Once you have found a postsecondary institution by using our Postsecondary Exploration tool, it's time to find scholarships to help you pay for your education! One of the most crucial financial decisions you can make is to get an education you can afford. Scholarships can help you avoid debt and set you up for success in your career and life.
MajorClarity has over $7 billion dollars worth of scholarships available in the Financial Resources tab. Let's look at how to search through these scholarships to find the ones that best fit your needs.
Remember that when you're doing searches you might need to try a few different strategies. You want to start big and then get specific to refine your searches to a manageable number. Use the basic search options below to begin.
Search Terms
Because organizations offer scholarships based on their interests and areas of expertise, there are many different types of opportunities. Try entering search terms related to your interests or details about you. These could include: your hobbies and extracurriculars, your future plan of studies, ethnicity, religion, gender, or location. Try doing a few searches using different terms. For instance, you will find results for each of these terms if you enter them in the Search bar:
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Idaho
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Italy
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Photography
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Soccer
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Islam
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Biology
Type
Not all results are the same. Some have different requirements or function in different ways. Here are some quick definitions of the types you'll find:
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Scholarship: A gift of money for education that is based on demonstrated merit or talent. Scholarships are usually awarded by private organizations.
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Grant: A gift of money for education that is based on financial need and does not need to be repaid. Grants are usually awarded by the federal and state governments and by colleges and universities.
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Fellowship: Scholarships that are typically awarded to graduate students, usually by universities. Fellowships often focus on academic research or projects that will help the student gain experience.
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Contest: Scholarship contests where the winners receive scholarship money. Many require different skills and talents.
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Tuition Waiver: Granted by your chosen institution, tuition waivers reduce the cost of education. These may be granted for specific reasons related to financial need or other qualifying reasons.
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Stipend: A stipend is a periodic payment (other than wages) paid in connection with education-related activities. These are often offered to graduate students for the completion of projects related to their studies.
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Loan: Money for education that must be repaid with interest, offered by the federal government or private loan institutions.
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Internship: An opportunity to gain professional experience in an industry or company, often without pay. Sometimes they are "trial periods" for a company, and sometimes they are completed as part of a degree or training program requirement.
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Funded by military/requires military commitment: Scholarships and financial aid opportunities offered to veterans and military personnel, or students who plan to join the military or want to advance their education while in the military. Military dependents may also qualify.
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Other: Other types of grants, loans, or scholarships not defined by the terms above.
More Filters
Because funding opportunities vary so widely, you can find some based on your race/ethnicity, gender, age, state, and more. You can also limit your search to only local scholarships that are posted by your school district and only visible to students in your area. Try a few different searches to find more results. 
When looking at the search results, you can favorite your choices by clicking on the star. This will save the choice to your Profile tab so that you can come back to it.
You can read about the scholarship and some of the requirements on the search page, or click on each scholarship for more information, such as type, how many scholarships are awarded and how often, or if it can be renewed every year.
By clicking on the Apply button you will be taken to the website of the scholarship to get the most recent information and requirements, and fill out the application. 
Remember, there are different financial resources available for lots of different reasons. Try different search terms and find the best ones for you! Studies show that an estimated $100 million in scholarships go unused because of a lack of applicants. The chances of you getting a scholarship to help with your education costs are excellent, so go for it!