The Ultimate Scholarship FAQ
Anyone who wants to land free money for school should start here to learn about scholarship eligibility, essays, search, and more.
By Diane Melville - Updated: November 24, 2014
What You'll Learn
- Basic information about scholarships.
- Who’s eligible for scholarships.
- Where you can find scholarships.
If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked about scholarships, I could pay every student's tuition for a year! (OK, maybe just a year's supply of Ramen, but you get the idea.) This ultimate
scholarship FAQ answers all the most popular questions I've heard—as concisely as possible.
The Basics
What Is A Scholarship?
A scholarship is an award, which does not have to be repaid, given by a person or organization to fund a student's education.
What Is The Difference Between A Private Scholarship And An Institutional Scholarship?
A private scholarship is any award set up by an organization other than the federal government or a school. An institutional scholarship comes from an educational institution (such as a school). The federal government does not award "scholarships," but they do award
grants.