Parents often ask us where their teen can find college scholarships and in our opinion this is the one area we recommend parents take an active role. Searching for and applying for scholarships is time consuming and many students avoid it.

What you need to know is all college scholarship sites are not equal. Many aren’t legitimate or are little more than sources for gathering your data. It’s a given you will get some unsolicited emails and you won’t want to overload your college application or your personal email accounts.

Tip #1:     Set up a new email to be used only for scholarships.

Tip #2:     Never pay for a scholarship search.

Tip #3:     Start local; places to consider are employers, local service organizations (Elks, Rotary, Lions, etc.), school foundations, high school counseling department, and PTA.

Our top 5 scholarship sites are:

1.     Fastweb.com

2.     Scholarshipmonkey.com

3.     Petersons.com

4.     Studentscholarships.org

5.     Chegg.com/scholarships

On each site be sure to:

·      Fill out the student profile 100%, leaving no blank spaces or unchecked boxes.

·      List all possible majors for the most scholarship matches. If you are unsure of your major check the boxes for anything that interests you.

·      Update your information regularly, as different scholarships are offered for different grade levels.  Also, more matches may occur if you join clubs, volunteer, learn new skills, and take part in different activities.

Bonus Info: At the time your student is submitting admissions applications, parents of seniors can research the financial aid page for each college. There you may find additional information on institutional or departmental scholarships and whether a supplemental application is required. Not all schools offer departmental scholarships for incoming freshman, but if they do, you don't want to miss out!