There are hundreds of thousands of college Grounds and scholarships available. But most of these scholarships have specific eligibility requirements that prevent most students from applying. It becomes difficult at times to even find one suitable scholarship. Therefore, In this post, we will guide you on how to get a scholarship to study in the US.
Some scholarships for colleges are merit-based. You earn them by exceeding a certain standard set by the scholarship sponsorers. Beside sometimes scholarships based on gender, race and financial background. Scholarships are one of the most important financial aids for students. Scholarships may cover the entire college cost or just a part of it.
How to get a scholarship to study in the US?
The very first task to get a scholarship is to find one. There are thousands of scholarships from all kind of organizations and they are not very hard to find. Here is the list of places where you can enquire about a scholarship program.
1. Financial Aid Office
Every school or college in the US has a financial aid office which reports to the US Department of Education. So the best step to get a scholarship is to enquire about it at the financial aid office of the college you want to take admission in. There are multiple scholarships program run by the financial aid department itself. Therefore, you must check with them if you are eligible for a particular scholarship program.
2. Federal Aids
The US Department of Education awards more than $120 billion in grants, work-study funds and low-interest loans to more than 13 million students. Federal student aid cover expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, work and supplies and transportation.
3. State Aid Office
You can also enquire at the state Run aid offices, to get a scholarship in the US. Even if you are not eligible for the federal Aids, you might be eligible for the financial aid from your state. Therefore you must contact the state grant agency for information related to scholarships.
4. Private organizations
There are hundreds of private organizations in the US which likes to sponsor eligible students. many organizations offer scholarships or grants to help students pay for college or Career School. The sum may, however, depend upon how affordable higher education is.
5. Scholarships for Military families
If your parent is in the military, then you can get the military grant scholarship from the financial agencies. Even if your close relatives were in the military and have passed away you can apply for the military grants.
6. NGOs
There are many NGOs which likes to provide a scholarship to merit-based students if he or she has a really weak financial background. However, it may also depend upon the background and nationality you come from.
7. The company where your Parent’s work
There are some MNCs which provide scholarship based programs for the employee’s children. So enquiring at the office where your parent work is a good idea and can help you get some basic scholarship to study in the US.
Does a scholarship affect your Students Aid?
Yes, a scholarship will affect your student aid because all your student aid added together can’t be more than the cost of attendance at your college. The scholarship helps you to decrease the loan amount you take from the federal loans or private loan providers. However, you need to inform the financial aid officer of your college about the scholarship.
The financial aid officer will then take the needful steps to deduct the scholarship amount from your financial aid.
Always be careful of the Agencies which help you to find a scholarship. Most of these are a scam and they ask you to pay them for the service, which is against the law. So just follow the above steps to get a scholarship for studying in the US.