Top College Scholarship Opportunities

Applying for colleges is stressful enough without the added pressure of figuring out the financial logistics. With college tuition steadily increasing, more and more students are finding themselves in a financial predicament. While many students give up altogether, under the impression they cannot afford college, there are scholarship opportunities available that can ease the financial strain. Take a look at these top opportunities, and finding the right scholarship should be just a few clicks away.

1. AT&T

The AT&T Labs Fellowship Program has scholarships and grants available to women and ethnic minorities. Additionally, there is a separate scholarship program for children (and step children) of AT&T employees in the US and the US subsidiaries.

2. Collegiate Inventors Competition

This scholarship opportunity focuses less on academic GPA and more on creative invention. This particular scholarship is for enrolled college students. Under a faculty advisor, the student can invent anything as long as the invention is practical. The top price is $12,500.

3. Ayn Rand Institute

As one of the most extraordinary writers of the 20th century, the Ayn Rand Institute awards students each year with scholarship opportunities. Rand’s writings were both intellectually challenging and controversially philosophical; however, her writings have inspired many. By submitting various essays, students can be awarded anywhere from a couple hundred dollars in scholarships to thousands. The foundation awards more than 680 prizes and more than $99,000 in prize money each year.

4. Nordstrom

Nordstrom will award 80 US and Puerto Rican high school students and 10 Canadian secondary school students with scholarships to aid them in attending a 4-year university. Eligibility requires students to have at least a 2.7 GPA, be a participant in extracurricular activities, and be eligible for financial aid.

5. Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company under their Society of Manufacturing Engineers Ford PAS Scholarship program offers three scholarships, each $10,000, to graduating high school seniors. In order to be eligible, students need to have participated in the PAS program, which is The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies. This program enrolls high school students into internships or mentorships where students can learn firsthand from business and academic professionals. PAS is specifically geared to education in the fields of science, engineering, math, or other technical fields.

6. Best Buy

To students in both the US and Puerto Rico, Best Buy’s @15 Scholarship Program awards 1,000 students $1,500 in scholarship money each year. The program is for students entering the start of their freshman year in college who have excelled in academics, volunteer efforts, and work experience.

7. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola offers scholarships to graduating high school students planning on attending a 2-year college or 4-year college. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides up to $450,000 in scholarships to nearly 200 students. Fifty students will win the “New Century Scholar,” which is $2,000. Fifty will win the “Gold Scholars” and will be awarded $1,500 in prize money. Fifty will be “Silver Scholars,” winning $1,250. And lastly, fifty will be “Bronze Scholars,” being awarded $1,000.

While it can be easy to let financial reasons be a college setback, take the time to look for scholarships, as it is free money for your education.

Want to keep reading? Check out our list of budget tips for college grads.

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