JLV College CounselingScholarships with March 2016 deadlines
Scholarships closing dates have passed. Check out scholarships that are currently accepting applications and submissions here.
Attending college can be quite expensive for students and their families. Luckily, there are many college scholarships and contests available to help pay for a college education. Students should seek out and apply for scholarships in which they meet the eligibility requirements. Below are 130 college scholarships and contests with deadlines in March 2016.
Only brief information about each scholarship is listed. Therefore, students are encouraged to visit the scholarship websites to get further details about eligibility and requirements.
*Note: As I find more scholarships, they will be included in the Scholarship Saturday posts – don’t forget to follow my blog to get notified every time an article is posted.
2016 Annual Student Essay Contest
Sponsor: Americans United For Separation of Church and State
Amount: Up to $500
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Contest is open to United States high school seniors and undergraduate students. Applicant must submit an essay on a topic related to separation of church and state.
2016 Pride in Your Heritage GRHS Youth Essay Contest
Sponsor: Germans from Russia heritage Society (GRHS)
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Contest is open to students attending public, private, parochial, or home schools, and to students attending accredited universities. Student must submit an essay on a topic related to German Russian history, heritage or culture. Student does not need to be ethnic German-Russian to enter contest.
AACL Scholarship
Sponsor: Armenian-American Citizens League Educational Fund
Amount: Up to $2,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to permanent residents of the United states who have been living in California for at least two years and are of Armenian descent. Applicant must be enrolled full-time at an accredited college in the United States and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
ABFSE Undergraduate Scholarship
Sponsor: American Board of Funeral Service Education
Amount: Up to $2,500
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to students who have completed at least one semester (or quarter) of study in a program in funeral service or mortuary science education accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
ACS Scholars Program
Sponsor: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian students who are graduating high school seniors or college freshmen, sophomores or juniors intending to or already majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering or a chemically related science.
American Council of the Blind Scholarship Program
Sponsor: American Council of the Blind (ACB)
Amount:
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Applicant must be a legally blind student who is a graduating high school senior enrolling in higher education in the fall, or a current undergraduate, graduate or vocational student.
Anchor Scholarship
Sponsor: Anchor Scholarship Foundation
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to family members (children or spouses) of qualified Surface Navy sailors.
Barbara Wiedner and Dorothy Vandercook Peace Scholarship
Sponsor: Barbara Wiedner and Dorothy Vandercook Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
Amount: Up to $500
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Applicant must be a high school senior or college freshman who can provide evidence of leadership and/or personal initiative in activities or in an organization relating to peace and social justice, nuclear disarmament, and/or conflict resolution.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Sponsor: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to undergraduate students in good academic standing who are U.S. citizens. Applicant must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant and is applying to or has been accepted into a study abroad program or internship.
Blacks at Microsoft Scholarships
Sponsor: Blacks at Microsoft (BAM)
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to high school seniors of African descent who plan to attend a four-year college or university in the fall. Applicant must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems or select business programs.
BP Scholarship
Sponsor: BP
Amount: Varies
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to financially challenged students who want to study abroad and gain the intercultural skills needed to succeed in a global economy. Applicants must be planning to study abroad in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, or South Africa.
Bucks for Books Scholarship
Sponsor: Lodi Grape Festival
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to high school seniors graduating from a school in the Lodi Unified School District or whose primary residence is within the Lodi Unified School District, or college students who graduated from a high school in the Lodi Unified School District.
Children of Warriors National Presidents’ Scholarship
Sponsor: American Legion Auxiliary (ALA)
Amount: Up to $3,500
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to daughters, sons, grandsons, granddaughters, great-granddaughters, great-grandsons or veterans who served in the Armed Forces during WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lebanon and Grenada, Panama, or Desert Shield/Storm Gulf/War on Terrorism.
CTCL Scholarship
Sponsor: Colleges That Changes Lives (CTCL)
Amount: $1,000 – renewable for up to four years
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to new and transfer students, including international students, who will be attending a College That Changes Lives (CTCL) member college or university.
Doctoral Scholarship programs
Sponsor: Phi Alpha Theta – National History Honor Society
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to members who are pursuing a Ph.D. in History and have passed general examinations by Feb. 15.
Eric Dostie Memorial College Scholarships
Sponsor: NuFactor Specialty Pharmacy
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 1, 2016
Description: Scholarship is open to students with hemophilia or a related bleeding disorder, or to the family members. Applicant must be a citizen of the United States and enrolled full-time in an accredited two or four-year college program.
