Finding Local Scholarships: Tips for High School Seniors
Whether you’ve started your scholarship search or not, we know how overwhelming the process can be. You might not even know where to start. And that’s ok! We have lots of tips and information to help you.
While national scholarships are an important part of your scholarship search, it’s also extremely important to prioritize local scholarships. These are scholarships that are specific to your high school, city, or county.
The reason why is that you’re more likely to win local scholarships because fewer students apply. Some national scholarships receive tens of thousands of applications each year. Some local scholarships might only receive a few dozen (if that)!
Would you rather go up against hundreds and thousands of other applicants or a handful? As you can imagine, the odds of winning local scholarships are much better than larger, national scholarships.
1. Find local scholarships on Going Merry.
Going Merry is a scholarship-matching platform. That means you don’t have to dig for scholarship opportunities. Instead, we’ll show you the scholarships you’re eligible for!
Start by creating your Going Merry account. Make sure to complete the onboarding questions. If you skip any of the onboarding sections, be sure to visit your profile later and add any missing information.
It’s very important that you fill out your profile as much as you can. You don’t want to miss out on any opportunities because your profile isn’t filled out all the way!
After filling out your profile, head over to your Matched Scholarships page.
This is where you’ll find scholarships you’re eligible for. To view local scholarships, use the filter menu on the left to toggle the “show local scholarships only” filter on.
Click on a scholarship tile to view eligibility requirements and start your application.
It’s important to fill out your profile because your application will auto-fill with all of your profile information. There’s no need to fill out things like your name, email address, GPA, and other personal information over and over. Once it’s in your profile, it will be listed on the applications you fill out on Going Merry.
Profile information example listed above is for illustrative purposes only and vary by individual.
Respond to any application questions.
Going Merry will track your word or character count to make sure it’s the right length, and will auto-save your writing (so you never have to worry about losing your work).
Example listed above is for illustrative purposes only and vary by individual.
Attach documents, if required.
If you need a recommendation letter or transcript from your counselor, teacher, or coach, you can easily request it right from your application. It will save to your Profile to use for all other applications on Going Merry!
Once your application is complete, hit “Submit”!
Head over to your Scholarship Applications page to view and track submitted applications and applications you have in draft.
Example listed above is for illustrative purposes only and vary by individual.
2. Start early.
Being unprepared can make the financial aid process harder than it has to be. Don’t wait until the last minute to start your search. Most scholarships require you to submit documents and respond to essay questions.
Take the time to gather commonly requested documents such as your transcript and recommendation letters early. Also, start drafting your response to frequently asked essay prompts well before a scholarship deadline.
You will likely be able to reuse the documents for other applications and reuse or rework your essay responses for other prompts.
Check out these essay-writing tips:
- Top 10 scholarship essay prompts and how to answer them
- 13 Tips to Bring Your Scholarship Essay to the Next Level
3. Check frequently.
Not all scholarships have the same open and close dates. Some scholarships are only open in the fall, whereas others don’t open until the spring. You don’t want to miss out on any opportunities because you didn’t see it. Set a reminder to check for new scholarships every week, or at minimum, check for scholarships monthly. Better yet, sign up for a Going Merry account and receive bi-weekly email digests of scholarships you’re eligible for!
4. Ask your counselor about local scholarships.
If your school doesn’t already list their local scholarships with Going Merry, ask your school counselor about local scholarships they might be aware of. Counselors may know of local organizations that offer scholarships for students who live in your county or state, or for students who attend your school or school district.
5. Contact community foundations, local businesses, and organizations.
While most community foundations are listed on Going Merry, it’s important to contact local organizations to ask if there are any scholarship opportunities for students in your area.
Examples of local organizations include your local Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, regional credit unions, law firms, and churches.
6. Contact the financial aid department of the college you plan to attend.
While it may be daunting to reach out to your college’s financial aid department, doing so could save you money! Try checking your college’s financial aid website for scholarship opportunities. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, call, email, or stop by their office (if possible). Some colleges may be aware of scholarships offered by alumni groups or scholarships for specific majors. You might not otherwise know about these scholarships, or other money-saving opportunities unless you ask.
7. Stay positive!
Lastly, don’t give up on your search. Good things take time and winning scholarships is no exception! We know a great deal of time and effort goes into searching and applying for scholarships and it can be very disappointing not to hear back. Don’t give up! Keep these tips from real scholarship winners in mind while applying for scholarships:
“Don’t be afraid to just go for it. Believe in yourself.”
– Zachary Ocegueda, Local Scholarship Winner
“Apply to as many as you can because you never know how many other people will take the time to fill out the applications.”
– Emma Evey, Going Merry Scholarship Winner
“Apply to local scholarships because they’re a little less competitive, but they come from really generous people who care about the community.”
– Gabby DeMott, Local Scholarship Winner
Disclaimer: This blog post provides personal finance educational information, and it is not intended to provide legal, financial, or tax advice.
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