Start here
Welcome, we are glad you are here to start exploring scholarships with us!
The first step in finding a scholarship, fellowship or an award (these terms are used interchangeably - they all mean free money for school-related expenses) is doing your research.
There are hundreds of scholarship opportunities to search through and choose from, so approach your search with an open mind. This research takes time, and we hope the guidance, tools and resources collected throughout our website will be helpful to you along the way.
Count yourself in
It's easy to get discouraged while searching for scholarships. You will inevitably see scholarships that look great, but you don't meet the eligibility requirements. Fight against the urge to give up!
When you feel like there aren't any scholarships out there for you, change the way you are going about the search process.
If you are not finding scholarships that match with your specific major, use a broader search term. For example, if you're majoring in Human Centered Design & Engineering, you are unlikely to find scholarships that use that specific name. Instead try searching for STEM or technology or engineering. Use broad terms to search by fields of study.
Not finding scholarships that are specifically for you? Consider that most scholarships are quite general in their eligibility requirements. A lot of scholarships want to support students, and leave it up to you as the applicant to bring your strengths into the application. Be open to considering scholarships that have more general eligibility requirements and are open to a wider range of students. In other words, scholarships that aren't very specifically for certain majors, certain communities, etc. might not stand out to you in your searching, but you should still consider them!
Identify your goals
Near-term goal setting:
- Thinking about experiences you'd like to get in the next 1-2 years is an extremely helpful exercise to do while searching for scholarships.
- It also helps you to maximize your college experience and graduate feeling prepared for next steps.
- Feeling like you don't have enough experience to stand out in a scholarship competition? There are scholarships that want to support you to build that experience.
Longer-term goal setting:
- Thinking about experiences you'd like to get in 3-5 years is also extremely helpful to do while searching for scholarships. You will inevitably see scholarships that support experiences you're not ready for yet, but that you want to do eventually.
- What do you need to start doing now to be ready when that time comes? Identifying some steps now gives you the chance to strategically prepare.
Build & highlight your experiences
You do not need the perfect GPA to stand out in a scholarship application. Scholarship programs at the undergraduate and graduate level generally look for students who:
- Engage in and outside of the classroom
- Cultivate relationships with mentors
- Have developed OR are actively working toward developing a clear academic and career direction
Activities and responsibilities to highlight in your scholarship applications:
- Your specific role in projects, labs or internships
- Volunteer positions and activities (whether connected to school or not)
- Relevant coursework or other specialized skills
- Leadership positions (whether connected to school or not)
- Active club/organization participation
- Work experience
- Family responsibilities
- Awards, honors, scholarships or fellowships
- Study abroad or other cross-cultural experiences
- Music, theater, journalism, etc. activities
Quarterly action items
These are just a few examples of small steps you can take on the road to building your candidacy for scholarship applications (they also bring other wider benefits).
- Identify one or two things (activities, clubs, volunteer, research, internships, etc.) you want to do each quarter.
- Visit office hours offered by your professors or instructors and choose at least one to attend more than once.
- Attend at least one departmental event.
Annual action items
- Build your learning outside the classroom by interning, working or volunteering
- Participate in the scholarly community by attending conferences, symposiums and look for opportunities to share your work.
- Attend, volunteer or present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium
- Update your CV or resume
- Go to a study abroad, career or graduate school fair
