Free Money: A Parent’s Guide to Scholarships

If you're nervous about the costs of college, you're not alone. Tuition rates are rising so fast that many parents worry their kids cannot afford to get a degree.

But with a little legwork, your child may be able to access an often-hidden source of funding: scholarships. Even if your child isn't at the top of their class, there may be a scholarship out there that is perfect for them.

Governments, schools, companies, social groups, businesses and even individuals hand out millions of dollars to deserving students through scholarships. That's right -- free money. And some of it goes unclaimed.

"There are some companies out there, donating scholarships, that fail to get applications," says Brian Harris. He is a former high school counselor who wrote a guide to scholarships.

But don't abandon your college savings plan. Landing a scholarship takes a lot of time and work from your student. And you shouldn't count on scholarships to pay for everything. Still, even a small scholarship can help your student pay for books and other essential things for college -- and every dollar counts when a child is getting ready for college.

Scholarships fall into two broad categories -- academic and non-academic.

Academic scholarships are the most common ones. The idea behind them is simple: outstanding marks deserve a reward, regardless of need. But institutions that offer academic scholarships may also consider other factors such as a student's volunteer record, leadership abilities and financial need.

Academic scores are actually starting to become less important. Volunteering, on the other hand, is becoming a more decisive factor.

Non-academic scholarships award money somewhat differently. Students don't necessarily need to have outstanding marks to qualify for them.

Your child may qualify for an athletic scholarship if they are a great athlete with decent marks. Or they might be a talented musician or writer. Or they might have shown a strong commitment to volunteering.

They may also qualify for a non-academic scholarship if they want to go into a certain profession, come from a given occupation, win a competition, show severe financial need, are from a certain part of the country, have a certain ethnic background or are physically challenged.

They may be eligible for a scholarship if they are left-handed, have a certain last name, or never smoked or cursed in their life.

So who offers these scholarships? Colleges and universities, of course. But they are not the only ones. They can come from every area of private and public life: government, the military, corporations, unions, nonprofit groups, social service groups, foundations, fraternities, sororities, charities and individuals.

But how do students find out about them? Their guidance counselor is a good place to start. If they work with their counselor and show a little initiative, they will find out about the variety of scholarships available.

You can also turn to scholarship search companies for help. For a price, they will find scholarships that fit your marks, interests and background, then help you apply for them.

Be careful, though. While some of them provide a legitimate service, many of these companies make unrealistic claims and deliver little in return, according to the American Council on Education. Bottom line: if you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.

Be sure to check with your employer -- many companies now offer scholarships to the children of employees.

When should students start applying for scholarships? As early as possible. If they haven't already started their research, they should get their search underway this month. Your student should keep records of all material used in their scholarship search.