For more scholarships, click “next page” below.
Who is my parent on the FAFSA?
Need help figuring out who your parent is for FAFSA purposes? Here is the breakdown.
Via Federal Student Aid
All students who are considered dependent must have their parent or legal guardian provide information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, some students might have trouble figuring out who should fill out the FAFSA. For example, if parents are divorced or living apart, it may be confusing for the student to determine what parent’s information should be included. Here are some helpful hints to figure out what parent should fill out the FAFSA. Read More
Scholarship Saturday – January 23, 2016
The deadlines for the scholarships that were on this list have passed. To see scholarships that are still accepting applications, visit more recent Scholarship Saturday posts.
I haven’t filed taxes yet; how do I submit the FAFSA?
FAFSA deadlines can be very confusing for students and their parents. Many colleges and states have financial aid deadlines in January and February, but most of us have not filed our taxes by those deadlines. So, how do you fill out the FAFSA when it asks for tax information?
Unfortunately, many families wait to submit the FAFSA until after they have filed their taxes and miss the financial aid deadlines at colleges. By submitting the FAFSA and financial aid documents just one day late, students can miss out on many financial aid opportunities, including grants and scholarships that do not need to be paid back.
To ensure students meet the financial aid deadlines, it is acceptable to provide estimates on the FAFSA. Students and families can base their estimates on their last pay stub, W-2s and other tax documents. In addition, if income has stayed somewhat consistent over the years, families can use the previous year’s federal income tax returns to make estimates. If your income has changed, FAFSA provides an income estimator.
The most important thing to remember when providing estimates on the FAFSA is go back after taxes are filed and make the necessary changes. The Department of Education has made it simple by providing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to transfer tax information directly into the FAFSA. If families choose not to use the DRT, they can log back into the FAFSA and manually enter the correct information.
Therefore, keep these things in mind to ensure you get the best financial aid offers from colleges:
- Pay attention and meet the specific deadlines for each college, as well as state deadlines.
- If you will not be able to file your taxes before the deadlines, provide estimates on the FAFSA.
- After filing your taxes, return to the FAFSA to submit corrections.
Note: In future years (starting with the 2017-2018 FAFSA), the FAFSA will be made available earlier. For example, for the 2017-2018 academic year, the FAFSA will be available Oct. 1, 2016 and students and parents will use their 2015 tax information to fill out the FAFSA. Estimates should not be required in the future since the FAFSA will use the previous year’s tax information.
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FAFSA Misconception: “I don’t qualify for FAFSA”
The phrase, “I don’t qualify for FAFSA,” is something admission counselors, financial aid officers, and college counselors hear all the time. The phrase usually comes from students or their parents when discussing financial aid requirements. However, the phrase, “I don’t qualify for FAFSA,” is a common misconception and here are the reasons why:
- The FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. United States citizens and eligible non-citizens are eligible to fill out the FAFSA.
- The FAFSA determines federal financial aid eligibility such as the Pell Grant, federal work-study and loans.
- Information provided on the FAFSA is also used by states that award state government aid.
- The FAFSA determines a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Colleges use EFC to determine financial aid eligibility and financial need. Financial need is determined by taking the EFC from the total cost of attendance.
The big misconception when people say, “I don’t qualify for FAFSA,” is that they believe they make too much money to qualify for financial aid. While it could be true a student might not qualify for federal or state grants, they still might qualify for other aid:
- Many students, even students from high-income families, could qualify for federal loans. While it is still a loan, the interest rate is low compared to many other private loans a student could take out to help pay for their college education.
- The cost of attendance at colleges in the United States varies. Some colleges cost as little as a few thousand dollars a year to over $60,000 per year. When colleges are awarding financial aid based on financial need, a student with a high EFC could qualify for financial assistance, including scholarships and grants, at more expensive colleges.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates it takes approximately 23 minutes to fill out the FAFSA. This short period of time filling out the FAFSA is well worth the time if a student could get even a small amount of financial aid. Every little bit helps when it comes to paying for a college education.
Therefore, if you are heading to college next year, don’t forget to submit the FAFSA. The FAFSA has been available to students and their parents since Jan. 1, 2016 for the 2016-2017 academic year. And, remember, students and parents must fill out the FAFSA every year!
Want to stay in the loop? Follow this blog to be notified when new articles are published. You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest for information on college admissions.
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