Scholarship Tips
Never pay someone to help you find a scholarship. You can find all
of these for free. The point is to make money, not lose money!
1. Get organized – Create a filing system so that you can keep track of all of the
scholarship applications you have submitted and easily locate documents such as your
transcripts, test scores and essays.
2. Create a separate professional email address for your scholarship search.
Use perhaps your name or initials no funny stuff. It can feel overwhelming to be
bogged down by emails, so a separate email account for scholarships can simplify
the process. Monitor and manage on a weekly basis, remove your email address
from sites you no longer find helpful.
3. Be aware that some schools (and employers) will search online for social media accounts or
profiles when evaluating your application – what you present to the public is extremely important in the
online world.
4. Dedicate yourself to the search. Searching for and applying for scholarships takes a lot of work.
It takes a lot of time, but it can really pay off. Start with a school you are interested in - review the
financial aid/scholarship search web page, bookmark - review often - mark the deadlines in your
calendar.
5. Start your search where you plan to attend, as the school will often have privately funded
scholarships by department, category, or classification. Use online scholarship search engines that
match your profile to scholarships opportunities, and then check at your school and in your community.
6. Do not avoid applying for scholarships because they require an essay. This increases your
odds! If you need help writing a personal statement or college essay, you can always
come to College Depot and meet with one of our advisors or attend one of our college essay writing
workshops.
7. Talk to friends and family members – let everyone know that you are looking for
advice and assistance in learning about how to earn scholarships. There are many
organizations participating in offering financial aid assistance, so the more you put the
word out, the more opportunity you have to better your odds.
8. Students, who are eligible, and are planning on higher education, should complete the FAFSA
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online. You can complete the FAFSA Forecaster now, and
then January 1st of your senior year, log on to submit your application. www.fafsa.gov - IT IS FREE –
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., 2nd Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004
[email protected] - phoenixpubliclibrary.org/collegedepot
602-261-8847
Revised 8/21/2013
Scholarship Searches for Everyone
www.azcis.intocareers.org AzCIS is designed to provide educational, career and occupational
information to help students in making better informed career and school choices.
(Username: cdadult, Password: 2viewazcis, this login is for adults who are out of high school)
(Username: cdhs, Password: 2viewazcis, this login is for high school students)
www.azgrants.gov This site provides information about financial aid programs administered by
the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.
*www.collegeanswer.com/scholarships This site offers access to an award winning database
that contains more than 3 million scholarships worth over $16 billion.
www.collegegreenlight.com This site offers information on college planning and scholarships.
College Greenlight is a free online resource that addresses the needs of first-generation and
underrepresented students.
www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/collegedepot Our site lists current scholarships based on their
upcoming deadlines. Check this website often as new scholarships are added monthly.
www.scholarships.com This website offers lots of current scholarships and matches you to
scholarships based on your personal profile.
www.scholarshipsAZ.org ALL students can go to college, regardless of immigration status.
And yes, there are scholarships available too.
www.scholarships360.org This website is dedicated to bringing students one great scholarship
opportunity each day.
*Good site for Graduate Students.
Revised 8/21/2013