How to Find State Funded College Scholarship and Grant Programs
One of the most overlooked sources for free college financial aid is your own state government. That’s right, those bureaucrats have gathered some massive funds into higher education coffers and mete them out annually to thousands of students just like you. At bottom of theis page there is an A to Z list of state links. Use these to quickly find the scholarship and grant programs for your home state.
Here’s what you must keep in mind while you dig into these resources….
Filing the FAFSA
Absolutely no state government scholarships or grants are available to you unless you file the FAFSA. Period. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is not the easiest form to fill out, but without it you can kiss all kinds of low-cost and free student funds good-bye. Fill it out and file it with the federal government by the deadline. Your state government will utilize much of the same financial information contained on your FAFSA to make decisions about how to dole out various scholarships and grants for which you might qualify.
State Deadlines
Understand that your state government scholarship and grant programs have their own deadlines that could be quite different from that of the FAFSA. In fact every source from the federal government to the state government to each and every college and university to which you’ll apply, all have different deadlines. Tip: keep a calendar clearly marked with all the critical deadlines you’ll need to be really prepared to tackle college.
In fact your state may even have a specific deadline by which it requires you to have filed the FAFSA in order to meet various funding guidelines. So don’t let this throw you. File the FAFSA as early as you can and by the earliest deadline on your calendar.
Types of State Funded College Aid
Typically most state governments maintain gift aid that provides assistance to the widest range of students possible. Here are the main types of scholarships and grants you’ll find while searching for state funds:
- Merit awards are generally offered in the form of scholarships. One of the most common is the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships available to outstanding high school scholars in every state. Scholarships based on merit often require student candidates to have met particular academic metrics, such as GPA, SAT/ACT scores, rigorous coursework, etc. But they may also be bundled with financial need requirements, as well. Merit scholarships that offer renewal options also require that recipients sustain certain academic standards throughout the course of their college careers to stay eligible.
- Need-based awards can come packaged as scholarships or grants and have additional criteria built-in. However you’ll find that many states make big grant programs available to thousands of students, especially those with financial disadvantage. Awards may range from a few hundred dollars to full-tuition awards based in the state and type of institution you’ll attend. Financial information is usually based on your FAFSA.
- Dependent awards are common for children of firefighters, law enforcement, emergency services personnel, veterans, victims of terror attacks, and foster children. If you’re a dependent with a parent who was killed or disabled while serving the country or during the line of duty, chances are good that your state government provides partial to full-tuition scholarships and grants that can help offset your financial situation.
- Career and study-specific scholarships and grants almost always are designed to fill a gaping hole in the state economy. For example, two of the most common career-specific scholarship, grant and loan repayment programs offered by state governments are those for nurses and teachers. Why? Both Nurses and Teachers are in short supply. What is one of the best ways to keep students studying and working within the state? Dangle dollars in front of them. Student nurses – LPN, RN, undergraduate and graduate—all have monetary incentives available. Same goes for student teachers, particularly those willing to teach within a critical shortage area, such as math, science, or special education.
Remember, your state government provides some of the best free scholarship and grant money you can find. Visit your state’s higher education website where you’ll find detailed information on each current program as well as applications and deadlines.