You’ve graduated from high school and now you’re in college. Does that mean all your scholarship opportunities have dried up?

No. Although it may seem that the majority of scholarship opportunities out there are for students still in high school, there are a lot of opportunities for those who are currently in college. There may be some different parameters, like the Abbott and Fenner, which is for students from age 16 to 30.

Another one is offered by Nadine and Eddie Basha, and is called the Adelante Scholarship. This is for students currently in college and is something they wanted to offer to students who “for whatever reason did not qualify for assistance through normal channels.” They would like to see a good GPA, (2.5 or better), and a 500 word essay saying why they have chosen to pursue their particular course of study and their commitment to college. This award can go to students in any accredited college or university, and also anyone pursuing a vocational degree. The scholarship amount is between $500 and $5,000 per semester and can be renewed. If you are submitting a renewal they will want to see you previous semester’s GPA and a new essay about the past semester.

The Coca-Cola Company has a scholarship for either high school or current junior college students. It’s called the Coca-Cola Two Year Scholarship, and is a one-time grant of $1,000. The deadline is May 31^st.

If you are an athlete, either a senior in high school or at college, you can apply for the Big Sun Scholarship. This award is sponsored by Big Sun Athletics and is for $500. You must write a 500 word (or less) essay saying why you think you deserve this award. The deadline is June 20^th.

If you served in Afghanistan or Iraq anytime after September 11^th, 2001 you could be eligible for the Horatio Alger Military Scholarship. Students applying to this scholarship need to be planning on going to school full time, (24 units per year or more), and plan on betting a bachelor’s degree. They can start at a 2-year college and transfer. The scholarship site does not give an amount of the award, but it does say that funds are paid directly to the school, to be used for on-campus housing, books, fees, and tuition.

If you are 16 or older, or a parent, legal guardian or guidance counselor to a future or current student, you can enter into a monthly drawing for a $1,000 scholarship, or win a grand prize of $25,000. This is a contest, rather than a scholarship competition. It’s sponsored by Nelnet, a company that does educational planning and financing. They will share your email address with other companies once you enter. I have a Hotmail account that I use for contests, because it has a good filter. This keeps my “regular” email address from being inundated with junk mail. You can enter daily to increase the odds of winning.

If you are planning a career in the hospital industry, NEWH has a scholarship opportunity. The site does not state the amount of the award, but the deadline is July 1^st.

A good place for current college students to search for scholarship opportunities is the college itself. Not just the college you are attending. Many colleges in the state have very good lists of scholarships available, which they post on their financial aid websites. Some of the opportunities will be for that particular college, but many will be “outside” scholarship, like the ones listed above. It may feel sort of “sneaky” but the opportunities are out there for the public. Some of the colleges with good financial aid sites are Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, and Estrella Mountain Community College. In addition you have all the universities to search. Some schools seem to do a great job in servicing their students in this capacity, and some simply have links to the government’s FAFSA website and the different scholarship search engines you can subscribe to.

One site I found, (which was very difficult to navigate and had extremely narrow qualifications), had extended their scholarship deadline twice. Which means they are probably not getting enough applicants. So don’t be shy. Research and dig to find the opportunities, then take the time to fill out the applications. All the awards will add up, and you’ll be glad you took the time and made the effort.

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