Beginning January 1, 1998, taxpayers may be eligible to claim a nonrefundable Hope Scholarship Credit against their federal income taxes. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/HOPE/tax_qa/sec1.htmlVERY IMPORTANT: Make an appointment with the financial aid office at the college or university you have applied to and talk to them about scholarships that you qualify for. They will have the most current information.
IT IS READY FOR YOU TO SEARCH: Check out http://www.thewashboard.org/ for scholarships!! There are currently 50 scholarship providers from across the state registered and more are being added every day!!
WSECU (Washington State Employees Credit Union) SCHOLARSHIPS: 20 scholarships of $2,000 each to recipients attending a four-year or graduate school and seven scholarshis of $1,000 each to students studying at a two-year or vocational school. For families who are members of WSECU. Accepting applications thru March 1st. To apply go to www.wsecu.org and click on "Scholarships."
Washington State School Retirees' Association: Invites seniors to apply for the Sixteen Robert J. Handy (PEMCO-Foundation, Inc.) Scholarships and nine WSSR-Foundation Scholarships. Each year WSSRA selects outstanding high school seniors who are committed to entering the teaching profession (e.g. classroom teacher, school counselor, school nurse, commuinication disorder specialist, school physical therapists, school psychologist, reading specialist, lilbrarian, etc.) to receive these scholarships. Scholarships range from $900 to $1,500. Applications must be submitted by March 9, 2010. Applications are available and can be filled out online and emailed to the WSSRA District Representative for the student's area directly from their computer. The Applications can be found at www.wssra.org. The username for the application is student and the password is 2010.
Washington State PTA Scholarships: The application form is available on the Washington State PTA website at: www.wastatepta.org/programs/scholarship/index.html . Applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2010. Scholarships available for four-year colleges, community colleges, vocational-technical schools or other accredited institutions.
Washington Association of School Administrators and PEMCO Foundation offer the 21st Century Educators Scholarship to high school seniors. Three $4,000 scholarships are available to seniors who plan to pursue a career in education. Any high school senior in Washington State who has a cumulative GPA of 3.0, exhibits leadership in a wide variety of activities, and intends to pursue a career in education, is encouraged to apply for this scholarship. The application must be received in the WASA office no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 15, 2010. Forms are available at www.wasa-oly.org/services/schol10.pdf .
USA Funds Access to Education Scholarships: Accepting applications online at www.usafunds.org/scholarships between December 15, 2009 through February 15, 2010. Priority will be given to students with financial need. Awards given in the amount of $1,500.
American Indian Endowed Scholarship: The Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) is now accepting applications for the 2010-11 American Indian Endowed Scholarship (AIES) awards. Applications must be mailed to HECB and postmarked by February 1, 2010. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, and be a Washington resident student with close social and cultural ties to an American Indian tribe. Applicants must also be enrolled at an in-state public or independent college or university as a full-time student by fall term 2010. Applications are available at www.hecb.wa.gov/paying/waaidprgm/aies.asp . Mail to: Higher Education Coordinating Board, Student Financial Assistance Division, 917 Lakeridge Way SW, 917 Lakeridge Way SW, PO Box 43430, Olympia, WA 98504-3430.
Lewis-Clark State College Scholarships: for an applications go to www.lcsc.edu/financialaid/scholarships.htm . For more information contact the Financial Aid Office 1-800-933-5272 or 208-792-2224. Reminder the scholarship application is separate from the admission application!
You or your parents worked at least 75 days in the past 24 months in migrant or seasonal farmwork which includes: agriculture, dairy, poultry, livestock production, cultivation or harvesting trees or fish farming. The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) http://camp.wsu.edu/ provides assistance for eligible students from migrant or seasonal farmworker backgrounds by recruiting them into higher education and providing them with academic support services to ensure successful completion of their freshman year in college.
GovBenefits.gov (www.GovBenefits.gov) is the official benefits website of the U.S. Government.This website provides access and information to more than 1,000 benefit and assistance programs including, numerous education related programs.Some of the student benefit programs on GovBenefits.gov include: Federal Pell Grants, PLUS Parent Loans, TRIO: Student Support Services, Advanced Placement Test Fee Program, Federal Work-Study, Freida J. Riley Teacher Award.
www.scholarships.com: Information links on Scholarships; Why Go to College; 7 Excuses Not to Go To College; 10 Ways To Jumpstart College Planning; 20 Questions To Ask Your Guidance Counselor; Financial Aid Myths; Action Plan for High School Seniors; Extracurricular Activities; The Benefits Of Volunteering; and Jobs That Require A College Education.
