College Financial Aid & Scholarships

The cost of higher education at both public and private institutions continues to escalate. Many of the more expensive schools can become affordable if there is sufficient financial need-based assistance available.

Regarding cost, a college education should be viewed as a major life-time investment; one that will appreciate over time and add to a higher quality of life.

Financial need is determined by subtracting what the parent and student can afford, EFC (Expected Family Contribution), from the total cost of attendance.

Financial assistance can include loans, grants, scholarships, and work opportunities. There are three basic financial aid application forms to be aware of: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is used by all colleges; the College Scholarship Service PROFILE which is used primarily by private institutions, and an institutional form that an individual college may have created itself. Be prepared to complete any combination of these forms if you are applying for need-based financial aid. You are required to complete these forms online.

Financial Aid Websites
Scholarship Search Engines

Financial Aid Websites

FAFSA – Almost every college will require the submission of this free form to consider you for financial aid. You are encouraged to complete and submit this online.
cssprofile.collegeboard.org – Some colleges will require the Profile in addition to the FAFSA. There is a fee to complete this form, and it is used to gather more detailed information about your finances.
collegeboard.org – This is a very comprehensive site with lots of answers to your questions. It contains several financial aid calculators, loan information, and much, much, more.
www.finaid.org – This site provides good general information on financial aid. It has a financial need estimator which will predict your estimated family contribution based on the information you provide. There is also an “Ask the Expert” section where you can send questions online and get a response.
www.salliemae.com – This site lists both private and public educational loans and has a tutorial on Financial Aid 101 which includes eligibility, the application process, and how to go about securing a loan. It also has calculators to compare different loan products.

Scholarship Search Engines

Regardless of your financial situation, there may be one or more scholarships available to you. Scholarships are given by individual colleges, organizations, companies, and community groups, and they have many different criteria, ranging from an outstanding academic record, to demonstrating a special talent (art, music, athletics, etc.), to an unusual degree of community involvement. You may be eligible because you have a parent working for a specific company or the award may be for ethnic background or religious belief. If you are serious about finding monies for college, you should be willing to spend some time on your search.

Here are some resources to help you along the way:

www.collegeboard.org – This site includes a scholarship search database known as the Fund Finder from 3,300 national, state, public, and private sources. How to spot a scam is also mentioned.
College Express Scholarship Search – This tool has connected a ton of students with thousands of opportunities to apply for and win free money for college—and now it’s even better! Searching for scholarships that you are eligible for is now easier than ever with this tool’s brand-new look and great new features, including fast access to all our featured scholarships.
www.fastweb.com – With this database, the student registers and is assigned a mailbox on the site where information on new scholarship opportunities is posted. The database contains over 500,000 private sector scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans. Probably one of the best search sites available.
www.fastaid.com – The world’s largest and oldest private sector scholarship database. You will find scholarships here that you won’t find anyplace else.
www.collegeanswer.com – The most comprehensive “Going-to-College” resource on the Internet. Use it for all of your planning and paying for college needs.
www.finaid.org – This site will run a scholarship search for the specific interests of art, biology, computer science, engineering, journalism, and nursing.
www.scholarships.com – This site offers a database of 3,000 sources and detailed search results.
Going Merry - Going Merry is a space to stay organized in your scholarship search. An invite has been sent to all seniors. Please reach out to your college counselor if you did not receive an invite

Available Scholarships via Going Merry

For Class of 2023

472 Scholarships for High School Seniors with Upcoming Deadlines

Click Here To View Scholarships

2023 Student Writing Contest

Junior and senior high school students in South Carolina will have a chance to win an Apple MacBook Air and $1,000 for their school or home-schooling association if selected as a winner of Dominion Energy and the South Carolina Department of Education's (SCDE) third annual Strong Men & Women in S.C. History student essay contest. The program builds on SCDE’s longstanding South Carolina African American History Calendar that honors prominent African Americans in the state who have made noteworthy contributions.

Deadline for entries is March 24, 2023.

Learn More & Submit Entry Here

First page of the PDF file: UCBFamilyEpilepsyScholarshipProgram

Click Here To Apply

National CCAA First-Year Scholarship Application

The National CCAA First-Year Scholarship is awarded to 16 randomly selected students from various geographic regions who attend one of our 115 member institutions in fall 2023. The scholarship was established to celebrate and promote Catholic higher education, and the National CCAA Board of Directors is pleased to help support students' transition to college.

The scholarship is a one-time, $1,000 award. Awardees are randomly selected via application. The deadline to apply is Saturday, April 1. Award recipients will be selected and notified in mid to late April.

Further details regarding the scholarship and application procedures can be found here. We encourage you to spread the word to your students and parents about the National CCAA First-Year Scholarship opportunity.

Apply Here

Education Scholarship

The South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports (SCCAWS) annually offers a scholarship to an incoming female college freshman from South Carolina.

The scholarship is a one-time monetary award presented to a student who plans to major in education.

Interested students should complete this application and return it to their college counselor by April 3, 2023.

Trophies By "M" Scholarship

The South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports (SCCAWS) and Trophies by “M” annually offer a scholarship to an incoming female college freshman from South Carolina.

The scholarship is a one-time monetary award in the amount of $1000 presented to a student who plans to major in the medical field.

Interested students should complete this application and return it to their college counselor by April 3, 2023.

The Organization of Latino Actuaries (OLA) furthers its mission of increasing the number of Latine actuaries by awarding academic scholarships to Latines who will be attending a US college/university next school year and are interested in the actuarial profession. The scholarship applications are open from November 1, 2022 through April 15, 2023.

Applications are evaluated on various criteria including, but not limited to, academic performance, commitment to pursuing the actuarial profession, exam progress, work experience, and leadership experience. Finalists for both the named and general scholarships are expected to be selected by mid-June.

Named scholarships: Winners receive $5,000 and are guaranteed an actuarial internship for Summer 2024. Finalists for the named scholarship will be required to interview.

General scholarships: Winners receive awards of various amounts. The top student will receive the “OLA Cresta Scholarship”, which is a $7,500 award. In Spanish, “ola” means wave, and “cresta” is the crest (top) of the wave. With this award, OLA will be recognizing top future Latine actuaries. Note that a named scholarship recipient is eligible for the Cresta Scholarship, but the most OLA will award to an individual student is $7,500. Finalists for the general scholarship are not required to interview.

Academic scholarships are paid directly to the school.

Applications are open. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2023.

Apply HERE!

2023 South Carolina Council of Catholic Women Reverend William F. Pentis Memorial Scholarship

The SCCCW mission is to respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. It strives to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service. The scholarship was, therefore, created to encourage and promote such themes among Catholic females from SC who are graduating high school.

This merit-based scholarship grants one $1,500 award to its recipient.

For more information and to apply, please CLICK HERE!

Deadline for admission: April 21, 2023 (application must be postmarked by this date as it needs to be mailed)

American Legion (Post 271) Lewis Vaughn Scholarship

What: $1,500 Scholarship

Who: A deserving, rising senior in the immediate area in/around Mauldin, South Carolina

Selection Criteria Based On: student's love of God and country, scholastic achievement, character and leadership ability, breadth and depth of community service, career aspirations of service to country in military, teaching, law enforcement, clergy, medical, or other service career

To Apply: (1) Complete (by typing) two-page application and (2) attach a typed statement explaining your service career aspirations and what this scholarship would mean to you.

Deadline: Monday, May 15, 2023

Click Here For Application

*Submit applications to the following address: post271al@gmail.com

** Any questions may be directed to Clyde W. Rector at: centuryproperties1@att.net

For Class of 2024 & 2025

Scholarship Criteria

AES's belief is that achieving a high GPA should not be the only criteria for determining who deserves to be helped. For that reason, they are offering a scholarship that will be awarded on the basis of character, as determined by an evaluation of essays that are submitted.

Scholarships are intended for future leaders across a wide spectrum of fields of study. This award is available to high school seniors and all students attending a post-secondary educational facility.

You are not required to be taking Engineering courses to be eligible.

How to Apply

Students must submit an essay of between 500 and 1000 words in answer to the following question:

"When you look back on your life in 30 years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What relationships or accomplishments will be important on this journey?"

Amount of award: $500.00
Deadline for entry: October 8, 2023

Submit essay to scholarships@aesengineers.com

There is no application packet for this award. Please do not include your resume at this time.

Be sure to include your full name as well as the name of the school you are attending this year and your plans for next year.

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