Full Ride Scholarships

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Hi! There are actually two full-ride scholarships I applied to that are full-ride. The first one is the Gates Scholarship and the Second one is the QuestBridge National College Match. I am sure there are more out there, especially because some institutions offer specific full-ride scholarships for their applicants.

Chances are as of currently, no because you're a freshman. If you're a poc or transgender (& have it on your college apps) some schools have scholarships that are full ride or close to full ride. One school that has this (if admitted & you apply) is Drexel Univ. It's called the liberty scholarship & it's for underepresented students. Just don't pretend to be transgender if you're not a poc. It's extremely harmful to trans people.

A lot of scholarship (or discounts) money comes from the colleges themselves. Each college has a Net Price Calculator and done build (merit/ scholarship/discount) in tuition based on some financial data from you or your parents that you input. Sometimes you have to dig for it on their Financial Aide Page. Even College Vine will give an estimate too after entering done data. Colleges also may have other scholarships to apply for based on various criteria you just have to go on their websites to check on details. It’s a lot of research, but worth it to know if you can even apply if not because applications take time and money! You can also use some of the websites mentioned above if you have specific qualifications- mostly low income (which is defined by each scholarship) and/ or ethnicity.

Hi!

There are a few options for school-specific full ride scholarships. For example, lots of schools give Presidential Scholarships, which can be a full ride. Prep Scholar also has a list of colleges with full ride scholarships which is pretty helpful.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-with-full-ride-scholarships

I know specifically in Colorado, there are scholarships, like the Boettcher Scholarship, which pay off all student expenses- tuition, food, board, books, etc. This scholarship is open to all seniors in Colorado, and if you do get the scholarship, it can be used for any college in Colorado. I am fairly certain many other states have similar scholarships and programs. There is also Questbridge, which is open to underprivileged and financially struggling students across the nation. Essentially, with Questbridge, you get matched to colleges based off your resume and essays, and how your rank colleges. Not everyone qho participates in Questbridge get matched, but the ones who do receive a full ride to the school that they were matched to.

Questbridge is a great program!!! You can apply in your junior year and senior year!

This may not be what you're looking for... but if you are a US Citizen, you can apply for an ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) scholarship. Some Universities do not have ROTC programs, but if the institution you're interested in DOES, it's a great way to earn a higher education and graduate with a stable income while having the opportunity to serve as a leader in whatever branch of the military you choose. Their scholarship opportunities are tiered and highly competitive, but t the highest level they cover almost all costs of your education and you are automatically appointed as an Officer upon graduation. It's a great deal, albeit not for everyone, and it's certainly worth looking into. Best of luck :)

Various schools have scholarships for "National Merit Finalists", such as Alabama, UT-Dallas, and Oklahoma State (Florida state schools also have similar scholarships, but there is currently a bill in the Florida State Senate to eliminate the program for out-of-state students). These scholarships tend to cover close to the cost of attendance ("full ride") or the cost of tuition ("full tuition"). To be named a "National Merit Finalist", you must first reach a certain target score on your junior-year PSAT (usually in the 99th percentile, though the exact score changes by state) and submit an application that demonstrates a strong academic track record throughout high school. Colleges' rankings are partially based on the level of students that attend their school, so these scholarships act as recruiting methods to get National Merit students enrolled. For a list of schools that participate in the program, check out nmfscholarships.yolasite.com - though that site is not always up-to-date. Alternatively, you can search "[name of college] National Merit Scholarship". Usually these schools tend to be larger state schools, but some smaller colleges (such as Liberty) award full merit scholarships based on National Merit.