How Do Scholarships Work? Understanding the Scholarship Application Process — with FAQs answered!

When you’re looking for colleges to apply to, what’s one of the most common factors you look at before you apply? Tuition. If college tuition is expensive, students might be steered away from applying. However, a scholarship application makes it easier for any and all students to be awarded money toward their tuition, books, room and board, and more. 

We’re breaking down the most commonly asked scholarship questions and why you need to keep these on your radar in your search.

What are scholarships? How do they work?

Scholarships are a form of financial aid award–and one of the most preferred types because they’re free money. Basically, it’s money that goes toward your tuition or cost of attendance. You do not have to pay it back.

Generally, there are three kinds of scholarships: 

1. Scholarships given by the college itself – These are college-specific. Often you are automatically considered for these scholarships when you apply for admission, but some schools do require additional, separate applications, so double-check out their financial aid pages! 
2. Scholarships offered by the government (state or federal), which requires you to fill out FAFSA. These awards can be used at any college.
3. “Outside scholarships” given by independent third parties, often sponsored by big companies like Foot Locker OR super localized (as in, scholarships just for students at your school). These scholarship awards can normally be used to fund any college.

Categories #1 and #2 are also often known as “grants,” which is basically another term for free money for college. 

Depending on the scholarship provider, the scholarship award can range anywhere from as low as $50 and as high as covering the full cost of tuition, also known as a full ride scholarship! A scholarship can really lighten the financial burden on families and individuals, covering thousands of dollars worth of tuition, and sometimes even books, and room and board, and other expenses.

Most of this help article will include information on independent scholarships (type #3).

What’s the scholarship application process?

To apply for a scholarship, you first need to fulfill the eligibility requirements. This is because many scholarships are only applicable for certain groups of students, like only high school seniors, only women, or only students from a specific state. Other times, the scholarships are limited to people with a certain level of achievement, like a certain GPA or SAT score. 

If you’re eligible, you’ll likely need to answer a few questions or even submit an essay or a video. Some scholarships also require you to submit certain documents like a transcript or a letter of recommendation. These different application elements allow you to show scholarship providers what you’ve achieved, what you’re proud of, and what you plan to do during and after college. Scholarship providers are looking for students who follow instructions and who are also passionate about their achievements outside of schoolwork.

A few months after the application deadline, a winner (or multiple) will be chosen. You’ll hear back directly from the scholarship provider if you’ve won. Remember that, if you win, it is best practice to write a thank you letter to the scholarship provider for helping to fund your education.

Who can apply for scholarships?  How do I know if I’m eligible?

Each scholarship will list its eligibility requirements, such as GPA, college major, and other information. Be sure to read through all instructions and requirements before you apply.

That said, most scholarships are intended to help students who are pursuing higher education (undergraduate and graduate students). Typically, scholarships are geared toward undergraduates attending 4-year universities, but there are scholarships available for community college and for graduate students. Some scholarships are also specifically tailored to transfer students.

There is also a myth that scholarships are only available for low-income students. However, there are many merit-based scholarships or athletic scholarships that are available to students from any income level.

Where do I find scholarships to apply for?

You can find scholarships through a number of resources, including: 

• Scholarship listing websites like our own, Going Merry!
• Your high school counselor or school website
• The financial aid page of your target colleges
• Your state’s education board website (for example, here’s the one for Texas)

One note: Be mindful of scholarship scams. Some websites may ask you to pay upfront as a scholarship “application fee.” This is a huge warning sign. You never need to pay to apply for or to receive a scholarship.

How do I apply for scholarships?

Now, once you‘ve found your scholarships, you have to apply for them–and unfortunately, that is still quite fragmented. For the most part, each scholarship has its own application, which means filling out the same basic information (name, birthday, school, GPA, etc.) over and over again.

That’s actually why we started Going Merry, to provide you with one application platform where you could save profile information and apply for thousands of scholarships listed on our website.

That said, we’ve broken down for you, step-by-step, in this article. You might need some documents handy, so be sure to thoroughly read through all of the scholarship application requirements before applying.

What are common scholarship essay questions?

We analysed a representative sample of the scholarships on Going Merry to find out the ten most common scholarship questions. They were:

1. How will this scholarship help you?
2. How have you contributed to your community, or what community service have you provided?
3. Tell us about you. (Basically, a request for a personal statement of sorts.)
4. Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it. 
5. What are your academic goals and your career goals? 
6. What impact has sports had on your life? (Or some other athletics-related question)
7. Why do you deserve this scholarship?
8. Tell us about a time when you had a belief or idea challenged.
9. How are you unique? (Discuss your background, identity, interest, or talent)
10. Why do you want to study/pursue [X]? (For instance: science, nursing, medicine)

Keep in mind, each scholarship is different and might require additional information from you. These are just some prompts to keep in mind as they’re commonly included in scholarship essay requests.

What Are Some Other Scholarship FAQs?

Okay. I’m ready to start applying for scholarships. Where do I go from here?

If you’re ready to apply for scholarships all in one place, you can sign up for a free profile with Going Merry. We’re your one-stop shop for all things scholarships, including applying for scholarships, writing essays, understanding different forms of financial aid, and more! 

You’ll enter your information once, and then your scholarship application will be prefilled with information such as your high school or college name, GPA, and what you want to study / what you’re currently studying.

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Kelly Lamano

Though always a creative, Kelly's momentum into the world of writing and publishing arrived when she attended college. She quickly learned the financial value - and cost - of honing her craft, and sought scholarships that would be crucial to not only funding, but fueling her education. She wants to help new students thrive with Going Merry's easy scholarship finder. Kelly holds a bachelor's degree in Broadcast, Print and Online Media, and a minor in Spanish from Florida Southern College.

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