Updated on May 24th, 2023
Local scholarships are a boon for students. Often, there’s less competition for the awards. This could make them easier to land, allowing students to win local scholarships to bolster their funds and pay for college with greater ease. In some cases, they can even make a previously unaffordable school a viable option.
That’s right; local scholarships can make a huge difference, as even small awards can add up to big savings. If you and your student want to learn more about where to find local scholarships, as well as other national scholarships and awards, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve your spot today.
When you’re trying to figure out how to find local scholarships, your approach matters. In many cases, local scholarship opportunities aren’t as well advertised, so you may have to actively track them down. Luckily, if you have a great scholarship search strategy, the process isn’t too difficult.
If you’re ready to find local scholarships for your college education, here’s what you need to know.
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How to Find Local Scholarships
Usually, when your student’s goal is to track down local scholarships and grants, your student needs to do a bit of research. There are opportunities out there, so it is typically worth the effort.
While heading online and dropping some keywords into a search engine can certainly work – and that should be part of their broader approach – other resources are usually much more valuable. If your student wants to know where they should start their search, here are some great options.
Where to Find Local Scholarships
High School Guidance Office
Many guidance counselors’ offices are well aware of scholarships available in the local area, but it can be surprising how few students actually ask about the opportunities. So, if your high school senior hasn’t taken a few minutes to sit down with a guidance counselor, it is a stop worth making.
In fact, some school districts even have foundations that provide funds to their students, so make sure your high schooler asks about these opportunities during the meeting. This is one area where it never hurts to ask, as your student may be surprised by what they find.
Community Organizations
Not everyone knows that cities, towns, counties, and other municipalities may have foundations within their borders that extend opportunities to local students. Your student can start the search by typing your city name and the words “community foundation” into a search engine and see what comes up. In some cases, these foundations offer large awards and are limited to residents who attend school in the local area.
Local Chapters of Large Organizations
Many large, national organizations are divided into local chapters for easy management and community involvement. And many of these groups offer scholarships.
For example, your local community Elks Club or Rotary Club may have opportunities available to area students. Additionally, local professional organizations that focus on your student’s desired field or area of study might offer scholarships. You can also check with the American Legion or VFW, especially if your family has a current or former military member.
As with community organizations, scholarship applications usually are only accepted from the local area. This means fewer students are competing for the funds, and the odds of being selected may increase.
Your student can search for professional organizations by entering their city’s name and their target field or major into a search engine along with phrases like “professional association.” That may help them find local chapters.
Local Businesses
Local community businesses may also have scholarship opportunities available for students. Anything from local utility companies, doctors’ and lawyers’ offices, banks or credit unions, and more may have funds available to support students.
Another source of local scholarships is local media. Area television and radio stations may offer scholarships, especially for high school students interested in entering the fields like broadcasting or journalism. In some cases, when these opportunities are available, they are limited to students in the viewing or listening target area, which effectively makes them local scholarships.
Parent’s Employer or Union
Certain employers and unions have scholarship programs or opportunities that are only open to employees or members and their families. Depending on the program, this can make the pool of eligible applicants fairly small.
However, some unions are indeed massive. Still, the number of applicants is limited, making these scholarships worth pursuing if your student qualifies.
City, County, and State Government
Local doesn’t just have to mean your student’s town. Technically, any scholarship or grant that’s limited to students in a portion of the country could qualify.
For example, state-based programs can be considered local. With those, students usually have to be residents of a particular state to qualify. You can find opportunities limited to New York, Florida, Texas, or California students, for instance.
However, you can also drill down further. Along with state programs, you might find opportunities at the city or county level.
Usually, the best place to start if your student wants to track down these local scholarships and grants is through your area’s Department of Education or youth and family government agencies. Even if those organizations don’t host their own scholarships and grants, they may point you in the right direction.
Religious Centers
Many religious organizations offer scholarships to their members. If your family regularly attends services at a particular church, synagogue, mosque, or another religious facility, have your student ask the organization’s leadership if any funds are set aside for graduating high school seniors’ education.
Even if scholarships aren’t available at the local level, the center’s leadership may know about other financial aid opportunities, too. That makes asking worthwhile.
Anywhere Else
Essentially, any group in your local area might offer a scholarship. Sometimes, the only way to find out is to ask. When it comes down to it, the risk associated with asking is just being told nothing is available. And, in the best case, your student may find out about a little-known opportunity that can help them get ahead. Look no further, this video covers the top 5 best college scholarships in 2021: Best College Scholarships in 2021
How to Apply for Local Scholarships
As with all scholarship opportunities, your student needs to be strategic about how they apply for local scholarship opportunities. Ideally, your student should start with awards that they’re eligible to land that have the smallest pool of qualifying applicants. This can limit competition dramatically, increasing their odds of winning.
After that, your student should branch out, expanding their search to less stringent ones one step at a time. For example, your student may want to begin with small local scholarships only open to city residents, company employees and their families, graduates from a specific high school or district, or members of a particular organization.
They could then look for county-level, union, viewing/listening area, and similar slightly broader options. After that, they just expand out one level at a time.
Should You Skip National Awards and Only Apply to Local Scholarships?
No, students shouldn’t skip out on national (or international) awards and solely focus on winning local scholarships for college. Instead, local scholarships should be part of the overall plan.
Ideally, your student needs to concentrate on scholarships where they are a great candidate. If your student isn’t fully eligible for an award, that’s when they should bypass it. Otherwise, they shouldn’t skip out on a scholarship that they qualify for just because it’s a national opportunity.
While they may want to start with local scholarships and grants because their odds of winning may be higher, once they tackle those, they should embrace national opportunities too. It never hurts to toss their hat in the ring, even if competition may be fierce. After all, someone has to win and, if they are qualified, that winner could be them.
That’s right; local scholarships can make a huge difference, as even small awards can add up to big savings. If you and your student want to learn more about where to find local scholarships, as well as national awards, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve your spot today.
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