Finding money for college is not easy.
College senior Allison Lenox works to pay her way. "I actually work full time to help pay for college," she said.
Sierra Longmeyer says her friends struggle to find tuition money. "It makes it harder for students to get their education because of that," the college senior said.
Charlotte Faulkner knows that, and doesn't want her daughter to worry about money next year.
So she's on a scholarship hunt.
"We've applied for 20 scholarships since we started this back in September," Faulkner said. "She thinks I'm crazy but that's how it goes."
Faulkner, in her searching, has found sites that list hundreds of hidden grants and scholarships.
"One was Cappex, that had a lot of scholarships on there. Scholarship Owl was another website I found and liked."
Where to search for grants and scholarships
Consumer Reports Magazine, and other sources, list the following sites worth checking:
Cappex.com
Scholarship Owl.com
FastWeb.com
FinAid.org (affiliated with FastWeb)
Scholarships. com.
The US Department of Labor's Career OneStop site
Faulkner is now waiting to hear back from several scholarships her daughter applied to.
And if you are old school, Faulker says you can still purchase books for less than $20. "I bought The Ultimate Scholarship book for 2020," she said.
Faulkner thought at first her daughter would be covered by simply filling out the FAFSA, for federal student aid. But she quickly learned there are a lot of programs that are not included in that form.
She also learned that if you search, you'll find grants or scholarships for every interest.
"There are scholarships out there for equestrian riders, aquatics, and other sports," she said. "There's a scholarship out there if you want to do beetle bug research or be a beetle bug person." (Yes, the insect, not the VW car.)
Don't like bugs? Other sources of aid:
- Your church
- Your school
- Mom or Dad's employer
- Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
- Rotary Clubs
- Chamber of Commerce branches
There are many more. But Charlotte Faulker has one caution: beware sites that want money.
"There were a couple of sites that tried to charge money. As soon as they asked for a credit card, I said delete, we don't need you."
Good call, because you should not have to pay to simply look up scholarships. There are thousands out there, just waiting for families like the Faulkners to find them.
As always, don't waste your money.
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