Hidden Scholarships
I recently read through a scholarship book and it talked about so many different aspects of finding scholarships and financial aid. However the book did not mention hidden scholarships. These are scholarships that are offered by the college or university that you are attending. Some schools will refer to them as Merit awards/scholarships.
Merit Awards
For this example I will use Uconn or the University of Connecticut.
They offer 5 different types of Merit Scholarships.
Nutmeg Scholarship Day of Pride Scholarship Presidential Scholars Award for Valedictorians and Salutatorians Academic Excellence Scholarship Leadership Scholarship
These are all awards that high school seniors are eligible to apply for. Most awards are for both in-state and out of state students. However these are awards that students typically may not know about until they are inquiring about financial aid. From my personal experience I was on a scholarship so I never inquired about additional financial aid, however when I became aware of my eligibility I was already on my final semester.
This information was obtained from Uconn.edu on January 30, 2013.
Scholarships for Internships
I do want to mention that if your seeking financial aid then an internship opportunity may be just what you need! This works for 2 reasons.
Internships will usually pay for your tuition. You can easily find internship opportunities that will pay up to 18 credits (1 full semester or 1.5 semesters) this also can equal more than half of your Masters degree! Internships provide you with valuable experience that is similar to work experience. So when you are applying for a job this will be on your resume. This also helps for people that do not have a lot of volunteer experience. Many professions offer interns because they are cheap. If they pay you in tuition which is say $26,000, that is still cheaper than a typical employee salary and they can still make you work additional hours.
Working for a University
Why not work for the college or university. Most colleges and universities will pay you and offer you additional assistance with tuition. Some will even pay for at least 1 class per semester. Most schools list their employment opportunities on their school website. That is a good place to check.
