• SCHOLARSHIPS

     
    FAFSA
    ALL students who are considering attending college or any educational institution after high school should file a FAFSA (FREE Application for Federal Student Aid).   There has been a recent change to the FAFSA process.  Filing now opens on October 1st and the deadline is April 15th.  The most significant change is that the FAFSA will be based on taxes that are already filed.  For example: this year's seniors aide will be based on family's taxes from 2015.  FAFSA is done online at https://fafsa.ed.gov/  Here is a web resource for students and parents to learn more about the FAFSA http://www.bestschools.com/fafsa/  As always, see your counselor with questions.
     
    The world of scholarship searching is a big one.  There are many websites and people out there that could potentially be helpful to you in your scholarship search.  We post scholarships to this website that we receive in our office, and many of these are local in nature.  Please do not stop your search here because this is only a very small portion of what is out there.  
     
    The BHSS Counseling Center doesn’t specifically endorse or recommend any one website, but we do know that many of our students have used www.fastweb.com and www.scholarships.com to build profiles and search for scholarships.  We have also had students use http://www.discusawards.com/,finding this to be a unique scholarship website.  The following website: https://weirdscholarships.net/ is newer and specializes in connecting students with atypical scholarships.  The site http://www.college-scholarships.com/free-scholarship-searches.htm has amassed a list of free scholarship websites with brief descriptions of their offerings.  
     
    For general college information, other good websites to check out are www.knowhow2go.com and www.collegeboard.org.  Here is another that past students have found helpful: www.goodcall.com. Lastly, check out this site for advice on applying for scholarships and financing college: The Simple Dollar.
     
    Scholarships.com additionally provides a free app, and a variety of student resources: http://www.scholarships.com/resources/.  Their five most requested documents include the Academic Calendar & Financial Aid Reference Guide for Juniors, the Academic Calendar & Financial Aid Reference Guide for Seniors, the Top 10 Student Resources, their Scholarship Application Checklists, and their College Application Checklists.
     
    Also, don't forget that you should check with the schools you are applying to for school-specific scholarships...their websites are a great resource.
     
    Our only piece of advice regarding scholarship searches and/or websites is to be aware of any website, organization, or individual offering to help you find scholarships for a fee.  Although not always the case, this can be very indicative of a scam.  Never pay a fee to an organization offering to help you find scholarships.  
     

    Scholarships below have been sent directly to our office for posting. 

    They are listed chronologically by deadline.

  • Discover Student Loans Scholarship Award Sweepstakes

    School            

    		  Any
    Value  $5,000 (given away each month)
    Description

    2020 Scholarship Award Sweepstakes: 

    Discover Student Loans is giving away one $5,000 scholarship each month this year!

    The earlier your college-bound students and parents enter, the more chances they have to win.
    Link Enter Here
    Rules Official Rules
    Deadline  January 31, 2021
    Comments (-1)

  • OppU Achievers Scholarship

    School            

    		  Any
    Value  $2,500
    Description
    • Be enrolled full time in high school or at least part time in college, graduate, professional, or trade school.
    • Possess a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0/4.0.
    • Answer an essay prompt:  Why you are an achiever?
    Link https://www.opploans.com/oppu/scholarship/
    Deadline September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30
    Comments (-1)

  • College Board Opportunity Scholarships - New!

    School            

    		 Any
    Value Varies
    Description
    • These scholarships reward effort and engagement. 
    • There is no essay, no GPA, no application, no income limit!
    • Approximately half of the scholarships are reserved for students whose families makde $60,000 or less per year.
    • There are 6 individual categories with lots of small monetary raffle drawings.
    • If students complete all 6 categories, they are in the running for one of the $40,000 scholarhsips!
    • Categories are...
      • Build your college list
      • Practice for the SAT & take it
      • Improve your SAT score
      • Complete the FAFSA
      • Apply to colleges
    Link https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/
    Deadline  Varies
    Comments (-1)

  • Coca-Cola Scholarship 

     School             Accredited U.S. post-secondary institution
     Value $20,000
     Criteria
    • Current high school (or home-schooled) student attending a school in the U.S. (or select DoD schools) who will graduate during the 2020-2021 academic school year
    • U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, U.S. Permanent Residents, Refugees, Asylees, Cuban-Haitian Entrants, or Humanitarian Parolees - based on the guidelines utilized by U.S. Department of Education for Federal Financial Aid eligibility
    • Will receive high school diploma during current academic year
    • Planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution
     Link http://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/apply/
     Deadline  October 31, 2020 at 5:00 pm

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship

     School             Accredited Indiana post-secondary institution
     Value

    $7,500 per year for up to four years (up to $30,000 total)

     Criteria
    • Must be an Indiana resident
    • Must be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen authorized to be in the United States.
    • Must be a current high school senior or college student in Indiana
    • Must have graduated or will graduate from an Indiana accredited high school or non-accredited, nonpublic high school
    • Must be able to use the scholarship for at least two full academic years 
    • Must either have (a) graduated in the top 20 percent of their high school graduating class, or (b) received a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT
    • Must currently attend or plan to attend an eligible Indiana institution as a full time student
    • Must pursue or intend to pursue a course of study that would enable the student to teach at an eligible Indiana school after college graduation
    • Must maintain a 3.0 GPA each academic year
    • Must enroll in and complete 30 credit hours or its equivalent each academic year
    • Must meet all other requirements established by their program to renew the scholarship 
    • Must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
    • Must obtain a license to teach in Indiana and serve as a teacher in an eligible Indiana school for 5 years upon college graduation
    • Must complete the service requirement or have all funds provided converted to a loan that must be repaid
     Link http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/cost/financial-aid-and-scholarships/next-generation-teacher-scholarship/
     Deadline January 31, 2021
    Comments (-1)