Financial aid can help cover a significant portion of college costs, but did you know there’s another type of funds for students seeking a college degree? They’re called private scholarships, and they’re offered by companies, associations, non-profits, and community organizations across the country to help students pay for higher education. To apply for private scholarships, first learn the basics. And then follow our tips below for earning as many as you can.

1. Start searching early. There are private scholarships open to children as young as 5 years old, so don’t wait until senior year of high school to start looking.
2. Stay organized. As you find private scholarships to apply for, keep a running list of deadlines, scholarship amounts, and requirements. Create a spreadsheet that you can easily reference and update.
3. Be cautious of applications that require detailed personal information that is not relevant to the scholarship itself, or scholarships that require a link to your social media profile. Some companies that claim to offer scholarships are actually just using student information for marketing purposes.
4. Set a weekly goal. You’re more likely to earn a scholarship if you submit an application for several, so set a goal to apply to a certain number of scholarships every week.
5. Try for scholarships that require an essay. In general, fewer students apply for scholarships with a written requirement because essays are time-consuming, so your odds for winning are a bit higher if you take the time to apply.
6. Look for scholarships related to favorite activities. Scholarships are often catered to students with specific interests or talents. Make a list of your extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, art, clubs, etc., and search for scholarships that award students with those interests. The more specific you are, the smaller the applicant pool will be, so make sure to consider that when searching. For example, if you’re looking for scholarships available to tennis players, search by the keyword “tennis” rather than just “sports.”
7. Don’t overlook scholarships that offer smaller amounts or awards. The more scholarships you apply for, the better your chances are of winning. Plus, every scholarship award alleviates any college expense.
8. Look past your grades. You don’t need to have a 4.0 GPA to apply or qualify for scholarships. In fact, some scholarships don’t take grades into account at all. Instead of focusing on your GPA, remember your special talents and skills, and think about why you deserve that scholarship over everyone else.
9. Clean up your online profile. Agencies awarding scholarships may do a quick search to seek out any public information about you online. Make sure your internet presence is professional and mature and remove any material from your public social media pages that doesn’t represent your best self.
10. Be patient. Sometimes not hearing back from a scholarship opportunity can be frustrating. Just remember that the entire application process takes time and that sometimes you might not hear anything. Above everything else, try not to feel discouraged in your chances of winning.

For a helpful scholarships overview, watch our recorded webinar Applying for Private College Scholarships.