Institutional Scholarships

• Many colleges offer institutional scholarships that pay part or all of a student's tuition. Institutions often offer scholarships for athletics, academic success and specialized achievement or interest in a particular field of study. Many schools also offer merit-based scholarships awards along with admission. In other words, to apply for these scholarships, you must only apply for admission to the university. For departmental and athletic scholarships, in most cases, you must still meet specific GPA and SAT or ACT scores before you are admitted, even if you have been contacted about one of these specialized scholarships.
  
  

Government Aid

• Although some government agencies do offer merit-based scholarships, a government grant or loan is not the same thing as a scholarship. Students apply for financial aid from the federal government by first filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). They are then notified whether they have been approved for grants and/or low-interest loans, as through the Pell grant program.
  
  

Private Scholarships

• Private scholarships are those offered by companies, foundations, charities and other organizations. In most cases, private scholarships are given in the form of checks, Sometimes those checks are made out to you, and other times they are made out to you and the university that you hope to be admitted to. Some private scholarships also allow you to use the funds for living costs, books and other expenses, while others require that the scholarships be used only for tuition.
  
  

Private Scholarships and Admission

• Because they are not affiliated with the university, private scholarships generally have no bearing on admission, unless they are prestigious enough to make you look like a good candidate for the school. However, if you do not get accepted to the college to which you were hoping to go, you may need to contact the organization for a new check. If you are not admitted to a college at all, you may have to give the scholarship back, or you may have a grace period of a few years in which you may use it.