Trying to find a scholarship to fund your college education can seem like the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Besides, don’t scholarships only go to the super smart, over-achiever types? Not necessarily.
Use these free search tools and website to find lots of scholarships, financial aid and information on applying for scholarships the right way. Sign up for a free email account to use specifically for scholarship searching. It will save you time and headaches if you use a separate email address because you could end up with a bunch of junk emails as you give out your personal information to some websites.
General Scholarship Search Tools
1. FastWeb – Fast Web allows students to search for scholarships based on their year in college, interests, major and region. Not only can students search for scholarships for free, but Fast Web has loads of articles on financial aid, student life and internship opportunities.
2. Scholarship Experts – Scholarship Experts was named “best scholarship search engine” by Forbes in its Best of the Web Review. Fill out the required information and you’re on your way to finding a scholarship that fits your needs.
3. College Scholarships.org – College Scholarships.com has been helping students find money for college for free since 1999. The web site also has student loan and grant information available.
4. College Scholarships.com – College Scholarships.com allows students to search for scholarships and review scholarship essay samples for free.
5. Scholarships.com – Search for over 2.7 million scholarships with Scholarships.com’s free search tool. Or students can create a profile and have matching scholarships and grants sent to them from the database.
6. College Board: Scholarship Search – College Board allows members to access, save and compare scholarship information from its database. Just sign up for a free account and start looking for free ways to fund your education.
7. Financial Aid Finder This search engine is designed to help all kinds of students find the financial aid that’s necessary for them to attend college.
8. Nationally Coveted College Scholarships & Graduate Fellowships – Find scholarships and fellowships that are in high demand through this searchable database
9. CollegeNET – Use CollegeNET’s Mach 25 search engine to find more scholarship opportunities that may not be listed on all scholarship databases. Search by keyword or fill out a personal profile to find results matched to your information.
10. Go College: College Scholarships – Go College has a good search engine and articles on where to find the best scholarships for all types of students with all types of credentials.
11. SuperCollege – Sign up for a free account and browse through Super College’s database of scholarships. The scholarships are listed by name with the typical amount awarded and rated on a five star system. Students can also save their favorite scholarship matches to apply for after searching.
12. College Answer: Free Sallie Mae Scholarship Search – Use College Answer’s Sallie Mae scholarship search to find scholarships without annoying advertisements.
13. Student Scholarship Search – Find scholarships based on keyword searches or take a look at this web site’s featured scholarship listings. Be sure to also download the free e-book, Scholarship Secrets.
14. BrokeScholar.com – Begin a free scholarship listing search by filling out a personal profile. Store potential scholarships in a folder for easy access.
15. NextStudent.com: Search for Scholarships – NextStudent.com lets you search through more than 76,000 college funding sources free of charge. NextStudent will also match you with scholarships for which you are eligible.
16. FinAid! – FinAid! is one of the best resources for understanding and finding college financial aid. Search for scholarships here and examine other types of financial aid options that will pay your way through school.
17. Scholarship Help – If you need scholarship help, check out this website. It’s easy to use and has a bundle of insightful information about how to apply and win scholarships.
18. Zinch.com – Find and win your scholarship on Zinch.com and they’ll match the funds you win. Good enough reason to search this website, right?
19. College View – Read over College View’s financial aid articles and search its free database of scholarship listings.
20. FindTuition.com: Search for Scholarships Find tutition.com will help you find scholarships and awards to pay for college by eligibility, major or college.
21. U.S. News and World Report: Paying for College – U.S. News and World Report will teach you how to make the most of each scholarship application and how to attend college on someone’s else’s dime.
22. Cappex.com – Cappex is a free scholarship and financial aid search tool. Create one profile with Cappex and you can apply for every scholarship you’re eligible.
23. UPromise.com: Paying and Graduating – UPromise is a great way to begin saving early for college expenses if you do a lot of online shopping. Check out the website’s articles on how to save and pay for college.
24. International Scholarships.com – This search engine tool on International Scholarships.com will help international students find aid to take them overseas to college.
