For students hoping to go to college, high school counselors spend countless hours each year making sure they take the necessary steps to secure financial aid–specifically ensuring that students and their families successfully complete the FAFSA form. FAFSA is the gatekeeper for all federal financial aid as well as many options for state- and institution-based assistance and taking this step impacts a vast majority of students’ ability to attend college. 

In addition to the financial assistance granted by federal and state governments and individual schools, scholarships can be a crucial source of financial support for many students, often supplementing the larger financial aid packages. In some instances, these funds make up the difference that allows a student to go to college who otherwise might not be able to afford it. For others, scholarships can make it possible for a student to attend a dream school, rather than a second choice. For all students, scholarships provide funds that do not need to be repaid, helping to alleviate some of the weight of loan repayment post-college. 

The landscape of scholarship options, however, is so vast that it is challenging to provide comprehensive and personalized support to students akin to the guidance given around FAFSA-based financial aid. Even with these challenges, counselors can play a critical role in helping students understand the financial considerations of a college search including the way scholarships can fill key financial gaps and needs. By taking steps to communicate how to identify scholarships, creating opportunities for support, and providing logistical or technical tools and resources, counselors can help students and their families feel informed and empowered within the scholarship search and application process. 

Expand Access to Scholarship Information, Opportunities, and Support

Many students assume scholarships are only available for athletics or high academic achievement. They are not aware that there are opportunities for participation in different activities, fields of interest, artistic achievement, service projects, and so many more. Counselors can make a big difference by just creating awareness about scholarship opportunities and providing logistical support for students. 

Counselors can best support students by regularly communicating about opportunities through channels that actually get seen by students. They might share information about scholarships across multiple platforms, and consider asking students about the most effective ways to communicate about scholarship opportunities, available support, and critical deadlines. For most students, hearing information a few times, in a variety of ways, works best to motivate action. And, because students are in different phases of readiness when it comes to college-related decisions, information that is repeated is more likely to reach students at a time at which they are ready to receive it. Using notifications on the dashboard of a Learning Management System or CCR platform can be a powerful way to reach students, especially via a modality that allows them to directly explore scholarships, request necessary materials like transcripts, and connect with educators and school support teams.

Counselors might also work with school leaders to offer scholarship workshops for students where they can learn more about where to look for available opportunities, how to evaluate scholarship criteria to determine eligibility, and receive support with essays, applications, and submission. Sometimes, simply providing time, space, and resources–such as reliable Internet and device access–is enough to motivate students to apply. Adding additional educators who can provide real-time writing review and guidance can elevate the impact of these sessions.    

Think More Broadly About the Scholarship Timeline and Audience

Counselors can also support students by encouraging them to begin the scholarship search and application process early–even in junior year. There is a wide variety of scholarships available, all with different open dates and deadlines. The earlier students start looking for scholarships, the more opportunities they will encounter. And, early action builds momentum and confidence for students as they navigate the logistics of scholarship submission. 

Many students are under the false assumption that scholarships are only for students planning to attend a 4-year college. While that is true for some awards, there are many scholarships available for students attending community college or training programs. And, with lower overall costs relative to four-year colleges and universities, scholarship funds are even more impactful at these institutions. Counselors can help students who are not likely to go to a four-year college understand that there are scholarships available to them, too. Helping students to realize the huge variety of available scholarships, and related requirements, can help more students to see possibility and hope in the scholarship application process. 

Empower Students with Information and Encourage Them to Cast a Wide Net

One of the most impactful ways counselors can support students in actually securing scholarships is by simply encouraging them to apply to many opportunities. By sharing reliable resources, students have an accessible entry point into the scholarship search. Scholarship databases such as Scholarships.com, Fastweb.com, or Bold.org provide students with options to filter and sort relevant scholarships based on their activities, strengths, and interests, turning an overwhelming list into a more approachable and relevant collection of opportunities. 

Counselors can also share ideas about how to find local scholarships. Students might watch for opportunities within neighborhood newspapers, regional magazines, or by following social media sites of local organizations and businesses. There are often a plethora of scholarships at the local level that do not always appear in the larger databases including those from civic organizations, community-based clubs, local education foundations, neighborhood groups, sports or music boosters, chambers of commerce, veterans groups, cultural heritage associations, local businesses, labor unions, religious organizations, and more. Local organizations are more likely to offer relatively “smaller” scholarship amounts. Counselors can help students to understand that those can make a real difference in a college student’s monthly budget and are worth their time and effort in applying. And, with smaller applicant pools, their chances of earning a local award improve.

Counselors should encourage students to apply to anything and everything they can, even if they aren’t sure they will attend the applicable school or be able to use the funds. Students can make those decisions later, using all of the information–and scholarship awards–to help them determine the best college fit.  

Offer Perspective 

Counselors know that there are hundreds of scholarship opportunities available, with wide ranges in scholarship amount, qualifications, and requirements for submission. Many require essays, but not all do. Some are based on a student's academic portfolio, but others are not. Some are open for thousands of students across the country, whereas others target their scholarship awards to a much smaller group of students. 

Counselors are the main source of scholarship-related information for students, and their encouragement and support are integral to students’ success. By ensuring that students know about all of the different types of scholarships, and that there are opportunities applicable to them, counselors can help students to see potential in the process, motivating their scholarship-application efforts.

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