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Scholarships

Scholarships do not need to be repaid and are awarded based upon particular, often competitive requirements.

Institutional Scholarships

Many colleges now offer some type of merit scholarship. Merit scholarships are most often awarded based on certain academic requirements such as GPA, SAT scores, class rank, etc. Certain colleges only award institutional scholarships to students who can provide financial need. When inquiring about merit aid, you should ask the following questions:

  • What types of scholarships do you offer and what are the dollar amounts? 
  • What are the criteria for the scholarships? 
  • How many of them do you offer? 
  • If I meet the criteria, am I guaranteed to get one? 
  • What do you need to do to keep the scholarship? 
  • What happens if I do not meet the criteria to maintain the scholarship?

Private Scholarships

Many businesses, community organizations, and foundations also award scholarships to qualifying students. These scholarships may be awarded based on need, merit or for some other quality. While many scholarships are awarded for high academic performance or for some other talent, other scholarships are available to students that are children of employees at a particular company, part of a religious group, or are financially needy. There is a scholarship out there for just about every type of student. You never know what you will be eligible for unless you look. To find scholarships, visit your high school guidance office, local library, or go to RIScholarships.com to search through our comprehensive database.

During your search, beware of scholarship scams. You shouldn’t ever have to pay anyone to find you scholarships. There are plenty of free resources available.