Even with the May 1 deadline for college decisions come and gone, many students may still be undecided about which school to attend, or they may have given up after a botched FAFSA roll-out and other problems securing financial aid.
But education experts want students and families to know, that it isn’t too late to get scholarships or even apply to a school to attend this fall.
Students have access to 1.7 million private scholarships and fellowships whose total value tops $7.4 billion, according to the independent nonprofit foundation Educationdata.org. Some applications for that funding require essays and academic or athletic achievement. But many don’t. Some take as few as two minutes to complete, with a chance to win as much as $25,000. Scholarships are also gifts and don’t have to be repaid.
“This is important both from an emotional standpoint and a practical, financial standpoint,” said James Lewis, president of the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), a private foundation that works as a nonprofit to honor high-achieving students. “With the FAFSA delays and confusion, millions of young people feel helpless,” he said, “But there is one area where they can take control and that’s applying for scholarships.”
FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Learn more: Best personal loans
Who can apply for scholarships?
Anyone.
“Scholarships are available on a year-round basis and they’re not just for high school seniors – students of…