AnyCollege.Netwww.anycollege.com , which is a free online college directory that students use to search for colleges. Students may go to the website and search for colleges based on the type of program, school, location or sport they are interested in. We then give them a list of colleges that match their search, and they are able to request information, apply online, and read about the colleges. We have a $2,000 scholarship that we award to four students every year. It’s a random drawing so any student is welcome to apply.
Directory of Scholarship Websites is exclusively published by FreeScholarshipGuide, LLC for distribution solely onwww.FreeScholarshipGuide.com
Gonzaga’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program is a four year concentration that provides students an opportunity to develop the knowledge, experience, leadership skills, and values essential for creating new ventures.Open to students with any intended major, including business, engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, math, education, and liberal arts.Applications for students are available at www.gonzaga.edu/entrepreneur.
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) helps out of state students reduce tuition costs.The student applies to his or her choice of institutions and indicates that WUE status is desired, and the institution responds directly to the student.The student must prominently mark on the application for admission that he/she seeks admissions as a WUE student.
Eastern Washington University Scholarships apply on-line at www.ewu.edu/financialaid and click on EWU scholarships.
Imagine American Scholarship Program has a website scholarship search at: www.imagine-america.org/about-the-scholarship.html . Information on finding a career college, choosing a career, scholarships, how to apply, etc.
*See the following article for several scholarship searches.
Where the College Scholarships Are
Develop Your Scholarship Strategy
Although most student aid comes in the form of federal education loans and grants from colleges, scholarships -- with their lure of "free money" -- get a huge amount of attention from students and their parents. If you decide to invest your time in a search for scholarships, it's important to have an organized system to find, apply for, and win scholarship money.
Start With a Personal Inventory
The smaller the geographical area a scholarship covers, the better your chances of winning. Most of the information you will be asked for on a scholarship search questionnaire will be easy to come up with -- year in school, citizenship, state of residence, religion, ethnic background, disability, military status, employer, membership organizations, and so forth.
Beyond those questions, you will have to give some thought to your academic, extracurricular, and career plans. You should ask yourself:
Do I want to participate in a competition? If so, what are my talents and interests?
What subject do I plan to major in?
What career do I plan to pursue?
Do I want to apply for all types of aid or only scholarships?
Your answers to these questions will help determine your scholarship eligibility. Take your time brainstorming and don't overlook anything -- the more personal characteristics you discover, the more scholarships you could potentially apply for.
Research Local Scholarships First
In general, the smaller the geographical area a scholarship covers, the better your chances of winning. Begin with your high school guidance office. Counselors will know about scholarships for students graduating from your high school. They may also be aware of scholarships for residents of your town, county, and state.
Your next stop should be the college aid section of your public library. Most libraries will have a number of books about financial aid, including scholarship guides such as the College Board's Scholarship Handbook. They also may have information on local scholarships.
Then it's time to start looking at large national scholarships such as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), National Merit, Gates Millennium, Intel Science, Coca-Cola, and Robert Byrd.
Check Membership Organizations and Employers
You should never have to pay for scholarship information. Organizations of all types and sizes sponsor scholarships -- leave no stone unturned. Explore categories you might not have considered, such as religious, community service, fraternal, military, union, and professional.
And don't forget your parents. Many large companies offer scholarships or tuition programs for children of employees. If you are uncertain, ask your parent to check with his or her human resources department.
Don't overlook student jobs. Employers like fast food chains, department stores, and supermarkets often give scholarships. Awards related to student employment can come from unexpected sources. For example, there are a number of scholarships for golf caddies.
Use a Free Scholarship Search Service
A scholarship search company collects information on hundreds of awards and compares your student characteristics with scholarship restrictions. Based on your answers to a questionnaire, you will receive a list of possible scholarships. It is up to you to decide which ones you will try for.
You should never have to pay for scholarship information. If you're asked to pay a fee for "exclusive" scholarship leads, there's a good chance your scholarship service is really a scholarship scam.
Almost every state has a scholarship program for residents -- keep in mind, however, that awards are usually limited to students who attend college in-state. For example, the State of Florida offers Bright Futures scholarships to academically-qualified Floridians who decide to attend in-state colleges and universities.
Research Institutional Scholarships
Since the vast majority of all scholarship money is disbursed by colleges, it makes sense to research what kinds of scholarships are available at the schools that interest you. Check out college websites, catalogs, and financial aid offices for this information. Institutional awards can be offered on a university-wide basis, or within a particular college or major. Eligibility for such awards can be based on merit, financial need, intended major, ethnicity, or a variety of other factors. Here are some questions you might want to ask about these awards:
Are scholarships awarded automatically if a student matches certain criteria (such as GPA or SAT® score)?
What is the application procedure? What materials are required?
Is the award renewable? What are the requirements to maintain the award?
Scholarship Application Tips
Once you've created a list of scholarships that interest you, check out How to Apply for a Scholarship for advice on creating a winning application.
