Where can I find information on college scholarships and fellowships?
If you are seeking help with funding for your higher education, you should first contact the financial aid office at the college or university you plan to attend. For a list of colleges and universities with financial aid offices on the World Wide Web, see FinAid's directory of Financial Aid Office Web Pages. Direct financial assistance from your college, federal and state subsidized loans and grants, work-study programs, and support from local clubs, alumni, or religious groups are all possibilities. Some corporations offer scholarships or tuition-aid programs to their employees or to children of employees. Only after all of the above resources have been exhausted should you consider approaching foundations or other outside funders on your own.
You may want to start the process by taking the Foundation Center's interactive e-learning tutorial, Finding Foundation Support for Your Education, that guides students through the process of seeking financial support from foundations to pursue their studies. Here you will learn the basics about such topics as facts about foundations that provide financial aid for individuals, other sources beyond foundations, resources for the scholarship seeker, and how to apply. This fully interactive tutorial also includes several worksheets you can download and complete to assist in your search for funding and a self-test to reinforce what you've learned. Free registration and Macromedia Flash Player are required.
Foundation Center library collections are devoted to information about foundations and corporate grantmakers and their grants. Most foundation and corporate grants for scholarships and fellowships are awarded to educational institutions, which in turn disburse the funds, rather than directly to individuals.
Each of the Foundation Center's five libraries has a collection of materials of interest to individual grantseekers. The Foundation Center's information on grant programs for individuals is available in two formats and may be helpful in your search for foundation funding for your education. They are:
Foundation Grants to Individuals, in both formats, includes information on grantmakers giving to individuals for research and education, for the arts and sciences, and even for personal, living and medical expenses. Information about how to apply for funding from each foundation is included. All Foundation Center libraries and Cooperating Collections provide free public access to the print version of Foundation Grants to Individuals, and some may have the online version as well. These resource tools also may be purchased through the Marketplace.
Internet Resources
- Michigan State University Grants and Related Resources site, has a section on educational funding for individuals.
- FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid offers a number of useful features, such as an explanation of financial aid forms, links to government funding sources, and financial aid offices. FinAid also offers FastWeb, a free scholarship search engine for students (free registration required) and EduPass: The Smart Student Guide to Studying in the USA which is designed especially for non-U.S. students.
- The Foundation Center's Reference Guides for Students and International Students.
- The Foundation Center's Youth in Philanthropy page has a listing of Web-based scholarship resources detailing a wide variety of ways to find financial aid.
- Petersons.com's Financial Aid page provides help, guidance, and answers to frequently asked questions on financial aid, as well as information on organizations that offer private and federal loans. Peterson's Scholarship Search provides information on over 1.6 million scholarships, grants, and prizes worth more than $6.4 billion. (Free registration is required in order to use the database.)
- College Board includes a Scholarship Search where users can create a personal profile of educational level, talents, and background to search among 2,300 undergraduate scholarships, loans, internships, and other financial aid programs from non-college sources. There are also financial aid calculators where, for instance, you can approximate your Expected Family Contribution.
- American Education Services posts a guide called the Union Plus Scholarship Database. Formerly a print publication, the guide is now available only on the Web, and is searchable by organization name, organization type, scholarship name, and by state. You can also browse a listing of all available scholarships.
- The Institute of International Education's Web page offers information about international education and training programs, including Fulbright scholarships.
- The Black Collegian Online offers a listing of information for fellowships, grants, and scholarships of interest to people of color.
- GrantsNet provides information about support for research training in the biomedical sciences and undergraduate science education.
- The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources offers financial assistance to students in the sciences. Program guidelines can be found in the publications section.
- The Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) is a source of both internal and domestic scholarships, both merit- and needs-based.
Print Resources
Every Foundation Center library has a small collection of materials of interest to individuals seeking scholarships or fellowships. One book you may wish to refer to is Financing a College Education (New York: Plenum Press, 1989) by Judith Margolin. Financing a College Education contains practical recommendations that cover not only private scholarships and fellowships but also government assistance, loans, and work-study programs.
- Cassidy, Daniel J. The Scholarship Book: The Complete Guide to Private-Sector Scholarships, Grants, and Loans for Undergraduates. 11th ed. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall, 2004. Describes scholarships awarded by foundations, associations, corporations, unions, and fraternal organizations. Includes indexes by major fields of study and scholarship name, and a Quick Find index for state of residence, ethnic background, physical handicaps, and state of intended study.
- College Money Handbook. 22nd ed. Lawrenceville, NJ: Peterson's Guides, 2004. Profiles more than 2,100 four-year colleges in the United States, and indicates the amount and type of scholarships they offer. Introduction includes a guide to financing a college education and a section on frequently asked questions.
- Kaplan, Ben. The Scholarship Scouting Report: An Insider's Guide to America's Best Scholarships. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003. A close look at 35 scholarship programs, some by corporations. Explains how awards are determined, who is eligible, and entry requirements.
- Leider, Anna and Robert Leider. Don't Miss Out: The Ambitious Student's Guide to Financial Aid. 28th ed. Alexandria, VA: Octameron Associates, 2003. Planning guide suggesting procedures and strategies for students seeking financial aid.
- Leider, Anna. Loans and Grants from Uncle Sam: Am I Eligible and for How Much? 11th ed. Alexandria, VA: Octameron Associates, 2003. Covers various types of federal student aid, including Pell grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans, Perkins loans, as well as loans for medical education.
- Paying for College. Washington, DC: U.S. News & World Report, Inc., 2003. This special issue of U.S. News & World Report contains several articles that outline various options for meeting college expenses.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. College Student's Guide to Merit and Other No-Need Funding 2005-2007. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press. 2005.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann. Directory of Financial Aids for Women, 2005-2007. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2005.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families, 2004-2006. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004. Provides current and comprehensive information about hundreds of scholarship, fellowship, loan, grant, and award programs established and designed primarily or exclusively for the disabled or members of their families. Entries are grouped under chapter categories: disabilities in general; orthopedic and developmental disabilities; hearing disabilities; visual disabilities; communication and other disabilities; and programs for families of the disabled.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. Financial Aid for Veterans, Military Personnel and Their Dependents, 2004-2006. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann. Funding for Persons with Visual Impairments: 2004. Large print ed. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. High School Senior's Guide to Merit and Other No-Need Funding 2005-2007. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press. 2005.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. How to Pay for Your Degree in Education & Related Fields, 2004-2006. 2nd ed. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. How to Pay for Your Law Degree, 2004-2006. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. Money for Christian College Students, 2005-2007. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2005.
- Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. RSP Funding for Nursing Students and Nurses, 2004-2006. 4th ed. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press, 2004.
- Scholarships, Grants & Prizes. 10th ed. Lawrenceville, NJ: Thomson Peterson's, 2005. Descriptions of more than 3,900 scholarships, organized by area of academic study.
- Study Abroad. Lawrenceville, NJ: Thomson Peterson's. 2005. A guide to more than 1,900 semester and year abroad academic programs and internships.
For other books and articles you can try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Scholarships, fellowships and loans--directories" or "Travel and study abroad". Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings.
To learn more about foundation support for your education, attend our free one-hour class, Finding Foundation Support for Your Education.
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