Laurie Blum - Free Money from Colleges and Universities

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy. Contents With much thanks to Jung Cho, Cyble Fisher, Janet Mannheimer, Jonathan Struthers, Ken Rose, Paula Kakalecik and Ken Wright Introduction Almost every college and university offers scholarships to study at their institution in a wide variety of disciplines. Surprisingly, many students have no idea that these scholarships exist, nor where or how to navigate through the bureaucratic maze of institutional departments or family foundations.

Do you just walk up, hold out your hand, and expect someone to put money in it? Of course not. It takes time, effort, and thought on your part. Youre going to have to fill out applications. You may meet with frustration or rejection somewhere down the road. The odds, however, are in your favor that you will qualify for some sort of financial aid. The hardest part has always been finding these sources of money, which is why I wrote this book.

This book provides you, the reader, with the actual sources of monies available. The listings are organized alphabetically by state with the colleges and universities listed alphabetically within each state. The information is also cross-referenced by subject. I have included wherever possible the total amount of money that is awarded to students, the number of scholarships or grants given, the average size of an award, and the range of monies given. Do not be dissuaded from applying if the average award is only $200 (the same material you put together for one application can be used for most, if not all, of the other applications; you will hopefully apply for a number of scholarships and grants). You might get more, you might get less.

But remember, this is free money! HOW TO APPLY Applying for grants and scholarships is a lot like applying for school: it takes work, thought and organization. But at this stage in your life, you know what you have to do. Youve done this before. First comes the sorting out process. Go through this book and mark off all the listings that could give you money. Pay close attention to the restrictions and eliminate the least likely foundations.

Although none of the foundations in this book require an application fee, the effort youll have to put in will probably limit you to no more than eight applications (if you are ambitious and want to apply to more than eight foundations, bravo, go right ahead). Write or call the most likely foundations to get a copy of their guidelines. (In cases where the contacts name is not listed, begin your letter: To Whom It May Concern). If you call, just request the guidelines; dont interrogate the poor person who answers the phone. Grant applications, like college applications, take time to fill out. Often you will be required to write one or more essays.

Be neat! You may very well prepare a top-notch proposal, but it wont look good if its done in a sloppy manner. Proposals should always be typed, double-spaced, and be sure to make a copy of the proposal. Ive learned the hard way that there is nothing worse than having to reconstruct it because you didnt keep a copy. Many applications will require any previous college transcripts. Often the tax returns of both the applicant (if you had filed a return the previous year) and your parents are needed. Sometimes an interview is required (you probably had some interviews when you were looking at colleges, right?) You may be asked to include personal references (be sure to notify the people you are planning to use as references; there is nothing worse than having a foundation contact your reference, who has no idea what it is about).

Remember, you have to sell yourself and convince the grantors to give money to you and not to someone else. OTHER SOURCES OF MONEY Many millions of dollars in athletic scholarships go unclaimed each year simply because no one applied for them, or because the athletic departments couldnt find enough qualified applicants. Before you reject this category because you are not a 250-pound left tackle or do not have the backhand of Chris Evert, consider the following: Until the late 1970s it was all too common for colleges to have multimillion dollar training facilities for the football and basketball teams, while the womens volleyball team practiced on a muddy lot with a clothesline stretched between two poles. A law that took effect in 1978 decreed that schools must provide male and female athletes with equal benefits and opportunities. That means separate but equal practice facilities, equipment, number of games and scholarship money. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the sports pages were filled with tales of academic abuses committed by outstanding athletes.

There are now restrictions on how poorly the star quarterback can do academically before he is asked to leave school. One of the results of these scandals is the limit imposed by a school on how many scholarships can be awarded in the major sports (football, basketball, track and field, softball), with requirements that money be distributed among women athletes in these sports, as well as in archery, badminton, bowling, crew, Frisbee (yes, there is a scholarship currently available at the State University of New York at Purchase, albeit just one), handball, and synchronized swimming (this is a sport available only to women athletes; did Esther Williams stereotype us all?) Schools are not restricted in how they spend their recruiting time and effort, only their scholarship money. Consequently, they will often devote a considerable amount of time and effort seeking out the best archery, bowling or lacrosse athletes. If someone happens to turn up and ask for scholarship money, fine. If not, the money goes back into the general fund. No big deal.

Wide World of Sports hasnt paid a dime for the rights to collegiate riflery! So be sure not to neglect some of your less obvious skills; one of them might help pay for your college education. Finally, be sure to request information from your high school guidance counselor and the financial aid office at each school you have applied to. They can explain what scholarships or other forms of aid the university offers. Paying for college isnt a one-year, one-shot deal. You must think in terms of this years costs, next years costs, and the following years costs. If tuition charges strain you now, how desperate are you going to be by the time you are a junior? ONE FINAL NOTE An asterisk next to a listing indicates that both undergraduate as well as graduate students are eligible for this award.

By the time this book is published, some of the information contained here will have changed. No reference book can be as up to date as the reader or author would like. Names, addresses, dollar amounts, telephone numbers, and other data are always in flux; however, most of the information will not have changed. Good luck! Free Money from Colleges and Universities ALABAMA Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Academic Achievement Scholarships P.O. Box 908 Normal, AL 35762 (205) 851-5245 Description: Scholarships for undergraduates Restrictions: Student must have high grades. $ Given: 165 grants totaling $211,490 Application Information: Formal application is required.

Deadline: April 1 Contact: Mr. James Heyward, Director of Admissions Alabama State University Presidential Scholarship 915 South Jackson Street Montgomery, AL 36101-0271 (205) 293-4324 Description: Scholarships for freshmen and juniors Restrictions: Student must have SAT score of 840 or ACT score of 20 and a 3.5 GPA. $ Given: 129 grants of $1,626-$4,396; general range: $3,436 Application Information: Submit a handwritten essay detailing career goals. Deadline: June 1 Contact: Dr. Robert Thompson, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences Auburn University Phi Eta Sigma Founders Scholarship Awards * Freshman Honor Society c/o Auburn University 228 JE Foy Union Building Alabama 36849 (205) 826-5856 Description: Scholarships for undergraduates or first-year graduate students Restrictions: Student must be a member of Phi Eta Sigma entering first year of graduate, professional or undergraduate studies. $ Given: 22 grants of up to $1,000 each for undergraduates, 10 grants of up to $2,000 each for first year graduates Application Information: Write or call for guidelines.