As a senior, there is a lot to think about during your final year of high school. At the top of that list should be how you are going to pay for college. One of the best ways to do that is by applying for scholarships.

As scholarships become available throughout the year, they will be listed here with due dates and a short summary of their requirements. This list of scholarships is mostly local scholarships so take the time to research other scholarships available through your college of interest and national scholarships.


Helpful tips to get you started

Start researching scholarships the summer before your senior year.
You most likely will not be able to apply for them at this time but you can create a list with each scholarship you are interested in applying for with the release date of the application, due date, and the website. If you wait until spring, you will miss out on many scholarships.

Most college scholarship deadlines are in the fall.
Be sure when you visit colleges to ask when their scholarship applications are due. You can also find this on their school website.

Write down all sports, activities, and community service.
Write down all sports, activities, and community service you have done including the number of years you have participated in each. Having this list compiled ahead of time helps make applying for the scholarships go quicker.

You will need letters of recommendation for some scholarships.
Start asking for these as soon as possible. Teachers and coaches are busy and need time to write them. It also helps to give them a description of what specific information the scholarship is asking for.

Not sure if you qualify? Apply anyway.
It never hurts to apply for the scholarship and you could be the one that the scholarship committee picks.

Many students avoid scholarships with essays.
This makes your chances better at receiving them because fewer people apply. Keep a copy of your essay so that you can use it when writing others. A lot of essays questions are similar on scholarship applications.