Institutional Scholarships

Campus scholarships range from general to specific, with amounts ranging from a hundred dollars to full tuition charge. General campus scholarships include those open to any student with demonstrated financial need (most often as determined by the FAFSA); sports scholarships; and academic scholarships that require a minimum GPA and/or minimum score on the SAT or ACT exam. Many academic campus scholarships also require financial need.

Other campus scholarships are more specific, including those geared toward particular ethnic groups. While some of these scholarships are open to anyone of a certain ethnic group, may require an applicant to meet additional criteria, such as minimum GPAs, financial need, and specific fields of study.

Application Process for Campus Scholarships
Some schools automatically enter students into a scholarship pool upon acceptance. In this case, the information the student enters on application materials and FAFSA will determine whether or not the student will receive a scholarship. These scholarships tend to be extremely competitive, because all accepted students are considered. In other cases, you need to fill out a specific campus application to be considered for campus scholarships.

Other campus scholarships narrow the applicant field, making them more accessible to those who meet specific criteria. These include those focused on sports, academics, fields of study, and ethnicity. Most of these scholarships require the applicant to fill out an application to be considered, although some might be based on the nominations from teachers or coaches.

Applying for Campus Scholarships
If you plan to apply for campus scholarships, try to begin the process at least a month before the due date. You will likely need to gather letters of recommendation and fill out extensive forms, both of which take time. If your application requires letters of recommendation, remember that those writing letters are taking their own time to help you out. Make sure to give them a stamped envelope addressed to the correct recipient, and to send a letter of thanks after they've written the letter.