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Congratulations to all students and families who made their college decisions by May 1! While the big choice is behind you, there’s still important work to do-especially when it comes to finding scholarships and additional funding.
Here’s your guide to maximizing scholarship opportunities after May 1 and making college more affordable.
Still Time to Apply: Scholarships with May Deadlines
Did you know there are scholarships still open for applications throughout May? Even after College Decision Day, there are opportunities available, often with deadlines at the end of the month.
Here are just a few examples you can apply for right now:
Tips for Finding and Winning Scholarships After May 1
- Keep Searching: While the peak scholarship season is September–March, new awards are posted year-round. Local organizations, community groups, and professional associations often post deadlines later in the academic year. Check with high school counselors, college and career counseling departments, community foundations, local businesses, and civic organizations. Also, local scholarship opportunities often have scholarships with fewer applicants so you may have a better chance at winning.
- Apply Broadly: You can never apply for too many scholarships. Treat it as a numbers game-the more you apply for, the better your chances. See Winning Scholarships for College for strategies to help you organize your search so it’s not too demanding of your time.
- Check with Your College: Some schools have late or additional institutional scholarships. Contact your college’s financial aid office to ask about any new or unclaimed awards. Also some schools have scholarship hubs on their student portals.
- Highlight New Achievements: If you’ve received new honors, improved your grades, or earned new test scores since submitting your college applications, let your college know. Sometimes, this can qualify you for additional merit aid or scholarships.
- Ask for More Aid: If your financial circumstances have changed or you’ve received better offers from other schools, you can politely request your chosen college to reconsider your aid package. Be specific, provide documentation, and avoid using generic templates.
- Use our Last Minute College Financing Guide to help with all of the above and learn about additional strategies.
Final Reminders
- Stay Organized: Track deadlines and requirements. Many May scholarships are no-essay or have simple applications, but don’t miss out by waiting too long.
- Don’t Stop After May: New scholarships open every month, and some are available for current college students as well as incoming freshmen. See Scholarships for College Students to learn more.
Also check out Last Minute College Financing Guide to discover more college financing strategies now that your college freshman year is just a few months away. Scholarships for College Students and Winning Scholarships for College can also help.
If you need step by step guidance, attend The Scholarship Boot Camp or The Scholarship and College Essay Writing Boot Camp. Or consider The Scholarship Success Toolkit or Scholarship Workshop USB Tutorial with on-demand webinar
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