Making Cents: Scholarships

Tuition continues to rise and the challenge of paying for college is a real burden for traditional and non-traditional students alike. Scholarships are a great way to help offset the increasing costs.

The keys to winning scholarships include:

• knowing where to look for them
• having an application strategy
• and using creative writing techniques to make your essays stand out. 

Applying for scholarships should be viewed as a part-time job for students. Devote the same days and time each week to researching and applying for scholarships. The money you earn in the long run is worth far more than the short time commitment needed to research and apply.

Start by looking for smaller scholarships from local service organizations, such as Rotary or Kiwanis. Or businesses such as credit unions.  These scholarships usually require short essays, and tend to give you better odds of winning. Ascentra Credit Union offers scholarships to traditional and non-traditional students. Visit ascentra.org/scholarships for information on how to apply. 

For larger and national scholarships, use free and reputable websites that match you to scholarships, such as fastweb.com.  

Billions of scholarship dollars go unclaimed every year!  Set yourself up for success, by graduating with little to no student loan debt. 

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