Online-Degree-Scholarships Blog

Besides numerous need-based scholarship programs, minority scholarships and merit based financial aid, there are several faith-based funding opportunities available for you as well. There are many academic institutions that offer Christian scholarships to candidates who are pursuing seminary degrees and those Christians who aspire to pursue advanced degrees. Most of these scholarship opportunities for Christians are available at the universities and colleges where you get enrolled. So, before you get enrolled in a degree program at a college or university, you can get in touch with the financial aid advisor at the institution whether there are scholarships that target Christian students. Doing some research on your own will equip you with more information.

In addition to universities and colleges, there are multiple church foundations that offer scholarship to Christians. A good example is the United Church of Christ's Scholarships. More information on church foundations financial aid will be available with the clergyman. Even if you wish to enter the clergy or aspire to perform some missionary work, you can avail yourself of many Christian scholarship opportunities. Whether you are graduate student or an undergraduate, you can be eligible to apply for such financial aid programs and receive the free education funding.

General Christian scholarships are available abundantly. However, it may be tough to find specific Catholic scholarships. A branch of Christianity, Catholicism refers to the beliefs and practices of a Catholic church. As per 2001, Christianity boasted more than 2.1 billion followers. Out of this 2.1 billion Christians, around 1 billion called themselves Catholics. Since a large number of Catholics reside in the United States, Catholic scholarships are hard to find in the US.

Scholarship funding is also available for Christian women. Give below are some popular church foundations, associations and organizations that offer awards to the followers of Christianity.

United Church of Christ
The church foundation offers scholarship awards known as the Brown Scholarships. Under this funding scheme, the United Church of Christ (UCC) offers up to $10,000 annually to college students who wish to enroll into pastoral degree programs. Before you apply for this funding program, you should note the eligibility criteria which are as follows.

Candidates must fulfill the general qualification criteria of the UCC.
Before applying, the candidates must have held a membership of the UCC for at least one year.s
Candidates must have got enrolled into accredited seminary school.
Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Upon completing graduation, the candidate must serve in the United Church of Christ or other partner church.

American Bible Society
The society funds scholarships to students pursuing education, medical and seminary studies. Scholarships awarded by the American Bible Society include William and Alice Brown endowment. The funding is offered to students who have shown excellent academic achievements in the fields of Medicine and Education, the award being $3,000. For more information regarding this Christian funding program, you can either send the society an email at scholarships@americanbible.org or write at the following address.

American Bible Society,
Scripture Grants Dept.,
1865 Broadway, 3rd fl.,
New York, NY 10023.

Women's Missionary Union
If you are a woman and associated with missionaries or clergy, the WMU has multiple scholarships available for you. Not only for women of women missionaries, but the WMU also offers financial support for children of these missionaries. Some of the awards offered include R. Keith Parks Scholarship Fund, Carolyn Weatherford Scholarship Fund, Julia C. Pugh Scholarship and Mattie J. C. Russell Scholarship. The award money is up to $1,000.

Lee Frances Heller Memorial Award
Sponsored by Julie Ann Johnson, the scholarship award targets Christian transgendered students. This award is available to all Christian college students who wish to pursue religious studies, regardless of which university or college they get enrolled in. The eligibility criteria also include submitting to them some church related and leadership experience. Deserving candidates will receive an amount of $1,500 under this scholarship funding scheme.

Students often have questions like whether there are any scholarships available for average candidates. It is widely believed that educational aid is available only to students with an impressive academic background. It is, however, not only a high GPA that makes you a deserving candidate to receive a scholarship. Financial support is provided even for those students who do not have an A average. The selection criteria vary from one scholarship to another. If you are an average student, you do need to prove and show your excellence in a non-academic area.

Besides academic criteria, there several other selection criteria to focus on students who are average in their academic capabilities but excel in other non-educational fields like athletic skills, community service, artistic merit and extracurricular activities among others. Besides having academic excellence, there are a number of other fields where students can prove their extraordinary and amazing capabilities.

Given below is a list of some of the most popular scholarships awarded to average candidates under different categories. Have a look.

Creative Skills

David Letterman Telecommunications Scholarships
Instituted by David Letterman in the year 1985, the scholarship program targets candidates who are average in education but they are gifted with creativity. If you have a creative mind and can prove it through your work, you can be eligible to receive this education aid. Under this program, the winner receives $10,000 while the first and second runner up receives $5,000 and $3,333 respectively.

Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck at Prom Contest
You are eligible to apply for this scholarship if you are aged 14 years or above. The eligibility criteria for this scholarship includes US citizenship, entering as a couple (two students) and attending a high school prom attired in duct tape made accessories. The scholarship program rewards both the contending couple and the school hosting the prom an amount of $2,500 each. For further details, you can log on to StuckatProm website.

Overcoming Adversity
There are several scholarships that are awarded to students who have shown their mettle and overcome obstacles under adverse circumstances. The program appreciates the average student's integrity and perseverance that they have shown in times of adversity. Popular scholarship awards include the following.

