Regardless of what you've heard, scholarships aren't limited to students with artistic, academic, or athletic talent.

A number of scholarships are available to part-time students. Scholarships come in all sizes and types; they can be local or national, privately or publicly funded, given through your school or through your community. As you budget for your online bachelor's degree program, look for scholarships that reward you for pursuing your educational dreams.

Types of Scholarships

• School Awards. Many schools fund substantial scholarship programs. Community or alumni groups may also donate scholarships that they ask the school to administer. Check with your school's financial aid office for more details about their scholarship program.
• Business Awards. Large corporate scholarships offer huge education benefits to promising students. These popular scholarships are often very competitive and often hold applicants to certain academic achievement, student status, or employment guidelines. Smaller businesses in your community may also offer scholarships in your area.
• Community Awards. If you've always been inspired to serve others, you may be eligible for a number of service-oriented scholarships. Community service scholarships can be locally or nationally based, and many require recipients to commit to a specific number of service hours while they are still in school. Some institutions also offer scholarships for former military service.
• Essay Contests. Special interest groups of all sizes hold essay contests on a range of interesting topics. To apply, you may need to write a convincing, thoughtful essay on a specific topic; from patriotism to vegetarianism. There's bound to be a topic that interests you. If you take pride in your written voice and have a passionate stance on the subject of the scholarship, an essay contest might be an ideal way for you to fund your online degree.
• Miscellaneous. Do you enjoy making things with wool? Are you interested in aquatic entomology or black and white illustration? Believe it or not, scholarships exist for people with unique circumstances, skills, and abilities. If you are an excellent Klingon speaker or skateboarder, or you're considering a career in mycology, there may be scholarships available specifically for you.

With about 1.3 million scholarships available nationwide (worth an estimated $3 billion), scholarship searches can be both lucrative and complicated, but you shouldn't feel pressured to pay for a costly scholarship search company. Instead, consider starting your search free at Web sites like FastWeb or Student Aid on the Web. You can also find for more information at your school, local business bureau, or public library.