply:

• Do you meet the criteria listed in the scholarship description?
• When is the deadline? Do you have time to complete it?
• How competitive is it? Is winning the scholarship likely?
• Is this scholarship available for one or more years?
• If renewable, what grades or other criteria do you need to maintain the
  scholarship, if awarded?
• Are you still eligible for the scholarship if you change majors?
• Will winning this scholarship impact my financial aid? (Learn more about this question in the panel below)

The short answer is "Yes, it could . . . "

You have to report any outside scholarships you earn to the college you’ll be attending.

If the total amount of your scholarships and financial aid is more than your school’s estimated Cost of Attendance (COA), it can affect your financial aid. Colleges can’t give you much more than your calculated financial need.

Here’s the basic formula:

Cost of Attendance (COA) – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Calculated Need (also called Demonstrated Financial Need)

Some colleges promise to cover all of your demonstrated need, while others don’t—leaving what’s called a “gap.” If your school leaves a gap, outside scholarships can usually help fill it. If there’s no gap, the college will likely reduce parts of your aid package if you bring in outside scholarships. Usually, they’ll start by lowering loans or work-study before touching the grants and scholarships they’ve given you. Sometimes, they may also let you use your scholarship to reduce your Expected Family Contribution.

Since each college has its own policy, the best thing you can do is ask your financial aid office directly. Be open and honest—they can’t help you if they don’t know your situation. And remember, at some schools, you can try negotiating. For example, if they want to reduce a grant because of your scholarship, you can ask if they’ll reduce a loan or work-study instead.

Additional Articles on This Topic:

How Does a Scholarship Affect My Student Aid? by FSA StudentAid.gov

How Outside Scholarships Affect Your Student Aid Package? by College Board

How to Apply for Scholarships - CollegeEssayGuy.com

• Start early and stay organized – Keep track of deadlines, required documents, and application steps so nothing slips through the cracks.

• Apply for a mix of scholarships – Don’t just go for the big national ones; local and smaller awards often have less competition.

• Follow directions exactly – If the scholarship asks for a specific format, word count, or document, make sure you provide it.

• Personalize your essays – Show who you are, what you’ve done, and why you’re a great fit for the award—don’t copy and paste the same essay for every application.

• Don’t stop after senior year – Many scholarships are available for current college students, so keep applying each year.

Here are five common mistakes to avoid when applying for college scholarships:

1. Missing deadlines – Even the best application won’t matter if it’s late.

2. Submitting incomplete applications – Forgetting documents or skipping questions can disqualify you.

3. Ignoring the instructions – Not following essay prompts, word counts, or format requirements can hurt your chances.

4. Using generic or sloppy essays – Reusing the same essay without tailoring it to the scholarship makes you less memorable.

5. Overlooking small or local scholarships – Focusing only on big national awards means missing out on less competitive opportunities.