25. International Education Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search – This is another good international college financial aid search tool to use if you plan on spending any duration of your college education overseas.
26. FreSch! Search4Scholarships.com – This searchable website has over 450,000 scholarship entries in its database. You can search for something specific or look at the entire list.
27. Sallie Mae’s Free Scholarship Search – Plan your college financial road map with Sallie Mae. Register and search for scholarships and get scholarship tips by email.
28. SchoolSoup – School Soup touts the largest Internet database of scholarships and financial aid information according to its website. Students can also look at the student loan center and find cheap textbooks.
29. Scholar Site – Scholar Site allows students to search for scholarships without committing any personal information. No spam here.
30. Adventures in Education: Scholarship Search – AIE is another option to find obscure scholarship information and financial award opportunities easily and privately.
31. Student Aid on the Web – Find financial aid and scholarship information from a trusted resource – the federal government.
32. Peterson’s Scholarship Search – Peterson’s always has a wealth of information on college. Here you can search for scholarships based on your qualifications.
33. U.S. First Scholarship Search – Use USFIRST.org to find technology scholarships by school. Each FIRST scholarship is designed for students with majors in engineering, computer science, science, math, design, aeronautics and many science and math related fields.
34. EdFed Scholarship Search – Search EdFed’s comprehensive database of scholarship listings and take a look at loan information too from America’ top student loan provider.
35. Embark – Embark will guide students through all the necessary steps to find financial aid and college scholarships without the hassle of signing up for an account.
36. The Princeton Review: Scholarships and Financial Aid – The Princeton Review offers a whole financial aid library to ease the process of finding money for school. It also has a free scholarship search tool to help students find scholarships that suit their needs.
Company, Regional or Organization Specific Scholarships
37. Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation – Coca-Cola offers scholarships to current high school seniors that plan to attend college the following year. These scholarships go fast so apply early.
38. U.S. Air Force ROTC Scholarships – The ROTC is a great way to gain discipline and fund your college education. If you’re a member of a high school ROTC program or plan to join the ROTC in college, visit this list of scholarships for more opportunities to pay less tuition.
39. College Sports Scholarships – If you’re planning to play college sports, check out this website full of scholarship listings just for athletes.
40. Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board – Find scholarships available to Washington state college students.
41. The Sallie Mae Fund – The Sallie Mae Fund supports a handful of scholarship programs available to college students nationwide.
42. The Phillips Foundation: Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship Program – The Phillips Foundation offers college scholarships to young people that exhibit leadership, values and a willingness to uphold constitutional freedoms.
43. Be An Actuary – Scholarship Opportunities- If you plan to become an actuary, a person that examines undesirable event possibilities and risk management, this scholarship list is for you. It lists several scholarships available to high school students and current college students.
44. ASME Scholarships – ASME scholarships are for students pursuing or currently obtaining an education in mechanical engineering. Browse the database of ASME scholarships to see if one is right for you.
45. Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: College Scholarship Directory – If you live in Hartford County, Connecticut or 28 of its surrounding counties, you may be eligible for scholarship monies from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Take a look at the online directory of scholarships to see if any apply to you.
46. Military.com Scholarship Search – If you or a close relative is actively serving in the U.S. military, check out this website full of scholarship information for military personnel and their dependents.
Minority Scholarship Websites and Searches
47. UNCF – United Negro College Fund Scholarship Programs – UNCF is one of the oldest minority scholarship organizations today. Scholarships found on this website are exclusively for African Americans.
48. Hispanic Scholarship Fund – This scholarship fund is specifically for Hispanic college students.
49. The American Indian College Fund – Scholarships & Students – The American Indian College Fund is for Native Americans that want to pursue a college education.
50. Guardian Life: College Scholarship Program for Girls Going Places – The Guardian Life College Scholarship Program is designed especially for young women that plan to become entrepreneurs after college.
When you’re filling out your scholarship applications, be aware that there are scholarship scams out there trying to trick you out of your money. Do all the research you can on each scholarship and be weary of any scholarship fund that asks for an application fee. Good luck!