College comes with plenty of exciting possibilities—and a price tag that can make any parent take a very deep breath.

The good news? Scholarships can help cover the high cost of college—and they aren’t just reserved for straight-A students or star athletes. There are college scholarships for high school students based on interests, community service, career goals, hobbies, geography, and even some pretty unusual talents.

The trick is knowing where to look, getting organized and encouraging your teen to stick with it and submit the application. Whether college is still a few years away or senior year is already in full swing, here are ten scholarship search tips to help your family get started.

1. Start the Scholarship Search Early

You don’t have to wait until senior year to start looking for scholarships. Many opportunities are available to students before their final year of high school, and starting early gives families time to learn where to look and how the process works.

Freshmen and sophomores can begin exploring scholarship websites and learning what opportunities are available. Juniors can start building a list of scholarships and gathering materials they may need. And seniors can turn that preparation into applications, easing the application burden and giving them opportunities to apply for as many scholarships as possible.

Starting early also helps make paying for college an ongoing family conversation rather than a last-minute scramble.

It’s also important to remember that the search doesn’t end at high school graduation. Students should continue looking for scholarships throughout college.

2. Look in Your Own Backyard

When families think about college scholarships, big national awards may come to mind first. But national scholarships attract big competition. Students have a higher probability of being awarded scholarships available from organizations close to home.

Check with your student’s school counselor or college and career center. Then look at community foundations, local businesses, credit unions and banks, civic organizations, nonprofits, professional associations and other community groups.

Parents can get in on the search, too. Ask your employer whether it offers scholarships for employees’ children.

Local scholarships may be smaller, but don’t underestimate them. A few $500 or $1,000 awards can go a long way toward covering the costs of lab and online materials, school fees and other college expenses.

3. Put Scholarship Search Websites to Work

You don’t have to search the entire internet one scholarship at a time. Reputable scholarship search websites can help students find opportunities based on their interests, activities, academic goals, intended major and other criteria.

Encourage your teen to create a profile and check for new matches regularly.

One important rule for using scholarship search websites—be wary of services that charge fees or guarantee that your student will receive an award, it could be a scam.

4. Think Beyond Grades and Sports

If your student doesn’t have a 4.0 or higher GPA or isn’t the captain of the varsity football team, that’s okay. There is scholarship money available for every interest, including community service, leadership, the arts, STEM, writing, career interests, entrepreneurship, hobbies and much more.

When figuring out how to find scholarships, encourage your teen to make a list of what makes them unique. What do they enjoy? What activities are they involved in? What do they want to study? How have they helped their school or community?

Those answers can uncover scholarship possibilities you might otherwise miss.

5. Check With Colleges on Your Student’s List

Once your teen starts building a college list and filling out applications, check their website for scholarships. Most schools include merit scholarships, departmental awards and other financial aid for college on their websites. Some scholarships automatically consider students when they apply for admission, while others require a separate application.

Students can also contact the school’s financial aid office or the department for their intended major to ask about additional opportunities.

6. Create a Scholarship Tracker

Scholarship applications can quickly become a jumble of deadlines, essays, recommendation letters and “Wait, did you submit that one?”

A simple spreadsheet can save everyone’s sanity.

Track the scholarship name, award amount, eligibility requirements, application link, required materials, deadline and status.

If you are thinking it would just be easier to do that yourself, encourage your teen to take the lead in maintaining the spreadsheet. Taking ownership of the process that will help contribute to paying for their college experience will give them better insight into the financial aspect of college. It will also give them good experience for handling their college coursework.  

7. Work Smarter on Scholarship Essays

If your student applies for several scholarships, they’ll probably start noticing some familiar questions.

• What are your future goals?
• How have you contributed to your community?
• What challenge have you overcome?
• What experience has shaped you?

Encourage your teen to save their drafted essays in one place. They can then adapt what they’ve already written for future applications instead of staring at a blank screen for every new scholarship application.

Remind them that it is important for them to personalize each essay and ensure it answers the actual question or prompt. Scholarship committees can usually spot a generic copy-and-paste job.

8. Don’t Ignore Smaller Scholarships

A $500 award may not generate the same excitement as a full scholarship, but $500 is still $500 your family doesn’t have to pay (or borrow).

Smaller scholarships may also attract fewer applicants than larger awards. Plus, several smaller awards can add up to meaningful cost savings. The list of college expenses is long. Every scholarship can help.

9. Know the Signs of a Scholarship Scam

Unfortunately, families searching for ways to make college more affordable can also be targets for scams.

Be cautious if someone guarantees your student will win a scholarship, requires payment to apply, asks for unnecessary sensitive information or pressures you to act immediately.

Before sharing personal information, research the organization and make sure the scholarship comes from a legitimate source.

When in doubt, your student’s school counselor or college financial aid office may be able to help you evaluate an opportunity.

10. Make Scholarship Searching a Habit

Want a quick way to make your teen dread the word “scholarship”? Schedule an entire Saturday afternoon for applications.

Instead, try making the scholarship search part of your family’s regular routine. Set aside 30 minutes once or twice a week to search for new opportunities, update the tracker or work on an application.

Small, consistent efforts can feel much more manageable than a scholarship marathon—and can add up over time.

A Little Effort Can Reap Rewards

There may not be one magical scholarship that pays the entire college bill. Instead, students may find success by combining several awards from different sources. Help your teen start early, stay organized and keep looking. Celebrate the applications submitted, not just the scholarships won, to help them stay motivated. When those $500, $1,000 and $2,500 awards start to add up, all those applications will feel very worthwhile.

Still in the college planning process? Learn six questions every family should ask when thinking about college.