Think you don't qualify for any college scholarships? You might be pleasantly surprised. Here, some opportunities to consider and explore.

When planning for your college career, don’t let scholarship money pass you by. Funding is available to students based on a variety of criteria beyond their high school transcripts. Before you dismiss yourself from candidacy for these often lofty scholarships, make sure you throw your hat in the ring to make the financial burdens of higher education a bit more viable and less worrisome.

Scholarships are most commonly awarded based on:

• Academic achievement or merit
• Economic- or needs-based
• Public service, volunteer experiences and extracurricular participation
• A combination of these criteria

Keep the following in mind when applying for scholarships:

Academic-based scholarships

Display candidacy through a robust demonstration of your academic achievements, including sports and extracurricular activities. Scholarship committees require testing scores, grades, and essays to determine worthy candidates amongst the applicants. Make it easy on the committee by reading the application materials thoroughly and providing everything requested. Some committees won’t even reach out to you for additional information, so make sure it’s right the first time.

Some tips to help make your academic scholarship application shine are:

• Take time and effort to obtain references and letters of recommendation from esteemed teachers, colleagues or mentors. These go a long way with admission committees and scholarship panels.
• Make sure to sign releases for transcripts early so you will be in the running for any available funding. Once the funds have depleted, late applicants will likely be left out.
• Have a teacher or friend proofread your essay to ensure that it’s grammatically correct. The last thing you want is a glaring typo or misspelling in your application packet.

Economic-based scholarships

Probably the bulk of scholarship aid is based on economic need. This requires thorough documentation pertaining to finances for both yourself and your parents or guardians. When filing your FAFSA (Federal Application for Financial Student Aid), make sure to indicate all the schools you want your financial information shared with—this increases the chances of receiving offers from universities and colleges. One of your back-up choices could jump to the top of your college list if it’s willing to provide you with the means of attending without bearing the financial burdens of other schools. In other words, don’t limit yourself to one or two colleges when applying for scholarship aid.

Other options

Numerous publications lay out alternative sources for college scholarships, but keep in mind that the competition for these funds is fierce. Try local institutions, groups, and organizations first. Provide thorough documentation of your past volunteer efforts, extracurricular participation, and career choices for your application packet.

Some viable sources for college funding include:

• Public service organizations, such as area animal shelters or hospitals
• Annual or monthly national scholarships based on merits, achievements, and recommendations, for example, monthly merit awards from professional organizations
• Sports teams or clubs at your school
• Local charities and groups such as the VFW or Masonic Lodge
• Memorial scholarships through your high school, for example, in memory of a past student with specific college or career goals

The takeaway from this is to go ahead and apply for scholarships, even if you don’t think you have the grades. Keep copious notes and documentation from school, and start thinking of the best candidates to write letters of reference that will yield results. Lighten the financial burdens of college by reaching out for any funds or scholarships that are available; you may be pleasantly surprised by what’s offered.

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