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Scholarships

Scholarship Information

Scholarships provide money that can help students pay for their college education. Different from loans, scholarships provide money that students and their families never have to pay back. Some scholarships are provided by private organizations while others are provided by colleges and universities. Each MCPS high school has a College and Career Center that is open twelve months per year. They have multiple resources to help students and their families learn about scholarships.

Scholarships are awarded to students who meet a variety of criteria, such as students and families with limited financial resources; students who have pursued rigorous coursework while in high school and earned high grades and SAT scores; students with special talents such as athletic or artistic ability; or students who have extensive volunteer experience or who are planning to enter certain careers. Students can maximize their chances to qualify for scholarships by taking challenging classes (including honors and advanced placement), earning good grades, maximizing your SAT and ACT scores by preparation and practice, and getting involved in extracurricular activities.

It is important that students file scholarship applications by the scholarship deadline.The application form for many scholarships can be found online or in the College and Career Center in each high school. Students should work with the registrar at their high school to have transcripts sent with their scholarship applications in the same manner that transcripts are sent with college applications. Students should talk with their counselor or the college and career information coordinator at their high school for additional information or if they need assistance in completing scholarship applications.

Scholarship Searches

More and more students are finding that web-based scholarship sites provide the easiest and most comprehensive approach to search for scholarships to help offset the increasing burden of paying for post-secondary education. Be wary of scholarship scams that often imitate legitimate government agencies, grant-giving foundations, education lenders, and scholarship services. If you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.

  • CAPPEX
    Over $11 billion in scholarships including merit and academic scholarships from colleges across the country. Complete a free profile to determine the colleges and scholarships that are a good match for you.
  • Central Scholarship Bureau
    A nonprofit organization founded in 1924 supporting students by providing grants, scholarships, and interest-free loans for postsecondary education.
  • CollegeBoard
    Research scholarship, financial aid and internship information from more than 2,200 programs.
  • CollegeNET
    Search the Mach25 database containing over 600,000 awards totaling over $1.6 billion.
  • Fastweb
    The largest and most accurate personalized scholarship search that compares your background with a database of awards. Only those awards that fit your profile are identified as matches.
  • FinAid: Specific Majors or Course of Study Scholarship Opportunities
    A list of several scholarship databases as well individual scholarships and awards aimed at assisting students pursuing specific majors or courses of study.
  • GoodCall
    GoodCall matches individual preferences and profiles to private, public and need-based scholarship money.
  • Guaranteed Scholarships
    Guaranteed scholarships require no interview, essay, portfolio, audition, competition or other additional application requirement.
  • HBCU Minority Scholarships
    A list of over 100 HBCU scholarships offered to minority group members.
  • MHEC Financial Aid and Scholarships
    This search will help you determine State financial assistance programs for which you may be eligible. The State of Maryland offers legislative scholarships, merit and career based scholarships, and need-based grants. Some scholarships require that you know your legislative district.
  • NursingLink Scholarship Search
    Nurses are in great demand and will be in even more demand in the future. Search for schools and scholarships on this one site dedicated to nursing.
  • Peterson's
    Search over five thousand scholarship providers from a company with more than 50 years of experience.
  • Professions That Pay For College Tuition
  • Career options that offer tuition reimbursement programs.
  • SallieMae
    Get access to over five million college scholarships.
  • Scholarships.com
    Search for scholarships by academic major, athletics, art, ethnicity, first in family, GPA, minority, music, state, name or type.
  • Scholarship Institute
    Huge database of scholarship information.
  • StudentScholarships.org
    Comprehensive database of scholarship opportunities.
  • Tuition Funding Sources
    Offers students a profile-based database.
  • Unusual Scholarships
    A compilation of interesting, esoteric and unusual scholarships such as the Left-handed Scholarship, scholarships for twins, etc.