Need Money for College? 3 Overlooked Sources of Financial Aid

Do you need money for college? If you are going next semester, then you are probably among many people who may be in need of financial aid. In fact, 85 percent of college undergrads receive financial aid.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

2016-04-22-1461297336-8542261-female702961_640.jpg

Do you need money for college? If you are going next semester, then you are probably among many people who may be in need of financial aid. In fact, 85 percent of college undergrads receive financial aid.

Unfortunately, federal aid does not always come in the form of grants. Many students feel that they have to accept student loans to pay the rest of their tuition.

  • 51 percent of them attended public universities.
  • 62 percent of them attended private, non-profit universities.
  • 79 percent of them attended private, for-profit universities.

While many students are aware of the scholarship programs, the majority do not apply because they believe that they do not meet the qualifications.

It is true that there are reserved scholarships for mentally gifted students and athletes. Yet, there are also scholarships that require little from the applicant like just submitting an essay. If you are lazy, they even have no-essay scholarships, where your odds of winning are probably better than winning the lottery.

Furthermore, there are three sources of financial aid that you may have overlooked in the past. Surprisingly, most of these programs are not that competitive since they do not receive many applicants.

Corporations

Belluck & Fox, a New York law firm, offers four Mesothelioma scholarships. As a law firm specializing in mesothelioma, they want to encourage students to learn and spread the word about the disease. Applicants are welcome to write essays on a variety of mesothelioma topics. They offer scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500.

Non-Profit Organizations

Do Something, a New York nonprofit, has a $2,000 Experience Civil Rights Scholarship. It does not require much intelligence to win this scholarship. There is no minimum GPA or essay requirement. However, there are two requirements. You need to visit the website to experience the story and share it with your friends. Again, no high IQ required.

Foundations

Jay Z is one of several celebrities who has a foundation that issues scholarships to eligible applicants. His Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund was founded on the belief that any motivated person should have the opportunity to pursue or further their education.

If you are the average student with a 2.0 GPA, your chances of being awarded this scholarship are pretty good. Scholarships range from $1,500 to $2,500 with renewable funding for scholars.

The Extra Benefit About These Financial Aid Sources

If you are applying for federal financial aid, you are typically confined to applying for the fall and spring semester. Students seeking federal aid for a summer semester may find difficulty. FAFSA encourages students to verify in discerning which application they should complete with their university.

These overlooked sources of financial aid provide more flexibility by awarding the financial aid directly to students instead of sending it to their university.

If you ever worried about being buried in student loans, worry no more! There is an abundant amount of corporations, non-profit organizations, and foundations that want to subsidize your education.

You can afford to pay for your college education by using creative financing through these overlooked sources.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot