State Based Scholarships

One of the most common ways to find funding for school is through a local state sponsored scholarship. First of all they will generally be easier to find out about due to faculty in your high school, such as guidance counselors, who are already familiar with awards within your local area.


There are to basic types of state scholarships:

Need Based

These scholarships are given on criteria such as your ability to pay for schooling depending on your current financial situation. These are great for lower income students who don’t want to obtain a loan but still need financial help for their college.

Merit Based

Scholarships based on merit will have different requirements than need based ones. With these types of awards the student will have to earn their funding through skills such as a high GPA and other academic factors such as being in the top percentage of your class.

State Sponsored Scholarships

As a general rule, scholarships are mostly available for high paying and high demand jobs. These include occupations such as nursing or education roles. One way state funding differs from general scholarships of this type is that the student would then be obligated to work or reside in that state for a determined amount of time.

If you have plans to get a job elsewhere in another part of the country then a state scholarship might not work for your plans. But if you are able to stay in your state for the required time then these scholarships can still be a great option.

Make sure you fully understand the terms of a state scholarship with these types of restrictions. If you don’t fulfill those requirements, for instance by moving out of the state early, your free money scholarship could actually turn into a loan, with the interest that goes along with it.

So please plan accordingly so you don’t turn you scholarship into an unexpected financial burden.

A Beneficial Solution For Both You And Your State

Overall, students looking to attend school in their home state will find an easier time getting financial aid than those who come from other parts of the county. Tuition for out of state students is generally higher to start off with and local students are given preference for help paying for their college in comparison.

The requirements for both merit and need based scholarships can be less restrictive for local students thus making winning one of these awards an easier process.

Attending a state school is a very cost effective way to get your schooling and something you should seriously consider in your plans for continuing education. The state also benefits because they now have one more skilled resident to fill demand for important jobs, so everybody wins.