Find money you don't have to pay back
Scholarship eligibility isn't limited to students with high academic averages or those who can demonstrate financial need. Students of all backgrounds and levels of ability, new or returning, undergraduate or graduate, can find sources for scholarship and grant dollars - free money you don't need to repay. Don't assume you're ineligible. Investigate your options early and often.

Free, Fast Search Tool
One of the fastest and easiest ways to find private scholarships and outreach programs is through Chela's ScholarSearch tool. ScholarSearch can help you find the scholarship opportunities that match your skills, talents, and credentials with the click of a button. Best of all, ScholarSearch is FREE! Click here to sign up for MyChela and start your scholarship search now.

10 TIPS for Making the Most of Your Scholarship Search

	The time to start researching scholarships is now! There are all kinds of resources available. Check out the Internet, your local library, college, and university financial aid offices, your high school guidance office, civic organizations and the places where you or your parents are employed or do volunteer work.
	Scholarships are available for students planning to enter college, already in college, or even in graduate school. High school students should start their scholarship search during their sophomore year.
	Scholarships are available to students of all backgrounds, abilities, and levels. They are not limited to students with high academic averages, those entering college, or those who can demonstrate financial need.
	Scholarship committees, admissions recruiters, and employers look favorably on students who participate in extracurricular activities or do volunteer work. Group activities promote leadership qualities, communication skills, sense of purpose, and commitment.
	Ask for letters of recommendation well in advance, and discuss the kind of information needed in the letter. It's important that your letters come from reliable sources, are written on company or institutional letterhead, and are not form letters. A concrete, detailed letter from someone who knows you and your work well is usually worth more than three or four letters from people who don't. Give your letter writers a "friendly reminder" once or twice before it's due to ensure the letter is completed and sent on time."
	Most scholarship applications require a written personal statement discussing your background, accomplishments, and goals. This statement can set you apart from other applicants. Get started composing your personal statement now.
	Send all required attachments along with the application. Don't expect someone else to have to match up items sent under different mailings. If a required document is not attached to your application when it goes to the selection committee, your application will be considered incomplete.
	Even if the scholarship instructions don't require an essay, it's a good idea to attach a cover letter that summarizes your educational goals. The cover letter is also a good place to include any personal information that you want the scholarship selection committee to consider when evaluating your application.
	Just before sending your application to the scholarship review committee, make copies of all parts of the application and recommendation letters. Keep these to refer to at a later date.
	Federal Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) are available to students with significant financial need. Applying for financial aid and scholarships requires you to manage deadlines effectively. Remember, it's first-come, first-served, so apply early. Information provided in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine your eligibility for these grants, which are awarded by your financial aid office.