Scholarships

scholarshipbanner

The College + Career Center posts scholarship information in:
» College + Career Center Module in the WOHS "Student Body" Canvas course. 
Check the "Scholarships + Financial Aid" page weekly!
(must be logged into Canvas)

» On the College + Career Center Instagram @WOHS_CCC

» Student Services Newsletter in Canvas -Student Body
(families can read the newsletter by becoming "Observers"
and logging into the Canvas Parent Portal. Instructions linked here.)

EXTERNAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Students are strongly encouraged to begin scholarship searching early and often as each scholarship is unique with a wide range of eligibility criteria, applicant requirements, and deadlines. Additionally, many scholarships are specific to a student's future goals, intended major and/or career, and/or unique personal talents so students must spend time searching for scholarships that apply to them. 

Best Practices

  • Apply Early and Often!
  • Embrace a "self starter" mentality! Applying for scholarships takes self directed energy and focus and no one can do it for you! Make it a priority and you will reap the rewards!
  • Create professional, separate email for scholarship applications.
  • Create a spreadsheet to track scholarships, deadlines, application links, login credentials, awarded money, etc.
  • Think of applying to scholarships as a JOB! Show up, do the work, get paid!
  • Aim to apply to a minimum 2-5 scholarships WEEKLY starting at the beginning of your SENIOR year. 

Suggested Scholarship Search Websites

  • Going Merry Going Merry is a free scholarship matching platform offering personalized matching to thousands of local, regional, and national scholarships and grants with auto-filled forms and bundled scholarships on multiple platforms (desktop, the app store on iOS and Android.) 
  • FastWeb: Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects students to scholarships and financial aid tools. Students create a profile and get personalized scholarship recommendations.
  • Raise.Me: RaiseMe is a social enterprise focused on expanding access to higher education. Rather than waiting until the end of high school to earn scholarships, RaiseMe enables students to earn scholarships throughout high school, starting as early as 9th grade, for doing all the things that best prepare them to succeed, whether that’s getting good grades, volunteering in the community or joining an extracurricular. 
  • College Board BIG FUTURE: Earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships by completing steps to plan for college. The sooner students start and the more steps you they complete, the more chances they have to win.
  • Cappex: Cappex.com is a one-stop destination that helps students and parents make smarter decisions about admissions and financial aid by providing free and easy-to-use tools for the discovery, application, decision and payment process.

Florida Financial Aid Application (required for Bright Futures)

» Application opens October 1

The Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) is the free financial aid application from the state of Florida's Office of Student Financial Assistance.

ALL SENIORS MUST COMPLETE the FFAA in order to be eligible for all state grants and scholarships including the Bright Futures Scholarship. 

* Students do not not need to eligible for Bright Futures at the time of application. Students should submit their FFAA when the application opens on October 1 of their senior year and continue working toward eligibility until the deadline of August 31 of their graduation year.

» Apply for the FFAA (required for Bright Futures)
» Download How to Apply instructions

Click to be redirected to the Bright Futures Scholarship information page.

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid

» 2023-24 FAFSA Application opens December 2023

» ALL SENIORS MUST COMPLETE the FAFSA during their senior year in order to be eligible for all federal loans, grants and work study programs. 

» Students planning to start college during a summer term after high school graduation will need to complete the 2021-22 FAFSA.

» Many colleges have FAFSA deadlines in order to be considered for priority financial aid from the school - Students and families are strongly encouraged to submit their FAFSA in October.

» Some colleges will not make financial aid offers unless the student submits a FAFSA. Therefore, every student should submit a FAFSA application even if they think they do not qualify for need based aid.

Affordable Colleges Online Resource for groups underrepresented on college campuses.
Best Colleges for Parents and Latinos Resource for single mothers, fathers and latinos.
Cappex Over $11 billion in scholarships.
Chegg Over $1 billion in awards. Personalized matches available for all students.
College Scholarships A financial aid search service using a large database of private scholarships. Results in a scholarship package built just for you, including scholarships that match your criteria and a personalized letter with your information to each of the scholarship sponsors.
College Scholarships for Minority Students Extensive list of scholarships and financial aid resources available specifically for minority students. The guide also includes tips for finding and securing scholarships and other financial aid.
College Whale At CollegeWhale.com students will find college financial aid video tutorials, student loan and FAFSA help guides, CollegeWhale.com’s famous “Easiest Scholarship Search Ever” (a “no registration required” college scholarship search with hundreds of thousands of dollars in available scholarship awards), and answers to most college financial aid questions.
Computer Science Scholarships Comprehensive scholarship listing for Computer Science majors.
Dow Jones NewsPaper Fund, Inc. You will find links to journalism-related scholarships, fellowships, internships and other career resources such as job fairs and job postings.
FastWeb The FastWeb Scholarship Search Engine is updated daily, available free of charge, is completely private, and includes a database of over 1.3 million scholarships worth over $3 billion.
Financial Aid for Military & Veterans Comprehensive listing of scholarships for Military Service members, their dependents and veterans.
Inroads Searchable scholarship database with nearly 20,000 scholarships.
HSFinder Available to both High School and College students of Latino descent. This up-to-date directory requires no registration and is accessible to all.
Psychology Scholarships There many awards supporting students across psychology education.
SallieMae Register to get free access to more than 5 million college scholarships that match your skills, activities and interests based on the profile you create.
Scholarships for Education Majors and Grad Students Scholarships for Education Majors
Scholarships.com Provides a free search of an entire database of scholarships, with nearly three thousand sources, potentially worth up to three billion dollars, and sits atop the short list of reputable scholarship and financial aid information websites.
Scholarship Guidance The #1 High School and University Resource for Students.
Unigo A time-saving list of scholarships that match your hobbies, interests and academic background. Unlimited access to our scholarship database of 3.6 million awards worth over $14 billion.
100 Military Education Grants and Scholarships Looking for military education grants and scholarships for yourself, your spouse, or your children to go back to school? Here is a massive list (over 100) scholarships and grants for military personnel and their families to go to school.