Getting a scholarship may open opportunities that otherwise would have been completely out of your reach – after all, it is their purpose. And today, in the age when higher education gets, on the one hand, more and more expensive, and on the other hand – more and more crucial, finding and getting a suitable scholarship is more important than ever. It may mean all the difference between failure and success not just in education, but in life.
However, if you ever tried to find a scholarship that would suit you, you should know that there are millions of them available all over the world. It, on the one hand, is comforting to know that there are so many opportunities around – but on the other hand, finding yours among them is next to impossible. That’s what scholarship search engines can help you with.
1. College Board’s Scholarship Search
College Board’s engine covers more than 2,200 programs providing in total about $6 billion in scholarships. In order to use the engine and receive the list of scholarships you are eligible for you have to fill in a number of forms specifying information about yourself. The tips to get the best results are more or less universal for all search engines: try to be as specific as possible and provide as detailed information about yourself as you can. There are numerous grounds on which you may have a right to receive a scholarship – fortunately, here they are organized in a comprehensive manner that makes sure you won’t forget anything.
2. SallieMae
SallieMae is not simply a search engine, it is a system that helps you keep an eye on the changes in provided scholarships and quickly react to them. More than 3 million scholarships offering about $18 billion are covered – you may either search among them and see which you can apply for in your situation or sign up and receive mails when new scholarships matching your requirements are posted.
3. Petersen’s
Petersen’s engine shows up fewer results, but it is easier and quicker to use than SallieMae, for it asks only a couple of questions before providing an answer. Still, 1.5 million scholarships totaling to more than $10 billion is probably more than enough to choose from.
4. SALT
SALT is interesting because it is not just a search engine, but an entire system of student assistance. After you register with the service, you get access to information about scholarships and how to apply for them to increase your chances, where and how to look for them and much more.
5. International Student
International Student is probably one of the most well-known search engines of this kind, and probably the best suited for the needs of those who are willing to try their luck at gaining a scholarship abroad. Comfortable design, comprehensive information about awards and their conditions, easily organized search – all to your convenience.
Scholarship is like a student loan you don’t have to repay – yet astonishingly high number of young people who need them and can benefit from them end up never applying for one. We hope this list will help you make up your mind and do it.