“Coming from a middle-class family of five, I would not have been able to attend a private school had it not been for financial aid. I ultimately choose Whitman because of its rigorous academic reputation. However, without a generous aid package, it wouldn't have been possible to enroll.”

— Sahalie Hashim
Whitman College

Searching for Scholarships

Finding scholarships can be a difficult process. There are so many to apply for, how can you know which ones will work best for you? These websites will help you figure out how to navigate this process. Keep your security in mind as you search. Don't give out personal information unless you're sure the scholarship is reputable. At most colleges outside scholarships will help you receive more aid in total. You should never pay for information on financial aid. The Federal Trade Commission's $cholarship $cams has some guidance about what to watch out for. Also check out Don't Get Hooked on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators web site.

Independent Colleges of Washington

This association has several scholarships for students who attend its member colleges (Gonzaga University, Heritage University, Pacific Lutheran University, Saint Martin's University, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Whitman College, Whitworth University).

Federal Government

This web site provides a scholarship search engine and an ability to search by key word.

ScholarshipAmerica.org

Scholarship America is the nation's largest nonprofit, private sector scholarship and educational support organization.

College Planning Network

This site allows you to search for scholarships based on criteria that fit your strengths.

Michigan State Library

This is a mix of scholarships for Michigan residents only and some national scholarships. The most useful portion for you may be the section about four-fifths of the way down the page where you'll find a list of other databases, some that let you search by category.

Fastweb

This comprehensive web site will help you search for scholarships.

FinAid.org

A great all around guide to getting the money it takes to go to college.

Collegeanswer.com

In addition to a scholarship search mechanism, this website, sponsored by a large student loan provider, features many other resources for applying to college.

Scholarship Research Network Express

This website, sponsored by a student loan provider, is a scholarship search mechanism.

Collegenet.com

In addition to helping you apply for scholarships, this site specializes in helping you fill out applications as well by transferring common data between applications, saving you repeated typing.

Scholarshipjunkies.com

A guide to the scholarship application process. Full of details to help you get the money you need.