Your college campus is the best place to start your scholarship search because it offers multiple sources of institutional scholarships.

Sources of scholarships include:

1. Scholarship/Financial aid office
2. Department office
3. Student organizations

Institutional scholarships are need or merit-based financial aid provided by colleges (institutions).

In this article, you’ll learn the three places you can look for scholarships at your college campus.

Related: “25 Strategies I Used to Win Over $55,000 in Scholarships (And So Can You!)“

Related: “19 Red Flags to Look Out for When Applying to Scholarships“

#1: Scholarship/Financial Aid Office

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The first and best place to look for scholarships is your college’s scholarship and/or financial aid office.

This is because administrators there are well-versed in the scholarships offered by your institution (and its community partners) so they can help you find scholarships you’re eligible for and direct you to relevant resources.

Many colleges have a master list of scholarships that has important details (eligibility requirements, deadlines, etc). You can obtain this list in person or on the college website. 

#2: Department Office

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The department of your major is another solid choice.

Virtually every college major will have its own office or a shared one. Ask the receptionist whether your department offers scholarships in your area of study. 

Like in the previous point, you can also ask for a master list of scholarships maintained by your department. You can obtain this list in person or on the department website.

#3: Student Organizations

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Student organizations tend to focus on a specific mission or issue, such as an area of study, career interests, ethnicity, geography, or recreational activity.

Here are some examples:

• Major (ex: Robotics Club)
• Career/Industry (ex: Health Occupations Students of America)
• Ethnic group (ex: AAPI)
• Geographic location (ex: CA residents)
• Hobbies (ex: photography)

Once you join organizations that are specific to you and your interests, hop on their email lists. 

Email lists and newsletters are golden nuggets of information so it’s surprising that they are underutilized resources. 

Yes, while you may get miscellaneous emails occasionally, the interest here is the scholarship-related emails.

You will likely be eligible for these scholarships already, and many members do not join this list so they probably will not be aware of these opportunities, which means less competition for yourself!

Tip: You can tailor the frequency (i.e., one per week) and type (scholarship only) of emails you receive from an organization’s email list/newsletter.