With college and university tuitions ranging from $10,000 to $70,000 per year, college is expensive. Scholarships offered through college or university admissions are scarce, and sometimes you may not even know the qualifications or requirements to be offered one. And looking for outside scholarships online can get overwhelming, confusing, and some may not even seem legitimate. Any bit of money can help ease the burden that is tuition, so here are my 5 tips to find scholarships!

Fellow Chicster looking for Fall 2015 Scholarships! Get cozy.

 1. Go through your school

This is something that you would look into when you are already attending a college or university. Some schools have scholarship opportunities offered within the school that are not offered at the initial admissions decision. Ask your advisor for scholarships offered through your major or any program that you are involved in (i.e. honors program, business programs, medical programs, etc.).

 2. Go Shopping!

Pay close attention next time you go shopping. Companies such as Kohl’s, Macy’s, Target, Pepsi, and even KFC offer college scholarships. (Don’t forget UChic, we offer a our 1000 Dreams Fund!) Many of these scholarships have specific applicant requirements so just look around and see where you qualify!

 3. Clubs and Organizations

National organizations at the high school level may provide scholarships for members entering college. Even in college, joining different organizations does not just provide opportunities to make friends and to build your resume, but can open up opportunities to receive scholarships. Sororities, fraternities, and any national clubs and organizations provide opportunities for members to receive both merit-based or need-based scholarships, as well as grants.

 4. Family and Background

There are two ways to utilize your family and background to find scholarships. First, you can find heritage/ethnicity-based scholarships. Some scholarship requirements are based on ethnicity, but some ethnic-based organizations provide their own scholarships (such as Knights of Columbus for Italian-American students). There are even scholarships for first-generation students. The second way utilize your family is to look into scholarships at the businesses or unions your family members are a part of. For example, my friend’s father works for a fast food franchise and receives a scholarship through that company.

 5. Stay Local

Research scholarships at the regional and community-level and ask around. Many small community businesses, service organizations, or local non-profit organizations offer scholarships for students living in the region. Even large corporations, such as McDonald’s, provide local scholarships through franchise owners. While local scholarships may not offer as much money as national ones, apply to a bunch of different ones- it all adds up!

Don’t forget you can apply for the 1000 Dreams Fund through the UChic Foundation. The Fall 2015 application is open until February, 28, 2015. Learn more about this scholarship here.

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