Students Studying | Photo by Soham Parkih | The Wright State Guardian
Thanks to the Financial Wellness Center, which hosted the “Plot Your Financial Course” event on Jan. 31, students were taught the best ways to pursue scholarships, both from Wright State University and from outside sources.
Scholarship importance and acquisition difficulty
A scholarship is a form of financial aid given to a student in order to further their education. It is granted-based on the student's academic performance or other factors, such as financial need. It can remove obstacles to academic achievement so that any student can follow their passion.
Scholarships are usually given out based on a number of criteria, including financial need, areas of study, work experience, departmental and community activity or academic accomplishment.
More than 1.7 million scholarships are awarded annually, though only 7% of college students will receive scholarships, according to the Education Data Initiative. Scholarship funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education have a projected worth of $46 billion each year.
The selection process for scholarships to study in the U.S. can be rigorous and thorough. To significantly increase chances of being accepted, students should apply for every scholarship that they are qualified for. Smaller scholarships can also assist with living costs and books even though they might not be sufficient to cover a student’s full tuition.
Scholarships at WSU
WSU offers a variety of financial aid packages to help reduce financial burden for students. According to WSU’s website, 70% of all Wright State students are awarded some form of financial aid.
The Financial Wellness Center organized an event on Jan. 31 at Rike Hall called “Plot Your Financial Course,” which was sponsored by Wright Patt Credit Union. In the workshop, they discussed scholarships and tips and tricks to get them.
“There are so many ways to get scholarships, you just have to knock every possible door to get yours,” Blake Grimm, a student loan program coordinator at Wright-Patt Credit Union, said.
Types of scholarships
Grimm mentioned three types of scholarships in his presentation: merit-based scholarships, which are awarded based on academic, athletic, artistic or other achievements; need-based scholarships, which students have to file FAFSA for; and group scholarships, which are based on religious or ethnic group, military status, employer or credit union membership.
Donor-based scholarships at WSU
Both undergraduate and graduate students can apply for multiple donor-based scholarships funded through the Wright State University Foundation and Wright State.
Maribeth Yoder, enrollment services coordinator at Enrollment Services (RaiderConnect), also stresses the importance of applying for scholarships.
“Donors seek different criterias to provide the scholarships to the students, so you should apply whether you think you will be eligible or not because you never know,” Yoder said.
Trusted scholarship search engines
Grimm and Yoder shared some of the trusted sources to search for scholarships, including careeronestop, Fastweb, scholarships.com, The Dayton Foundation, UNIGO and FinAid.
With the help of these scholarship search engines as well as information provided during the “Plot Your Financial Course” event, students can be confident that they are getting the most opportunities possible to help secure future financial aid.
