A Scholarship Scavenger Hunt: 6 Scholarship Tools Soon-to-Be College Students Can Use In 2021

Whether you’re knee-deep in the college list construction process or currently sniffing out scholarship opportunities within reach, the transition from high school to college can be an extremely intimidating step for recent graduates, especially when it concerns handling financial aid. Loans and grants are a big help, but they don’t usually cover everything. 

Fortunately, plenty of free scholarship tools are available to help you prepare for the busy four years up ahead. With a fine-tuned strategy in place, you can shield yourself from costly student loans and enter the workforce debt-free. Ready to get started? Here are six scholarship tools first-year students can’t afford to pass up. 

CollegeData 

The Scholarship Finder from CollegeData is an easy way to find scholarships and narrow down your options accordingly. All you need to do is fill out a brief profile, and the website will automatically direct you to scholarships that meet your qualifications and interests. CollegeData also equips first-year students with a Financial Aid Tracker. This way, you can see how much aid other students with your credentials have received. 

Chegg 

With an easy-to-navigate website and over 25,000 available scholarships, Chegg can help you find everything you need to pay off your upcoming loans. If you’re having trouble finding the right scholarship, you can filter these financial aid opportunities by the deadline, amount of money, and school prestige. In addition to being an excellent scholarship tool, Chegg provides valuable study tools and can even help students find cheap textbooks. 

Fastweb 

To browse the scholarships offered on Fastweb, you’ll first have to make an account. Fortunately, this is a pretty quick process. Once you sign up, you will have access to thousands of dollars in potential scholarships. In addition to scholarship hunting, Fastweb can also help students locate internship opportunities, student loans, FAFSA assistance. 

Niche 

Browsing scholarships on Niche is easy. If you’d prefer not to sign up, you can search for scholarships by the categories listed on the side of the page—no account necessary. Alternatively, you can make an account to filter out all of the ineligible scholarships and have your search results more tailored to your qualifications. 

Scholly 

If you prefer to do your scholarship-searching on your smartphone, you’re in luck. When you install the Scholly app on your phone, you can search for scholarships even when you’re on the go. Once you download the app, all you need to do is make an account, and Scholly will match you to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in scholarships. 

Going Merry 

Sick of filling out applications? Going Merry can help lighten the workload. By harnessing the power of the Common App, this scholarship tool can help you fill out applications more quickly and more efficiently, saving you time and (hopefully) money. Like Scholly, this tool is also available as a mobile app. 

Wrapping up 

Whether you’re a freshman or a high-school senior looking for some extra financial help post-graduation, you don’t want to pass up any potential financial aid. Scholarships can help cover the costs of room and board, textbooks, and tuition. 

As a result, you will spend less time worrying about finances and more time focusing on your career goals and enjoying the vibrant student life your university of choice has to offer.