Start Your Scholarship Search
Searching for scholarships takes time. We suggest you start your search by reviewing the search tools and resources available to you. The Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards has its own database and has suggested additional tools to widen your search. You’ll likely use a combination of search tools and resources to support your search.
Search OMSFA’s database More search tools Attend a workshop Meet an advisor
Your search
Narrow your search by defining your study field and interests and consider your options broadly. There are scholarships geared toward academic interests, heritage, gender, future goals and other personal aspects of you. If your search yields too few results, consider broadening your search parameters.
Start by making a list of several keywords that describe you and your interests within each of these categories:
Schedule it
Schedule time for searching and applying throughout the school year and summer. For example, put an entry on your calendar for 3 hours on the first Saturday of every month to search for scholarships.
Keep a list
Searching and finding scholarships takes work. Be sure to document your search efforts and keep track of the scholarships that look good but for which you might not yet be eligible. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of your scholarships. Include scholarships that fit you, even if you’ve missed a deadline for this year, are not yet ready to apply, or even if you’re not yet eligible to apply but you will be down the road. Consider scholarships for both the short-term and the long-term, those you can apply for right now, and those you want to apply for several years in the future.
Timelines
The time to search for a scholarship is long before you need one. We suggest you begin your search at least 6-18 months in advance of when you plan to utilize the funds.
