Between the ever-increasing cost of college tuition, changes to this year’s federal financial aid formulas, and the anxiety produced by a much-delayed Free Application for Federal Student Aid rollout, paying for higher education may feel a little more difficult this year.
While there are many factors beyond the control of families, there is one major opportunity for students to reduce the sticker price: external scholarships.
Applying for external scholarships, which are financial aid provided by outside donors such as high schools, clubs, nonprofits, or religious organizations, can help students get “more buying power,” according to Kirsten Crotte, senior associate director of financial aid at Otterbein University.
“Students should be investing time in applying for external scholarships,” Crotte went on to say.
Searching for and applying for external scholarships can be time-consuming, but Crotte believes that every bit helps.
“If a student spent 10 hours applying to 10 scholarships and only got one for $1,000, that could feel discouraging,” she told me. “But that’s still $100 an hour for your time spent.”
Many external scholarships have February application deadlines. However, a number of organizations have altered their deadlines to coincide with the delayed FAFSA release, allowing families more time to apply.
There are numerous external scholarships available for Greater Columbus students. This is a non-exhaustive list of places you can apply.
The Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation offers over 200 college scholarships and has its own Universal Scholarship Application.
High school and college students who complete the Universal Scholarship Application are immediately considered for over 100 scholarships listed in the Foundation’s online scholarship database.
The Columbus Foundation moved the deadline for the Universal Scholarship Application to March 22 to coincide with the FAFSA rollout.
According to the website, applicants can replace the FAFSA submission summary with a PDF of their confirmation email that includes their anticipated Student Aid Index. If the SAI cannot be computed, applicants can upload a screenshot of the page on the FAFSA website indicating that the form has been filed but the SAI cannot be calculated.
In addition, applicants must submit a brief description of their financial needs in the application.
Alumni funds
Already committed to a university? Congrats! Your fellow insert-school-mascot-here graduates may have a scholarship fund to help you go through school.
The Ohio State Alumni Club of Franklin County, for example, offers a scholarship supported by club members to area students who have been accepted at any Ohio State school and are committed to attending. (The deadline is March 1.)
Enter your city or home county, as well as the name of your college, into a search engine to see what results come up.
Your high school’s alumni association is also a wonderful area to explore for outside scholarships.
High school and college students can search for high school-specific alumni scholarships through organizations like The Delaware County Foundation, The Muskingum County Community Foundation, The Pickaway County Community Foundation and The Union County Foundation.
Eligible Columbus City Schools seniors with continuous enrollment in the district who are enrolling full-time at an accredited U.S. university or college can apply for I Know I Can’s Founder’s Scholarship.
Program-specific scholarships
If you’ve committed to a certain major or are interested in pursuing a field of study, there is likely a scholarship for you.
The Career & Technology Education Centers of Licking County has a roundup of outside scholarships for trade fields including, but not limited to, cosmetology, cybersecurity, massage therapy and HVAC.
The Ohio Farm Bureau has a number of scholarships available to students interested in studying agriculture and related fields. Franklin County’s Farm Bureau, for instance, awards multiple scholarships totaling nearly $15,000 each year to students studying at accredited colleges and universities.
The Nationwide Foundation Scholarship Program is awarding 24 scholarships averaging $3,000 each this year to Franklin County who have attended Columbus State Community College and are enrolled full-time in a bachelor’s degree program at one of five Ohio colleges. Applicants must be business majors.
State grants and scholarships
The Ohio Department of Higher Education invests in a number of scholarship programs to keep students in-state and lower the cost of attendance for Ohioans.
The Choose Ohio First Scholarship is designed to support Ohio students interested in STEM-related fields and to increase the number of STEM teachers. The Department of Higher Education provides funding to participating colleges and universities, which direct the money to students. Interested students can reach out to the point-person at their specific institution to apply.
The Grow Your Own Teacher Scholarship Program is designed to help school districts recruit their own students and staff to become teachers within the district. Scholarship recipients agree to teach for a minimum of four years at their home school district in exchange for a scholarship of up to $7,500/year for four years of college.
The Department of Higher Education also has several scholarships for caregivers of disabled Ohio veterans; children of deceased or severely disabled Ohio veterans; and the kin of peace officers, firefighters and certain other safety officers who are killed in the line-of-duty.