When it comes to paying for education, students face a lot of financial stress. Thanks to the availability of thousands of scholarship programs, financial aid and education grants that supporting college education expenses has become easier than ever. Whether you are looking for a scholarship opportunity close to your home or abroad, there are multiple opportunities. While locating graduate level education aid opportunities can be a bit easy, finding undergraduate scholarships seem to be a more difficult task. However, if you are an undergraduate student and eager to do some research on your own, you can definitely find a number of scholarship organizations which target undergraduate students.
Begin your search
Though finding undergraduate scholarship opportunities can be a bit difficult, it is never impossible to locate and apply to one whose eligibility criteria you fulfill. To start with, you need to search for aid programs that target to financially support undergraduate students. Your search can be based either on the student type/ background or subject type. There is no doubt that most of these free money for college is available on the ground of academic excellence and financial need.
Students who can apply for undergrads financial aid programs include -
High school going students
Four year college students
Two year college students
Technical college students
Home-school students
Non-traditional students
Returning students
Subject Targeted Scholarship for Undergrads
If you have already decided about the major field of study that you want to pursue, you need to consider applying for subject specific scholarships. Almost every high school student or a two college student or a returning student wishes to attend college and graduate to kick-start a career. Students who are keenly interested to pursue a particular field of study have dozens of education aid opportunities for them. In many cases, you may be required to choose a specialized study field under a general category. For instance, students who wish to do a major in engineering may further need to select a specialization field such as mechanical, civil, industrial, aerospace etc. These programs targeted at specialization categories are also referred to micro-niche scholarships, targeted at supporting the undergraduates.
There are several corporations, professional organizations and business establishments that distribute millions of dollars in the form of undergraduate scholarship money. There are companies that encourage students to study in a major, which is related to their business or industry.
Student Targeted Scholarships
There are numerous organizations that target students on the ground of student type, background or where the applicant comes from. So, if you are an undergraduate and looking for free college money, you can also apply for scholarships that are student specific. Depending on their specific background, one undergrad also has the probability of falling under two or more categories. These categories may include international students, minorities, military, low-income and study abroad among others.
Classification of Major Sponsoring Sources
Scholarship for undergraduates are provided by an array of sponsors, which includes -
Federal and State Based Scholarships
Colleges and Universities
Professional organizations and corporations
Minority Undergraduates
There are many academic organizations and associations that provide financial support to undergraduate belonging to minority groups. The scholarship money is provided to undergrads on the basis of their ethnic, racial and cultural background. Several funds support such underrepresented students and encourage them to enter a technical field of study.
Popular Sources of Undergraduate Scholarships
Undergrads can avail themselves of multiple scholarship opportunities worldwide. There are colleges, universities, foundations, associations, business organizations and other sources that offer free college money for applicants. Some of these sources are listed below.
Harry S. Truman Scholarship
Gates Millennium Scholarships
American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants Scholarships (AICPA)
National Association for Hispanic Journalists
American Institute of Architects Minority Disadvantaged Scholarship
ARMY ROTC Scholarships for Historically Black Colleges
Project Excellence Scholarships
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Scholarships
Ambassadorial Scholarships
