Financial Aid and Scholarships

You should also be persistent in seeking out other scholarship sources. Sometimes all it takes to get a scholarship is to find out who in your area is offering them: your church, your employer, your parents' employers, local civic organizations. You'll just need to fill out any required applications or interviews on time in order to be considered.

How do I find out about Scholarships?

Hit the books. Doing research can help you find scholarships you may not have otherwise known about. Most public and campus libraries carry scholarship guides. Ask your librarian or guidance counselor for help. Also look under "financial aid," "student aid," and "scholarships."

Ask employers. Your parents might already be aware if scholarships are provided for children of employees. If not, the human resource department is usually the place to check to find out what is available. The staff there should be able to provide applications, deadlines, and any other information you'll need. If you are employed, check with your employer to see if scholarships are available. Be sure to get any application forms and information about deadlines and complete the process on time.

Check local scholarships. Many community organizations, churches, and clubs offer scholarships. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to provide information about most of them, and can refer you to sponsors who can provide applications and information.

Search the Net. Using keywords like those mentioned earlier, you can find a wealth of free scholarship information on the World Wide Web. Some sites even allow you to apply online for scholarships. But, be careful . . .

Don't Get Scammed! Unfortunately, in their efforts to pay the bills, many students and their families are falling prey to scholarship scams. For more information on avoiding scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission's "Scholarship Scams" page. The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace.

In researching sources of college funding, students are encouraged to seek out sources that provide free services and information, such as those listed below. OSU does not endorse any for-profit scholarship search service. Some helpful websites are listed below.

Federal Student Aid Scholarship Search

Peterson's

FastWeb

FinAid

College Board

College Scholarships.org

Scholarship Experts.com

Scholarships.com