Horatio Alger Association Scholarships
Patricia M. McNamara Memorial Scholarship

Community Service
You may be average in terms of academic potential. However, you can win financial aid if you have been actively involved in serving a community. By doing community service, students display their leadership skills, dedication and the noble thought of helping people improve their lifestyle. Some of the most popular community grants are as follows.

The Do Something Awards
Discover Card Tribute Award
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Tyenol Scholarship

Act of Kindness
Your kind deeds done to the community should not go unrewarded. So, even if you are an average student, you can win education grants by doing some acts of kindness and volunteering in the community. You can apply for scholarships like AngelSoft Angels in Action and Hiram College Hal Reichle Memorial Scholarship.

Essay Contests
Several scholarships are available where you can win free money by winning essay contests. These essay contests are held both locally and at state level. Whether you are a high school student, a graduate student or an undergraduate, you can participate in these contests and win free education grants, awarded every year to students who may otherwise be average in educational talent. Before participating in these contests, it is advisable to go through the eligibility criteria for participation.

Popular scholarships awarded by way of essay contests include the following.

AFSA National Scholarship Essay Contest
AIDS Orphans in Africa Essay Contest
Akademos / TextbookX.com Scholarship Contest
Americanism Essay Contest
Calgon Take Me Away to College Contest
Environmental Essay Contest
Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest
Maryknoll Student Essay Contest
MoneyMatters101.com Scholarships
OP Loftbed Scholarship
School Band and Orchestra Magazine Scholarship
Teenage Vision for America Essay Contest
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship
Voice of Democracy Essay Contest

Besides all these, there are several other scholarship programs that focus on average candidates and reward them for their amazing talents and excellence in non-academic areas. So, if you thought education aid was only meant for meritorious students, you need to change your perception. With sincere effort and research, you can find many more scholarships like these. There are photography contests, video contests, dance scholarships and art contests among others, good opportunities for students of average academic potential.

There are several independent organizations, academic institutions, businesses and government organizations that offer financial support for students aspiring to pursue international education opportunities. Whether you call it Euro, Yen or Dollar, if you interested in studying abroad, you are definitely going to need it to support your education expenses. These financial aid programs are offered either on the basis of the country you are studying in or the field of study you are pursuing. Resources for receiving aid for international education opportunities are too many. All you need to do is perform some research on your own and locate these study abroad funding opportunities.

Eligibility for the Aid
Before you actually apply for the financial aid programs, you need to be informed whether you are eligible for the international funding or not. The financial aid amount that you receive for studying overseas depends on the following factors.

The financial aid amount your qualify for at home campus
The price label on the study-abroad education program
The level of commitment your college has for the promotion of study abroad opportunities
Whether or not the education program you select is approved by your college

Using the Financial Aid You Have Already Received
Hardly do many students are aware that many of the financial aid and federal aid they have already got are transferable to studying overseas. Therefore, the very first step towards funding your international education program is to check out whether you can use your existing education aid. For this, you need to check all the usual educational aid including federal need-based aid, state need-based scholarships and state merit scholarships, institutional financial aid etc.

When it comes to using federal aid like the Pell Grants, Stafford loans and PLUS loans, candidates are required to fulfill the international education aid eligibility. However, your school can not deny the transfer of educational fund just because you are interested to pursue a study abroad education program. Of course, there are some requirements that you need to fulfill for a hassle-free transfer of funds to a college or university abroad. For further details on the limitations both for federal financial aid and other state-based and institutional aid, students can get in touch with the financial aid department at their schools.

Other Sources of Aid for Pursuing Education Abroad
Besides using the existing financial aid or the scholarship you have already got, you can also search and apply for other education aid programs, offered by numerous scholarship organizations, business establishments, educational commissions, state based agencies and corporations, government funds and research foundations among others.

Candidates can also check out several fellowships programs and educational grants that the United States government offers to students studying abroad. Some of the most useful resources for study abroad aid are as follows.

National Security Education Program (NSEP)
NAFSA Grants and Scholarships
Rotary Foundation Scholarships
Study Abroad Scholarships (University of Minnesota)
U.S Department of State
U.S. Department of Education
Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS)
Hispanic Study Abroad Scholarships (HSAS)
Gilman International Scholarship Program
Association of Commonwealth Universities

Education expenses for completing your education abroad should never hold you back. Financial aid opportunities await candidates all over the world. There are numerous private organizations and civic groups that offer education aid for international education programs. Apart from that, there are ethnic organizations as well serving students of specific communities and backgrounds. Candidates should look out for study abroad aid locally, nationally and internationally. Most of the students give up on their decisions of studying abroad just because they think the cost of pursuing a degree program abroad will be unrealistic. The tuition fees and the cost of living are considerably lower in many parts of the world. With some research, you can find really affordable study abroad education programs and get financial aid to support your education expenses.