If you’re stressing out right now just thinking about the work you’ll put in to find free money for school, take a deep breath. We’ve got you covered.
You know what’s great? Free money. Free money feels so good.
Now that you’ve graduated high-school (the best, or worst, years of your life, depending on who you ask) and you're out on your own, who is ever going to give you free money?
Whether you’re still getting some allowance from your parents or not, college bills are beginning to stack up. So what’s your way around that? Scholarships.
Even if you don’t have loans, scholarships are free money and can help fund everything from books, housing, tuition, or even a study abroad trip. They require a little bit of work to apply, but how many hours of your time would you say is worth spending three months in Italy learning about Fashion, or not having to shell out hundreds in cash for textbooks? Scholarships are your golden ticket. But knowing where to look can be tough.
If you’re stressing out right now just thinking about the work you’re going to have to do (so. many. tabs. open.), take a deep breath and simmer down. We’ve got you covered:
Here are our top 10 favorite websites to help students find scholarships
Search for the ones that suit your major or financial needs:
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These guys will give you stats on how likely your application is to be accepted! Plus it's easy to use and you have access to over $11 billion in scholarships: Cappex.com
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Easy to search for what you’re looking for among the 1.5 million scholarship options listed. This could be your savings grace: Fastweb.com
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Niche will tell you everything you need to know about what college you’re considering, and maybe some you haven’t thought of, all while showing you hidden scholarship options that the others have missed: Niche.com
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Not only scholarships, but also insider info on your top schools: Zinch.com
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Need your parents buy-in before you pay the application fee?: SimpleTuition.com
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Founded in 1900 (woah...) the official College Board is one of the oldest educational-based organizations still helping students find scholarship money today: www.collegeboard.org
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SallieMae isn't just for loans anymore. There is an official "Scholarship Search by SallieMae now available, helping connect students to their ideal scholarships based on the field of study they are most interested in: www.salliemae.com/college-planning
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Aptly named scholarships.com hosts one of the largest scholarship databases out there, and get this. It's updated daily: www.scholarships.com
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Widely known for its online textbook store offering textbooks to students on the cheap, is actually also a great resource for finding scholarships -- more than 25,000 of them: www.chegg.com
And finally, number 10:
Okay, this one might not be a website per se, but it's still an excellent resource for college scholarships. Research your local community bank or credit union to see if they offer scholarships. DepositAccounts.com is a great resource to find banks in your area that offer great rates, but also who might be in the business of giving.
As a credit union, a financial institution that doesn’t pay taxes, they are required to give back to their community. More times than not, this comes in the form of scholarship money. Community banks are very tied to their communities and will regularly dish out money too!
If you’re in the market for a new bank account, this should be your first stop, as some accounts will pay you interest on your checking and refund ATM fees nationwide.
Good luck with your search!