By Markus Min
Often, the hardest part about getting a scholarship or fellowship (hereafter referred to simply as scholarships) is finding that scholarship in the first place. There are an enormous amount of scholarships out there, but finding ones that you are eligible for can be difficult. Scholarships vary greatly in their eligibility criteria - while some are open to anyone, most scholarships have eligibility based on criteria such as university, geographic location, field of study, and a bunch of other things. Below are some general tips for finding scholarships; while these are geared towards current or incoming undergraduates, they are also very applicable to those applying to colleges as well as for those in or considering graduate school.
Tip #1: Start early!
The earlier you get started looking for scholarships, the better. It’s a bad feeling when you find the perfect scholarship, only to realize that the deadline to apply for it has passed or that you are no longer eligible for it! I would highly recommend setting aside some time early in your college career to look for scholarships (via the internet, your on-campus scholarship office, or other resources) and note the application deadlines and eligibility criteria. Enter them in your calendar, set reminders for yourself, create a list – do whatever works for you to make sure that you know when deadlines are approaching and when you need to start on your application.
Tip #2: Visit the financial aid or scholarship office (or check out their website)
Every major university has a financial aid office, and most also have a scholarship office (this may or may not be separate from the financial aid office). These are often your best resources for finding scholarship opportunities, as both by navigating the website and by speaking with staff, you will be able to identify scholarships that you are eligible for.
Tip #3: Look for scholarships within your department
Your department at your university will usually also have a number of scholarships available, and often these will also be tied to work or research experiences (an added bonus!). Google the department at your university + “scholarships”, and you should be able to find some opportunities.
Tip #4: Look for opportunities outside of your university
Outside of universities, scholarships are also offered by private entities, corporations, government agencies, NGOs, just to name a few other sources. While your university’s financial aid/scholarship office may help identify some of these opportunities, it will take you doing your own research to find most of these scholarships. There will often be websites that have already aggregated many of these scholarships for you; one example is the website environmentalscience.org, which has put together this page.
Finding scholarships can be a long and at times frustrating process, but don’t give up! The benefits of scholarships, both in terms of the financial reward and the doors they can open for you career-wise, are tremendous.