If you’d like to lower the cost of your college education, applying for scholarships now is a good place to start. Many scholarships are designed for high schoolers and there are a variety of things you can do to make yourself a more competitive applicant. Read on to learn how to secure the most money you can through scholarships. 

Scholarships are the top choice for collegiate financial aid because there is no repayment required. Scholarships are free money to go towards your tuition and fees. 

Each scholarship program has its own eligibility requirements and selection process. In most cases, you need to meet the stated criteria and apply for the award by the deadline. For a scholarship with a minimal application, you may only need to supply your name, contact information, and age. 

Some scholarship programs require high school seniors to have a certain GPA, submit a personal essay or creative work, or show that they’ve performed community service. Others are based on athletic achievements, and some are awarded more like prizes or drawings, which you can win simply by being chosen randomly.

Apply Now. There are plenty of scholarships available to high school juniors and seniors, but many programs allow early applications, so you don’t have to wait until your senior year. The earlier you can start your search, the more chances you have of earning scholarship money.

See What’s Available. Some assume that scholarships are only available to high school athletes or students with exceptional academic performance, but those aren’t the only scholarships available.

A quick scholarship search online will show you countless opportunities and remember to keep an eye out for scholarships geared towards your unique talents or experiences.

Think Ahead. Many of the decisions you make in high school can affect your odds of winning merit scholarships, including the high school you attend. You can give yourself the best chance of getting chosen by making strategic decisions about your school, classes, and extracurriculars.

For example, did you know attending a smaller school can increase your likelihood of earning a scholarship? Some scholarships are awarded to one student per school, so choosing a school with smaller class sizes could mean less competition and more money for you.

At the Rose Academies, we’re proud to offer small class sizes and one-on-one instruction in an environment where everyone knows your name. This is a bonus that not only leads to better academic outcomes, but the possibility of more scholarship allocation for each of our students. We invite you to learn more and enroll today with a visit to our website.

A community college also called a junior college, offers students a two-year degree known as an associate degree. There are four types of associate degrees, each of which helps you prepare for a different academic field or occupation. Some are meant to be transferred to a four-year institution, while others are career-specific and help prepare you for employment shortly after you obtain your associate’s degree.

A community college gives you a chance to test the waters at a drastically lower cost than a four-year university. You can explore different classes or fields to determine if you really want to pursue your chosen major, or, you might even discover that college isn’t for you and you would rather attend a technical college or enter a field that doesn’t require a secondary degree.

There are many benefits to attending a community college. No matter which college you attend, whether that’s a two-year or four-year college, or which major you choose, your first two years will mainly consist of the same set of classes. Attending a community college enables you to get all your basic classes out of the way while saving a significant amount of money. Even if you intend to transfer to a four-year university, this drastically reduces the amount of money you’ll have to borrow. 

What many students don’t realize is that you can still apply for scholarships and financial aid for community college, and there’s often less competition than for scholarships from a four-year university. Lowering your attendance cost even further.

At the Rose Academies, we offer a Pima Community College Reimbursement Scholarship for students ages 16 and older who are interested in earning college credit while enrolled in high school. This is a great way to earn credit toward your college degree while also earning credits that counts toward your high school diploma. We invite you to learn more and enroll today with a visit to our website.