Private Scholarships

If you know where to look, it's possible to make your graduate or doctoral education affordable using private scholarships. You can get private scholarships regardless of which institutional you attend or your financial status, but every scholarship has its own rules and requirements. Check out the basics behind these lucrative awards.

Unlike some financial aid scholarships that are based strictly on academic merit or financial need, private scholarships often assist students from all academic levels and economic backgrounds. Some large corporations extend scholarship programs to the children of employees, while other groups sponsor scholarships that recognize student achievements in sports, politics, academics, or community involvement.

Private scholarships encourage all kinds of students to achieve their educational goals, and sponsors have their own motives and funding methodologies. As a student seeking your graduate or doctoral degree, you may have private scholarship opportunities that are only open to graduate or doctoral students. The most frequent sponsors of private scholarships include: 

• Employers and local businesses
• Charitable foundations
• Alumni and private citizens
• Local governments
• Social action and community groups

Although a growing number of Web sites, like the Federal government's Student Aid on the Web, track private scholarships, you can also obtain excellent scholarship leads by asking the following leaders and mentors in your own community: 

• Small business owners
• Law enforcement agencies
• Local government officials
• Community group leaders
• Religious leaders

Scholarship compendiums, which contain extensive information about public and private scholarships available nationwide, are published annually and can be found at your local library. Additionally, check with your high school and undergraduate institution to see if there are scholarship opportunities specifically for graduates.

Private scholarships often have their own application procedures, which may not depend on the information you submit on the FAFSA. Apply early for private scholarships so you don't have to scramble for recommendation letters and school transcripts at the last minute.