Choosing Between Multiple Scholarships

Written By: Cudy

23rd April 2023

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Multiple scholarships are the solution for you to get scholarships from more than one sources. Money for college is what every student wants. With the rising costs of tuition, not all students can afford to attend the college they want.

For most low-income students needing financial aid, the first place to look for help is college grants and scholarships.

The money for college is out there. All you have to do is find it. However, it's not a smooth sailing.

Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons and often have specific requirements attached to them. If you have multiple scholarships that you are eligible for, how do you decide which one is the best choice for you?

While students are happy to accept any scholarship they can get their hands on, some have a difficult decision to make when multiple offers are presented.

Why Getting Too Many College Scholarships Can Actually be a Problem 

A "Happy" Problem: Choosing Between Multiple Scholarships
Photo by George Pak on Pexels

If a student is accepted into two different colleges and offered two different scholarships from each college, they will have to choose between the two.

It can be difficult to make up your mind and choose between being rewarded with more money or attending a dream school. This dilemma can be solved by finding out more about each scholarship and deciding which one is more valuable.

For example, one scholarship is a full ride and the other scholarship requires you to pay tuition. You should choose the first scholarship because it pays for all of your education.

If both scholarships require you to pay tuition, then you should look at the amount of money involved in each scholarship offer.

Similarly, if one scholarship requires you to pay for most of your food while the other scholarship provides a meal plan for all of your meals, then you should take the first scholarship because it is cheaper. You will also have more money because you do not have to buy as much food.

When students decide which school to attend and which scholarship offer to take, they need to look at all of their options and decide what is best for them.

By doing their homework on each offer, they will make an informed decision on which offer to accept.

Choosing between a dream school or multiple prestigious colleges and scholarships can be a happy problem. It is happy because instead of having to decide which school to attend, you have the opportunity to pick the best scholarship from among several great options.

After months of researching a school, applying for scholarships and writing essays, you receive a big pile of scholarship offers in the mail. You are over the moon. You are going to be able to afford college, after all!

Then comes the tougher decision – choosing which ones to accept.

Here are some tips for deciding between scholarships:

1. Take the scholarship with the higher monetary value.

The first thing to do is compare the value of each scholarship. The first rule of thumb is that you should take the scholarship with the higher monetary value.

If one scholarship has a higher monetary value, then take it.

It may seem counterintuitive, but if one scholarship offers more money, then that's what you should choose. This can be an important decision because it will help determine how much financial aid you will receive and therefore how much money you need to pay for college expenses.

2. Look at scholarship deadlines carefully.

Some scholarships have early deadlines while others have later deadlines; some are only open to students who plan to attend part-time, while others require full-time enrollment.

Try to choose a school from among those that have the same deadline.

If you have a choice between two scholarships from a school that have different deadlines, prioritize the one with the earlier deadline because you might not be able to accept offers from both of them.

3. Check with college scholarship sponsors about restrictions or rules for accepting other awards.

The second thing to do is check with the scholarship sponsors about restrictions or rules for accepting other awards.

For example, you may be able to accept one scholarship and apply for another, but the two scholarships cannot be combined.

Often, scholarship sponsors restrict or prohibit students from accepting other scholarships for the same year they receive an award from that sponsor.

4. See if they match your career aspirations.

It's also important to take a look at the goals of the scholarship and make sure that they match your career aspirations.

This will help you determine which scholarship you should accept. If you want to attend an institution that has a particular career focus, it's important to make sure that the scholarship is awarded for this type of institution.

5. Pick the college scholarships that pay off your loans later rather than sooner.

Scholarships are often in place to subsidize tuition payments so students can graduate without too much debt.

This means that they generally pay off loans later rather than sooner. So, pick ones that have awards at the end of your senior year or after graduation!

7. Ask the scholarship providers for clarification on their criteria and requirements.

There are often application criteria and application requirements that need to be met in order to receive a scholarship.

If you don't meet the admissions requirement, then you will not be eligible for the award.

You should contact the scholarship providers directly and ask them what their application criteria and requirements are before making a decision about which scholarship is best for you to accept.

It's important that students know exactly what they need to do in order to be eligible for a particular scholarship so they can avoid any unnecessary expenses associated with applying or participating in a program that doesn't meet their needs or expectations.

8. Finally, look for truly free scholarships – they’re out there!

A "Happy" Problem: Choosing Between Multiple Scholarships
Photo by George Pak on Pexels

Many scholarships are available, especially if you are a minority or come from a low-income family. Some of these even don't require any application forms or essays (or at least not very many).

They give the money for college out based on your GPA and financial needs. Students often under-utilize these options because they don't know about them.

To find them, go to websites like FastWeb and search for "free scholarships."

Also, visit your school's financial aid office, ask about the college fund and college costs. Many schools have lists of free money for college and scholarships in their offices that students don't even know about!

Following these tips will help you avoid getting into a bind by accepting too many scholarships.

Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry. It's better to turn down a scholarship than to have the money taken away later because you didn't follow the rules!

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Cudy

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