External Scholarships
Large scholarships are most often awarded by national organizations and large corporations. Local organizations, on the other hand, usually offer scholarships for smaller amounts, but have the benefit of less competition for a student seeking to achieve a scholarship. Start your scholarship search close to home to reduce the size of your competition and to increase your chances of success. Deadlines for consideration may be as early as January for the upcoming fall semester. Here are some suggestions for scholarship opportunities in your community:
- Your high school guidance office is the best place to inquire about local scholarship opportunities. Many high school guidance offices can also help you identify national scholarship sources.
- The workplace of parent or student
- Churches and religious organizations
- Civic, charitable, and service organizations (Rotary Club, Lions Club, Elks, etc.)
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Local newspapers (check the business and community service sections)
- Public Library
Books such as "The Scholarship Book," "Peterson's Guide," "Barron's Guide to Colleges and Universities" and "Don't Miss Out: The Ambitious Student's Guide to Financial Aid" provide sources to write to for scholarship information.
Scholarship Search Services and Sites
Be wary of any scholarship search services that charge a fee. Many would like you to believe that there are large amounts of aid going unclaimed and that by paying them a fee, you will be guaranteed some of that money. As the old saying goes, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Even if they guarantee results "or your money back," experience has taught many families that the results are often negligible and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to get a refund. Most of these services will charge you a fee for tapping into a database of scholarships that you can find on your own, free of charge. The same databases are available to you on the Internet.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Scholarship Program
Local Community Scholarship Opportunities:
- Berks County Community Foundation
- Bucks County Fund Scholarships
- Lancaster County Community Foundation
- Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
Helpful Links for Searching and Applying for Scholarships on the Internet:
- American Bullion Scholarship Application
- American Association of University Women - Harrisburg Branch
- American CPR Care Association's Scholarship
- BestColleges.com Scholarship Information for African American Students
- BestColleges.com Scholarship Information for Hispanic and Latino Students
- BrokeScholar
- Broadcast Education Association Scholarships
- Citizens Bank Scholarship
- College Board Scholarship Search
- CollegeNET
- CollegeToolKit
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc
- Earnest Scholarship
- Education Planner
- eduPASS
- EdvestinU Scholarship
- FastWeb
- Gates Millennium Scholars Program (For minority students)
- GoCollege
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- Latino College Dollars
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation
- NOBLE Scholarship
- PNC Scholarship
- Peterson's Scholarship Search
- RISE Financial Literacy Scholarship (Philadelphia residents)
- Sallie Mae Scholarship Search
- Sallie Mae Fund’s Completing the Dream Scholarship Program
- Sallie Mae Graduate Scholarships
- Scholarships.com
- SmartAsset Personal Finance Scholarship
- TEFL Academy Scholarship
- Unigo's Shout It Out Scholarship
- United Negro College Fund
- Wells Fargo Scholarship Search
PASSHE Scholarships
The PASSHE Foundation assists students attending the 14 state system universities by providing scholarships opportunities. To learn more about these opportunities, visit the PASSHE Foundation Scholarship page for eligibility requirements, award amounts, application instructions, and deadlines.
The Financial Aid Office at Kutztown University does not monitor nor control the information provided on any of the websites listed.