Outside Scholarships
Taking a tally in the initial days of the 2017–2018 academic year, Lake Forest students received more than 100 scholarship from private sources, totaling over $450,000.
While we believe that the resources below are worthwhile, we do not guarantee the authenticity of the information or websites, and do not endorse the information or services offered. Deadlines and other dates are assumed to be valid annually.
If you receive a scholarship, grant, or other aid from a source other than the College, you must report the funds to the Office of Financial Aid. Such “outside scholarships” will normally reduce the amount your family pays or the loans you use. It may affect your work-study eligibility, and, in some cases, College need-based grants.
Upcoming Scholarship Pick(s):
KFC REACH Educational Grant Program
Amount: $2000 - $3000
- Must be a Restaurant General Manager, Assistant Manager, Shift Supervisors or Team Member at a participating KFC U.S. Restaurant
- Must have worked at a KFC Restaurant for at least six months
- Must be currently enrolled in college or plan to enroll in the next year
Deadline: September 28 (offered again, February/March)
kfcfoundation.org/ourprograms/
SlickDeals Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
- Must be a U.S. citizen or otherwise legally residing in one (1) of the 50 United States or the D.C.
- At least 17 years of age
- Currently accepted to an accredited university for a full-time undergraduate or graduate program in the for the spring 2018 semester.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Submit an original essay - “Agree or Disagree and defend your position in a 500 word essay: A college education is worth the cost.”
Deadline: October 15 (offered again, spring)
slickdeals.net/scholarships/
Individual Scholarship Listing:
Updated Sept ’17: over 350 scholarships offered by corporations, foundations, civic groups, etc. Download the list (Excel)
General Web Sites:
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)
- FastWeb - scholarship search, see also: Tips to Winning Schlrshps
- Financial Aid Page - scholarship searches and other resources
- GoodCall.com - multiple “search by” options, including level of application difficulty, level of competition, etc.
- Horatio Alger Association - browse scholarships by your home state
- Kaarme.com - browse scholarships by category
- OnlineColleges.net - a long list of scholarships for minority students, though not limited to those enrolled at online institutions
- Peterson’s - scholarship search
- Sallie Mae’s College Answer - new scholarship search
- Scholarship Experts.com - scholarship search
- Scholarships.com - scholarship search
- Through the Looking Glass (students/families w/disabilities)
Special Categories / Web Sites:
Several resources — Affordable Colleges Online, LearnHowToBecome and OnlineColleges.net — are not just for those attending online schools! Individual lists for many categories of students: women, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and students with disabilities.
African American Students
Herbert Lehman Educational Fund
Asian Students
Asian American and Pacific Islander
Canadian Students
Canadian Students - begin on pg 12 scholarships for use at any college
CanLearn - Government of Canada
Disabilities & Medical Conditions
Children of Deaf Adults (CODA)
Microsoft disAbility Scholarship
Through the Looking Glass (students with disabilities, and students whose parent has a disability)
Wells Fargo Schlrshp for People with Disabilities
First Generation
The Billings and Barrett First in Family Scholarship
Graduate Study
New, March! Law School
Hispanic Students
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)
Hispanic Scholarship Fund - dozens of scholarships for all grade levels
Hispanic Science Scholarships - National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Latino College Dollars - scholarship search
International Students - scholarship search
Homeless
LGBTQ
Military Affiliation
AffordableColleges.com (general resource, various service branches)
Air Force - General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant
American Legion child, (great)grandchild, WWI/II, Korea, Vietnam, etc
Department of Veteran’s Affairs - veterans/children
Iran & Afghanistan - if your parent died in service after 9/11
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation - 25 military-related resources
Military Officers Association of America - Veterans, family members
Veteran’s Service Organizations
VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars
Yellow Ribbon Program - Lake Forest participates as of 9/1/16
Native American Scholarships
American Indian Graduate Center
Bureau of Indian Education Grant Program (.pdf)
Bureau of Indian Education Scholarships
Native American Congressional Internship
Resource: Tracing your American Indian Ancestry
Udall Undergraduate Scholarship
Off-Campus Study
AIFS (American Institute For Foreign Study)
Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) - opens November 16
Institute of International Education - scholarships, fellowships, internships
Polish Descent
Polish Women’s Civic Club / Athletic Scholarship
From Top Ten Online Colleges - 25 Scholarships for Polish Students
Single Parent
New (5/1) TopProducts Single Mother Scholarship
State/Location Specific
Arkansas Students - scholarship search
Hawai‘i Students - over 150 scholarships to pursue
Illinois Students - grants, loans, and scholarships for all grade levels
Illinois, (Chicago Public Schools) - Wentcher Foundation
Indiana Students - grant and scholarship programs
Maine Students - links to 16 scholarships
Tennessee Students - application cycle begins mid-January
Washington Students - scholarship search
State-Specific Aid Programs - going2college.org and
Nat’l Assoc of State Student Grant & Aid Programs (NASSGAP)
Transfer Students
Community College students - Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
Oakton Community College students - Wentcher Scholarship
Phi Theta Kappa members - fall due December 3; spring due April 30
Undocumented Students
DDLR Scholarship (open to Chicago Public School seniors)
Educators for Fair Consideration (2015-16 list, sorted by due date)
Illinois Students - from the Illinois Dream Fund Commission
Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund (’16-’17 version)
An undocumented student’s guide to college - IL
Private Scholarship Guide for undocumented students
Women
New, June 2017 Affordable Colleges.com
About Scholarship Scams
With many people looking for scholarships, the opportunity is high for people to be taken advantage of. Here are some thoughts to help you.
Scholarships that charge a fee are probably not valid.
Beware of applications that collect your SSN, bank account numbers, or other sensitive information.
Scholarships that invite you to attend a seminar may involve a “strong-armed sales pitch” for something that is not free.
Even legitimate scholarship offers may result in you getting “slammed” with ads and unwanted emails.
One real life example involved a source that asked for very little information from the applicant. They announced “you won” and sent a check, then asked the recipient to return a portion of the scholarship (claiming they received the wrong amount). The problem? The scholarship check they sent bounced, leaving you “out” the money that was returned to the source.
Other Resources:
If you ever have a question about a scholarship offer that sounds “fishy” feel free to contact the Office of Financial Aid (finaid@lakeforest.edu, 847-735-5103) and we will try to help determine if it is legitimate.