Funding Your Dream: How to Apply for College Scholarships
Looking to lessen the cost of your college education? Scholarships are a powerful tool that can help fund your education so you can graduate with little to no student debt. While finding scholarships may seem daunting, it’s worth the time and effort.
To provide some guidance, Northampton Community College (NCC) created a comprehensive scholarship guide covering everything from finding scholarship opportunities to application tips.
Keep reading to discover how to finance your education and move closer to your goals:
- What is a scholarship?
- Can you get scholarships for community college?
- How many scholarships can you get?
- Where can you find scholarships?
- Scholarship application tips
- Next steps after accepting a scholarship
- Explore NCC’s scholarship opportunities
What Is a Scholarship?
A scholarship is a type of financial aid a student receives to help pay for educational expenses. Commonly called “gift aid,” scholarship recipients do not have to pay the money back, making scholarships a highly sought-after form of financial assistance.
Types of Scholarships
While there is a broad range of scholarships available, one of the most common types is merit–based, which means it is awarded to students who demonstrate a high level of academic achievement through GPA, test scores, and other academic criteria.
Students may also receive scholarships based on the following criteria:
- Financial need
- Community service
- Excellence in athletics, music, art, writing, or other skills
- Area of study or major
- Demographic background
Although scholarship programs can be competitive, there are many opportunities to secure additional funding to help pay for college.
Can You Get Scholarships for Community College?
Yes, you can receive scholarships to fund your education at a community college. In fact, many scholarships are intended explicitly for community college students, ensuring affordability and accessibility.
NCC, for example, has one of the largest scholarship programs in Pennsylvania, awarding up to 1,000 scholarships each year. This support is crucial in helping students offset the cost of tuition, materials, housing, and more.
As Dana Edmonds, a graduate of NCC’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, notes, “For me, the importance of having that financial burden lifted a little bit is just the fact that I can let up on my work hours a little bit and put more time into my classes and my studying. I don't know that I would have been able to get through all of it without those resources.”
How Many Scholarships Can You Get?
Technically, there is no limit to the number of scholarships you can apply for and then receive. When researching and accepting scholarships, you should consider the total cost of attendance for your college education. This is an estimate of your direct and indirect costs for a year of school, including your school-related expenses (tuition, fees, books, technology, etc.), as well as your living expenses, transportation, and other expenditures.
Knowing your annual costs will help you gauge the amount of scholarships you’ll need to secure. Within this calculation, also take into account other forms of financial assistance you’re receiving, such as grants and student loans.
Also, scholarship amounts can vary drastically, ranging from a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. If the scholarships for which you’re applying are smaller amounts, then you’ll probably have to apply to more programs. But no matter the amount, they all help reduce the cost of your education.
Curious about how much your NCC degree might cost? Use our Net Price Calculator to get an estimate.
Where Can I Find Scholarships?
The college or university you're attending is the first place you should look for scholarships. Depending on where you go, you may be automatically considered for merit scholarships when applying for admission. At other schools, such as NCC, you must take the initiative to
apply for scholarships. While this takes some extra time, the application process is usually straightforward.
If you’re still in high school, you should also talk to your school counselor or guidance office. They can connect you with scholarship opportunities for which you may qualify.
If you have decided upon a major, explore scholarship options offered by professional organizations. For example, if you’re a woman interested in becoming an engineer, check out scholarships offered by the Society of Women Engineers. Scholarships like these not only help fund your education but can jump-start meaningful professional connections to boost your career.
We also recommend visiting your state’s website to find available scholarships. For instance, Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development compiles a
list of scholarship organizations within the state. This is an excellent place to begin your research and find local organizations to support your educational pursuits.
Online databases can help you search thousands of scholarship opportunities and find the ones perfect for you. When doing your research, be sure to apply to reputable organizations to avoid scams. We recommend the following websites:
At Northampton, we want to simplify the process for our students, so we created a directory of external scholarship resources to guide your research.
How to Apply for Scholarships
While each program may have unique requirements and specifications, most scholarship applications include the following steps:
- After determining a scholarship for which you’d like to apply, carefully review the eligibility criteria to ensure you qualify, the application requirements, and the scholarship specifications and deadlines. If the scholarship provides funding for numerous years, be sure you understand how to maintain eligibility.
- Gather your required materials. Some scholarship applications may ask you to submit the following:
- Complete the scholarship application, ensuring you fill out all the fields.
- If required, draft your scholarship essay or personal statement. While the prompt determines what you’ll write about, use this opportunity to tell your story and share your goals.
- Double-check all your materials to ensure they are accurate and free of grammatical and spelling errors, and that you are emailing or sending them to the correct address.
- Submit your finalized application.
Additional Scholarship Tips
- Apply early! Scholarship programs are competitive, so give yourself enough time to prepare and apply.
- Stay organized and maximize your time, so you can apply for multiple scholarships, improving your chances of securing one or more. Using time management strategies like time blocking or creating a scholarship calendar can help.
- Have a trusted counselor or teacher review your personal statement or essay. We recommend choosing someone familiar with you and your academic background so they can help you craft an essay that highlights your strengths and lays out your college plans.
I Earned a Scholarship—What’s Next?
Congratulations! Earning a scholarship is an exciting step in your college journey that saves money and helps you progress toward your degree.
If you’ve earned a scholarship through the institution you plan to attend, your first step is to formally accept it. You’ll most likely receive instructions on how to confirm that you’re accepting the award. This may be via email or by signing an acceptance form. Since your institution awards this type of scholarship, it is usually applied directly to your tuition, fees, housing, and other expenses.
If you receive an outside scholarship—one that is from an external source instead of your institution—you must formally accept it. Next, you must report this external scholarship to your college or university’s financial aid office. While the organization may inform your school, it’s important to communicate this yourself since it may impact your other aid.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to contact the association or organization providing the scholarship to confirm that the information they have about you and the school you’re attending is correct.
Lastly, in both instances, it’s essential to save any important information and paperwork for your records.
Get the Support You Need—Discover NCC’s Scholarship Opportunities
Make your dreams a reality at Northampton Community College. We’re proud to have one of Pennsylvania’s largest scholarship programs, awarding over 1,000 scholarships yearly and helping students like you invest in their futures.
Whether you’re earning your nursing degree, pursuing a trades career as a welder, preparing to transfer to a four-year college or university, or anything in between, you can choose from more than 120 academic programs at NCC that are designed to equip you with diverse skills and real-world experience—all at an affordable cost.
Explore the possibilities at Northampton. Take the next step to join our community by reviewing our admissions information.
