Paying for College
Out of Our Own Pockets
ScholarshipsColleges and universities represent the largest source of scholarships for students attending college. However, the types of scholarships offered by colleges and universities, and the amount of those scholarships, vary tremendously.It is important to find out early what kinds of need-based and merit-based scholarships are awarded by the colleges your student is considering and how those scholarships are awarded. Some colleges give almost all of their scholarship dollars to students based on their financial need. Some give part of their money to students based on financial need and some of it based on merit. Sometimes colleges look at both the financial need and the merit of the student and award combination aid. For example, a college might award a lot of its merit-based scholarships to students who are strong in performing arts because that is a particular interest/strength of the college and may not award any for athletics. At another college, the opposite may be true. Other universities may not award any merit-based aid at all and focus all of their scholarship resources on students with financial need. Contact the admission office or the financial aid office of the colleges your student is considering to find out about their scholarship policies. Most colleges have web sites that give you the phone numbers for these offices. Some of the colleges’ web sites also give you information on their scholarship programs. To search for an Indiana college you want to learn more about, click here. |
