Mother and daughter applying for college scholarships together.

How to apply for college scholarships: It could save you money

Help your child find the right scholarships, know their deadlines, and submit a strong application.

The majority of American college students will graduate with some student loan debt. Help reduce your child's tuition burden by helping them find and apply for scholarships.

How do I prepare?

Understand what will help your child stand out. Good scholarship candidates are:

  • Unique: Encourage your student to pursue real passions, not to focus on "padding the resume"with activities they don't enjoy.
  • Driven: Help your child set goals and work toward them. Goal setting can strengthen your child's work ethic and help them think strategically. (Bonus: The lessons and achievements along the way might lead to an effective scholarship essay.)
  • Proactive: Teach your child to take initiative. Applying to college and searching for scholarships early can help them take advantage of more opportunities.

When should I apply?

Help your student succeed during the scholarship application process.

  • Start early. Students should start applying for scholarships after their junior year of high school.
  • Stay organized. List all suitable scholarships by deadline to make sure not to rush applications or miss out completely.

Where can I find scholarship opportunities?

The following resources will help your child find suitable scholarships:

Is an essay important?

Your child can make an impression with their essay by following these guidelines:

  • Write about specific examples of achievement rather than generic aspirational statements, and highlight data such as grade improvements over time where possible.
  • Explain why attending college would help them reach specific goals.

Another easy way to help avoid college debt is by saving early. Check out these ways to save more for college.

The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. State Farm is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. State Farm makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.

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