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Outside Scholarships

We have seen many students lower their out-of-pocket educational costs by applying for outside scholarships. Here are some resources to help you make the most of your scholarship search efforts.

Students are encouraged to research outside scholarship opportunities that may include private sources such as your high school, local businesses, civic groups, national companies, church groups, charitable foundations, associations, etc. Below are links to free search engines to help you navigate the outside scholarship application process.

Free Scholarship Searches

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

National Scholarships

Accredited Schools Online
Various scholarships open to all students across a variety of majors.

Amazon Future Engineer
The Amazon Future Engineer scholarship program assists high school seniors who have completed a computer science course and plan to continue their education by attaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering or other computer science related field of study from an accredited 4-year college or university.

Citizens Bank
Citizens wants to honor the dedication of students and families pursuing higher learning. They will award a grand prize of $15,000 to use towards school expenses and a monthly prize of $2,500. It takes less than 60 seconds to apply. Additionally, each quarter a student who meets the required criteria for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Scholarship prize will be eligible to win a $2,500 prize for use towards school expenses.

Earnest Scholarship Fund
To give back to the community, Earnest launched a scholarship fund that will help 50 students take on less debt. The Earnest Scholarship Fund awards $5,000 to 50 deserving students. There are no essays to write and no fees, to ensure every student has the opportunity to enter the scholarship. There are no minimum GPA, residency, or major requirements. Applicants can be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (including DACA students).

Healy Foundation
Students entering junior or senior year at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States, a GPA above 3.0, and existing financial need combined with unexpected hardship

Hispanic Fund
Open to all students with a focus on those of Hispanic backgrounds

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Two types of scholarships: One for high school seniors going into college and the other for college transfer students

Sallie Mae & Thurgood Marshall Fund
Open to minority students and those from marginalized or underserved communities, including Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, low income, first generation, and students from rural communities, among others. You do not need to have a Sally Mae loan or be a customer of theirs to be eligible.

Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship
The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) are proud to offer financial assistance to forty (40) current high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or continuous education program. Selected students will receive a scholarship up to $10,000 for the 2024-2025 academic school year.

Sallie Mae Completing the Dream Scholarship
The Sallie Mae Completing the Dream Scholarship program is available to current students from underserved communities who are in their final year of study and may be facing financial hardships in completing their post-secondary education program. Sallie Mae will be awarding up to 200 $2,500 scholarships through August 31.

Scholarship Guide for First Responders and Their Family Members
Study.com maintains a comprehensive guide for first responders and their families to provide them with critical information about how they can find financial aid and scholarships especially intended for them. The scholarship guide for first responders and their family members was designed with the goal to make sure first responders can afford their college education. This guide offers in-depth information in several areas, including: specific scholarships for firefighters and EMTs; other scholarships for children of first responders; alternative ways to finance a college degree.

Scholarship Guide for Nontraditional College Students
This scholarship guide for nontraditional college students, provided by Study.com, offers scholarship advice to students who have returned to college as adults, taking time off, or are military veterans.

SoFi
SoFi is giving away $2,500 scholarships for school every month. Open to SoFi members who are 18+ US residents attending a 4-year college in 50 U.S. states (+ DC). Every month, you can get another shot at the SoFi Scholarship Giveaway.

Study.com Student Scholarships
Explore the student scholarships offered through Study.com, including a wide variety of academic awards and scholarships for current and prospective students.

UNICO Foundation Scholarship Program
For US citizens of Italian decent who reside in or have a UNICO Chapter/District sponsor from one of the following states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Wisconsin. (Exception: The Maria and Paolo Alessio Southern Italy Scholarship is open to applicants from all 50 states.)

United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF)
UNCF offers various scholarships open to all students across a variety of majors.

Regional and Connecticut Scholarships

American Association of University Women, Shoreline Branch
Open to local women who have completed at least 60 college credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

American Savings Foundation
An independent charitable foundation that serves 64 towns in Connecticut, with a core focus on New Britain and Waterbury.

Christian A. Herter Memorial Scholarship
For Massachusetts residents with difficult circumstances, financial need, and a minimum 2.5 GPA, among other requirements

Connecticut Association of Professional Financial Aid Administrators (CAPFAA)
The organization will award six (6) non-renewable $1,000 scholarships to three (3) eligible undergraduate and three (3) eligible graduate students in pursuit of higher education in the State of Connecticut.

Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA)
Connecticut residents with an Student Aid Index (SAI) of $6,000 or less, enrolled and attending an eligible Connecticut state or non-profit, degree granting institution of higher education.

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
For students who live in Connecticut or Rhode Island.

Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Various scholarships to apply for students from the Greater New Haven area.

Community Foundation of Greater New Britain
Various scholarships to apply for local public high school seniors from Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. A small number are awarded to graduating seniors from Farmington, Newington and Wethersfield.

Connecticut Community Foundation
Various scholarships to apply for. Students must be from Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills, Connecticut.

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
More than 60 scholarships, most of which are geared to students from the Greater Hartford region.

Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford
Scholarship for Jewish students currently residing in the Greater Hartford area.

Main Street Community Foundation
The majority of scholarships require you to be a resident of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington or Wolcott, Connecticut or require that you are attending a high school in one of those towns. However, there are a few scholarships that do not, so please read the eligibility criteria carefully before applying.

New England Society Scholarship
A scholarship for incoming freshman to an eligible New England college or university. Applicant must live and attend high school in one of the five boroughs of NYC and have a demonstrated need of financial aid.

New Haven Promise
For students who attended New Haven Public Schools.

SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Students who are full-time residents of Hartford, Tolland, or Windham Counties.

The Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship Fund
A scholarship for permanent residents of New England states, with financial need, who display academic achievement, a commitment to serving others, a strong work ethic and leadership qualities.

Scholarship Steps to Follow

Mark deadlines on your calendar early!
- Most scholarships have deadlines early in your senior year of high school (there are some for continuing college students, too!). Research early and mark the deadlines so you have time to prepare.
Include letters of recommendation and a student resume
- Make sure to give the person writing the letter all the necessary details to paint an accurate picture by including your student resume, and give them enough time to write the letter.
- Have your student resume handy when completing applications to remind yourself of relevant accomplishments.
Create a designated scholarship email
- Make a great first impression with your email address — no one should deny you scholarships if you have a silly or out-of-the-ordinary email address, but we recommend keeping it professional.
- You will be receiving a lot of emails during your search, so it is helpful to have them sorted into a separate email address to not bog down your main email inbox.

Scholarship Practices to Avoid

Don’t disregard lower award amounts
- Scholarships with larger amounts are sure to have more competition than those with lower amounts.
- Decreasing your competition will be in your favor and increase your chance of getting the scholarship committee’s attention.
- There’s no limit to how many scholarships you can win or apply for, so applying for many smaller awards can be to your benefit.
Don’t be disheartened if you don’t triumph right away
- The more scholarships you apply to, the better your chances of success. Apply for however many you qualify for.
Don’t steer clear of applications that require essays
- Many essays can be re-utilized and applied to future applications to save you time.

Tips for Success

Apply early and often
- Some scholarships have earlier application dates than others, so make sure to apply early.
Be organized and aware of deadlines
- Be sure to complete applications before the deadline so you have time to make changes if any issues occur.
- Keep a calendar to stay on track with application deadlines — these deadlines are final.
Create a schedule and stick to it!
- Take a specific time each day to focus on applying to scholarships (ex. one night a week, one hour a day, whatever works for you).
Notice scholarship and financial aid scams
- Here are a few of the red flags for scams:
  - Guaranteed scholarships/fees
  - Asking for personal information or credit card/banking numbers. Scholarship applications are always free.
- If in doubt about scholarship legitimacy, reach out to your school counselor

Interest-Free Payment Plans

As part of our continuing effort to provide affordable and convenient payment options, payment plans are available to help you meet your educational costs.

Payment plans are offered at no interest, and there is a $75 non-refundable application fee to set up each semester plan. A five-payment option is available in the fall semester and again in the spring semester. If you enroll after the plan begins, you will need to make a proportional down payment and then begin your payments thereafter.

Learn more and enroll in a tuition payment program

Once you have set up your account through this secure website, you can authorize your payments to be electronically sent from your checking or savings account.

Financial Aid Questions

We‘re here to help provide additional information and answer your questions about the financial aid process.