Online-Degree-Scholarships Blog

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.

Candidates who are looking for international fellowship programs have several scholarship opportunities to benefit from. Receiving a Fulbright Scholarship or being a Rhodes Scholar does prove your academic excellence. However, these are just two opportunities of the multiple scholarship programs available for international and after-graduate students. If you are recent college graduate and wish to pursue advanced study abroad, you can find a number of educational aid programs to help you support your education expenses.

Candidates who are looking for fellowship programs really need to put in some effort while applying for these scholarships. The best part of these programs is that they give you the opportunity to enter an area of study you are passionate about. Being one of the most prestigious awards, there is stiff competition to apply and win these fellowship programs. If you are really interested in applying, it is advisable to start as early as possible. You can start to plan for such programs as early as your freshman year. Early planning is the key to applying and winning these prestigious scholarship awards.

There are multiple resources students can avail themselves of. You can get in touch with the financial aid officers and counselors at your college. If you are pursuing a specific field, you should also start networking with professors and professionals in that field. The most important part of it all is to be prepared with the reasons behind pursuing a specific area of study and the explanation behind your wanting the award.

Some of the most popular awards you can benefit from to pursue an advanced degree internationally are listed below.

Rhodes Scholarship
If you are a resident of the United States and plan to pursue an advanced degree abroad, Rhodes Scholarhip provides you a right opportunity to fund your education. Under this prestigious educational aid scheme, 32 students are funded for studying at the Oxford University in England. American president Clinton and poet Robert Penn Warren are two famous alums. Rhodes Scholarship has the privilege of being the oldest international fellowship program.

Fulbright Programs
Whether you are a college graduate, a doctoral student, an artist, a recent college graduate or a young professional, Fulbright Scholarship awards are offered to fund your college education. These prestigious scholarships are awarded year-long projects, research projects, independent projects and teaching English among others. The United States Department of State sponsors this scholarship award.

Marshall Scholarship
The scholarship provides you a wonderful funding opportunity, if you are U.S. resident and wish to pursue an advanced degree in the United Kingdom. Under this education funding scheme, around 40 U.S. students are offered scholarships to study in the U.K. for two years.

Watson Fellowship
The fellowship program provides $25,000 to international students studying abroad. To become eligible to receive the award, you must be a senior earning your graduate from a participating college in the United States. These awards are provided to students on the ground of their genuine interests. Another criteria to benefit from the program is that the fellow can not come back to U.S. for their complete fellowship year.

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarship
Under this education funding scheme, around 50,000 students and researchers receive scholarships every year. If you are an undergraduate student or a graduate student and planning to study in Germany, you are eligible to apply for this prestigious award.

Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Set up by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the year 2000, Gates Cambridge Scholarship has become one of the most popular international grants for students. The award is offered to students outside the U.K. planning to study at the Cambridge University. Full tuition expense is covered under this international funding scheme.

Students can enhance their chances of winning scholarship awards by applying to as many scholarships as possible. But what's more important is that you research appropriately and know the eligibility criteria for these scholarship programs. In order to find and apply to financial aid programs that match your requirement, you need to think about who you are and what you do. If you are well aware of your ethnic background, affiliations, citizenship, academic background and achievements, you will be able to not slip away the scholarship award.

College Major/ Field of Interest
There are many scholarship sponsors, committees and organizations that provide financial support to students on the basis of their college major and the field of interest. So, if you are a college student, the first thing is to start with your college major or academic area. While applying for scholarships based on majors, you need to check whether the eligibility criteria fits in with your field of interest or college major. Those who are high school students need to consider what college major they want to pursue and can excel in.

There are candidates who are a double major. In this case, you want to check for scholarship possibilities under both the college majors. If you are an English major, you can not only apply for scholarship awards targeted at English major, but also listed under 'literature', literary studies' and 'humanities' among others. Some financial aid programs are based on what you aim to become in life. Depending on your career dreams (becoming a lawyer, doctor, engineer, teacher, journalist etc.), you can find and apply for awards that focus on such careers.

State of Residency/ State of Study
Knowing who you are also includes the state you live in or the state where you study. Many of the government funded education financial aid programs are targeted at in-state students. If you want to qualify for one of these awards, you need to establish your residency even when you are in your first year of your college. Candidates need to check out both their home state and the state where they are attending college. There are several private organizations that offer financial aid based on state specific criteria. These programs award students according to their academic merit and extra curricular activities.

Student Affiliations
There are numerous clubs and organizations that offer free scholarship money to their registered members. Find out what you like to do or what you are interested in. You can then join relevant clubs and organizations and become a registered member. You can qualify for many financial aid programs, depending on your hobbies and interests.

Ethnic Background
There are multiple scholarship award programs that target students on the basis of their ethnicity or cultural background. There are hundreds of scholarship programs for students of minority backgrounds. To apply for such financial aid programs, it is not mandatory to be a full blooded member of a particular ethnic background. Depending on your ethnicity, you can apply for native American students scholarships, Hispanic students scholarships, African American student scholarships etc. Candidates should, therefore, be well informed about the community group and ethnic background they belong to.

Disability
There are more scholarships types than you can think. Awards are also available for students who are suffering from disability or are physically challenged. Whether it is a learning disability or long term illness, there are financial aid programs for all physically challenged candidates. Some scholarship programs target specific disability while some of them are general awards for disabled students.

Foreign Students
Even when you are a resident of a state other than the United States, you can be eligible for several scholarship programs. Some of the scholarships are targeted at students belonging to specific countries. There are others that focus on international students. Candidates need to apply for scholarship listed under both the award categories.