Finding Scholarships for Your Child

Finding scholarships for your child can be tricky, especially with tight deadlines and multiple requirements. If you want your child to get a scholarship, then here’s what you have to know.

Scholarships depend on the type and the requirements they need. For example, you can get a scholarship through government programs such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA or even through the financial aid programs in the universities and colleges around the country. Whatever the form is, you should always prepare the requirements and make sure you cover any necessary details required.

Where to Look

• Government Center – The government center handles government programs that your child may take in order to receive scholarship grants such as the Pell grant or the FAFSA. Here’s the website for FAFSA: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ 

• Local Counselor – Your child should start consulting his or her counselor at school for any scholarship grants in the community or nationwide. This will help you get a head start on the different opportunities that could be readily accessible to your child.

• Online Databases – Databases such as CollegeBoard (http://www.collegeboard.com/)  and FastWeb (http://www.fastweb.com/) offer links to locations where you can apply for scholarships nationwide or even in your area. The wide databases can be specified based on certain parameters such as financial capacity, specific course or major, and others.

Scholarships can help your child strive for excellence and also lessen your budget to send him or her to school. Not only can you benefit from this advantage, but some scholarships even offer book grants and other allowance grants that can really help your child through school. Admittedly, school can get so tough sometimes, but with a little help from a scholarship or grant, your child can sail smoothly through it all.