Finding an easy scholarships list to find free money for college is a relatively simple thing to do, but this task can also be overwhelming and intimidating. What easy scholarship list websites are reputable? Which should be avoided? How can simple scholarships be found for students with an undeclared major or several areas of interest?
Before tackling any online or personal searches for easy scholarships, there are three things you should do that require little worry and few questions: Complete your FAFSA1, ask your high school guidance counselor or career counselor for local scholarship lists, and consult your university or college of choice for easy scholarship options. Filing your FAFSA forms automatically applies you for federal and state grants. Any that you are awarded will be explained as part of your financial aid packet given to you from your school’s Financial Aid Office. This is a relatively simple scholarship way to apply for thousands of dollars without numerous applications and hours of research. Similarly, easy scholarship information you receive from your high school counselors will be viable and low-risk, since they will be from known sources.
Your local library can also be useful in searching for easy scholarship lists, although the librarians may not be as knowledgeable about the easy college scholarships themselves. Many universities also have links to reliable simple scholarship sites or have lists of reputable scholarships. Inquire in the Financial Aid Office for information or consult the school’s website. These scholarship lists are also relatively safe, as they have been approved by school officials much more familiar with scholarships which are easy to apply to for the average student.
Online and very accessible scholarship lists are relatively easy to find, but you should proceed with a bit more caution when using these as a scholarship source as those lists may not be as trustworthy. You should absolutely avoid any scholarship sites that require you to enter personal information; they are likely not interested in helping you afford college but rather in collecting and then selling or misusing your personal information. It should also never cost you money to download or receive easily accessable scholarship information. Avoid any site or scholarship which requires any payment or financial information upfront. These are scams first and foremost. Similarly, many scholarship websites that are full of advertisements are to be avoided. The owner’s motivations are likely personal and money-driven, as they are being paid for the advertising space. Unfortunately, many individuals will take advantage of students looking to finance their education, so be wary when searching online and, as with anything, if it seems too good to be true, pay heed. If you want to be sure, have your guidance counselor take a look at the site or call the financial aid office at your intended college and ask questions about the easy college scholarships being “sold”.
A very helpful and reputable website for college-bound students and their parents is ScholarshipsGrants.us This website has general information on many types of financial aid – list of scholarships and grants and also is linked to FastWeb, the largest and most up-to-date scholarship search site. FastWeb will require minimal personal information, including an email address, to help pair you with fitting easy to apply scholarships. Even though it requires personal information, this is a reputable scholarship list site. FastWeb researches the scholarships and tries to only include those that are legitimate. Other no-fee reputable simple scholarship sites include the College Board’s Fund and Finder4 .
Money lenders may also boast a scholarship list link. While you may be able to find some viable scholarships that are easy from these sites, again remember that these education lenders want to get you to visit their site so you view their loan information. Their primary goal is to loan you money, not find you free scholarships. That being said, the following sites may pay off but they are not the most user-friendly, having much overlap between them and taking time to dig for appropriate scholarships: Peterson’s Award Database6, NextStudent7 and ScholarshipExperts8.
The keys to finding as many easy to find scholarships list as possible that fit you, are to use viable, reliable and varied sources and be intelligent and cautious about scams. There is money to be found to finance your education, so utilize every available resource! To read more go to a list of scholarships for college.