College bound students and guidance counselors know scholarship research should start early and happen as often as possible. While there may be millions of dollars available in scholarship money through various groups and organizations, students around the country are all vying for the same money, and students who aren’t proactive can miss out on it. 

          There are many different sources where a student can find scholarships. At school, the best place to search is in your school’s counseling office. Counselors usually have the best amount of experience when it comes to knowing how to find money for school and how to save the most money on your college experience.

          Of course, the Internet is the next best thing, but searching can be overwhelming when there are so many different sources and not all them are reliable. However, there are many tried and true sources online that students have been using for years to find scholarships. While our list isn’t a definitive list, it will definitely get most students on the right track to finding scholarships and getting their research started.

Popular Scholarship Websites

1. Scholarships.com - Featured by most popular news sources, Scholarships.com is more often than not the first obvious choice for students looking for college money. The website claims to allow users to search over 3.7 million college scholarships and grants. With such a large database, many students are bound to find many suitable scholarships.
2. Fastweb.com - Another website that’s been helping students for years, Fastweb hosts over 1.5 million scholarships that website claims offer “$3.4 Billion in funding.” Fastweb also has contests students can enter to win additional college money.
3. Collegeboard.com - The College Board is well known for their college-readiness tests and prep materials, but they’re also a great source for finding financial help for college. The College Board’s database includes “scholarships, other financial aid and internships from more than 2,200 programs.” The website is also a great source for other information, such as help picking a college and prep material for the SAT and AP tests.
4. Careeronestop.org - Sponsored by the U.S Department of Labor, Career One Stop allows students to search through over 8,000 scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other forms of financial award opportunities. The database can be sorted by award types and even by the specific level of study such as graduate degree, vocational, or just an associate degree. While not a dedicated source for college bound students, the site is helpful for anyone looking for job help.
5. Unigo.com - Just like scholarships.com, unigo is another large database of scholarships. Part of their database includes “Easy Scholarships,” which often require more creativity than academics. With over 3.6 million scholarships listed and over 650,000 college reviews, Unigo should be on every student’s list of college resources.
6. Cappex.com - Looking for a massive website to suit most of your needs in one place? Cappex boasts $11 billion dollars are available in their scholarship database. The site claims to have served over 12 million students and offers everything a student needs to get ready for college, including school reviews.
7. Salliemae.com - Sallie Mae is more often known for providing student loans to college students who fall short of finding enough money through scholarships or grants. However, their website also has a college planning portal which includes a scholarship database. Sallie Mae also has their own scholarships for which students can apply.
8. Niche.com - While not the largest website in the list, Niche is unique in that it narrows down scholarships that are taylor made to the student. The database offers several ways to filter out results, making finding the right scholarship more simple than some larger databases.
9. Your Future College - Sometimes, the best place to start looking for scholarships is at the website of your future school. Even after arriving at university, many students continue to apply for scholarships through their school’s financial aid office. Check the school’s website or call the financial aid office and speak with someone who might be able to point you in the right direction.
10. Your Local Public Library - Never underestimate the numerous resources available at your public library. Besides being a place to find your next favorite book, libraries near schools often have numerous reference materials to help students pick schools and help find scholarships. Libraries are often provided additional information from schools or organizations offering help to high school and college students in need. Finally, don’t forget to talk to your librarian. Librarians are an incredibly powerful resource who tend to know where to find most things and, because librarians need degrees, they know the scholarship searching process well.

          Do you have any helpful websites for finding scholarships that didn’t make our list? Or do you have any tips for future college students looking for a few extra bucks to pay for school? Leave a comment below and be part of the conversation!