C.U. Boulder Office of Financial Aid

The Process |

Private Scholarship Searches and Tips

Private scholarships are administered by organizations that are not affiliated with colleges or universities. These organizations fund scholarships based on a wide range of eligibility criteria. Deadlines range from early November to mid July annually. The Office of Financial Aid at CU-Boulder does not endorse any private scholarship or web site listed on this page. We provide this information to you as a resource and assume you will exercise your own best judgment.

Where to look:

-College or University websites
-Online Scholarship Databases
-High School Counselor’s Office
-Employer
-Local Community
-Family Affiliations

Informational Sites:

www.studentscholarshipsearch.com
www.collegescholarships.org

Search Databases:

www.FastWeb.com
www.scholarships.com
www.collegenet.com
www.gocollege.com
www.FreSchInfo.com
www.internationalscholarship.com
www.free-4u.com

Scholarship Application Tips:

-Actively investigate as many scholarship opportunities as possible
-Start applying for scholarships when you apply for admission
-Investigate scholarship opportunities early and often
-Never assume that you are ineligible based on less than perfect grades or test scores
-Read all application material thoroughly
-Don’t be discouraged by scholarships that are for small dollar amounts, every bit helps!
-Show how much effort you put into your application
-Open an email account specifically for scholarships using a professional handle. Avoid handles which are cutesy or inappropriate. Check the account often so you don’t miss any crucial messages.

Beware of Scholarships that…

-Require an application, membership or redemption fee
-Oblige applicants to provide personal identifiable information such as a Social Security Number
-Guarantee an award if you use their services
-Are automatically awarded from an unknown donor despite lack of submission of an application

Frequently Referenced Private Scholarship web sites

Arts:

National Sculpture Society – www.nationalsculpture.org
Print and Graphics Scholarship – www.pgsf.org
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards – www.scholastics.rmcad.edu

Business:

AICPA – www.aicpa.org
Actuarial Scholarships – www.beanactuary.org
ACFE Foundation Ritchie-Jennings – www.acfe.com
ISACA Denver – www.isaca-denver.org/scholarship/
Government Finance Officers Association – www.gfoa.org
IREM Foundation Institute of Real Estate – www.irem.org
National Society of Accountants – www.nsacct.org
Colorado Fiscal Manager’s Association – www.state.co.us
Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. – www.rims.org
Degree Directory – degreedirectory.org/pages/business_scholarship.html

Colorado Specific Scholarships:

College Invest – www.collegeinvest.org
Elevations Credit Union – www.elevationscu.com
Society of Certified Public Accountants – www.cocpa.org
The Denver Foundation – www.denverfoundation.org
Elevations Credit Union – www.elevationscu.com
ESA Foundation – www.esaintl.com
National Service in Colorado – www.nationalservice.org

Students with Disabilities:

Alexander Graham Bell Association – www.agbell.org
American Council of the Blind – www.acb.org/resources/
National Center for Learning Disabilities - www.ncld.org
National Multiple Sclerosis Society – www.nationalmssociety.org

Education:

Future Teacher Scholarship – www.nilrr.org
The Marla Bouma Memorial – www.coloradoaeyc.org
The Inspired Teacher Scholarship – www.inspiration.com
National Council of Teachers of Math – www.nctm.org

Essay Contest:

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics – www.eliewieselfoundation.org
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest – www.aynrand.org
Negative Population Growth (NPG) – www.npg.org
Apogee Search Scholarship Program – www.apogee-search.com
Elder & Leemaur Publishers – www.elpublishers.com

Fellowships:

Physical Sciences – www.npsc.org
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation – www.jamesmadison.com
Montana Space Grant Consortium Scholarship – Fellowship – www.spacegrant.montana.edu/Text/ScholarProgram.html
DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship – www.krellinst.org/csgf
AAA Minority Dissertation fellowship Program – www.aaanet.org

GLBT

APA Division 44 – www.apadivision44.org
Colage – www.colage.org/programs/academic/leedubin.htm
National Gay/Lesbian Task Force – www.thetaskforce.org/about_us/
The Alexander Foundation – www.thealexanderfoundation.org
The Point Foundation – www.pointfoundation.org
Queer Foundation – www.queerfoundation.org
Transgender Scholarship and Education Legacy Fund – www.tself.org
Zami – www.zami.org

International Students

Asian Cultural Council – www.asianculturalcouncil.org
Open Society Institute & Soros Foundations Network – www.soros.org/grants
International Education Financial Aid – www.iefa.org/
Women’s Leadership scholarship – www.nativeleaders.org

Journalism:

Overseas Press Club Foundation – www.opcofamerica.org
John Bayliss Foundation – www.baylissfoundation.org

Law

Straight Forward Media – www.straightforwardmedia.com/law-school/
www.straightforwardmedia.com/law-enforcement/
Foundation for Community Association Research – www.cairf.org
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund – www.maldef.org/education/law.htm
University of Idaho – www.law.uidaho.edu/scholarships-diversity
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association – www.napaba.org/
American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation – www.aiplef.org/scholarships/
WIFLE – www.wifle.org/scholarshipprogram.htm

Minority Related Scholarships

United Negro College Fund – www.uncf.org
Asian & Pacific Islander Foundation – http://www.apiasf.org
Korean American Scholarship Foundation – www.kasf.org
Hispanic Scholarship Fund – www.hsf.net
LULAC – www.lulac.org/programs/scholar.html
Council for Minorities in Engineering – www.nacme.org
Latin American Educational Foundation – www.laef.org
American Indian College Fund – www.collegefund.org
Association on American Indian Affairs – www.indian-affairs.org
Native American Scholarship Fund – www.catchingthedream.org
Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce – www.rmicc.org
Financial Aid – www.finaid.org/otheraid/natamind.phtml

Miscellaneous

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. – www.naacpldf.org/landing.aspx?context=5
The Center for Education Solutions – www.cesresources.org/charnon.html
Patricia M. McNamara Memorial Scholarship – www.patricias-scholarship.org/scholarship.html
Textbooks – www.textbookx.com/scholarship/
Blade Your Ride – www.bladeyourride.com
Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire – www.denvercourt.org
Institute for Humane Studies – www.TheIHS.org

Science Fields:

AES Engineering Scholarship – www.aesengineers.com
The American Chemical Society – www.chemistry.org
ASHRAE, Inc. – www.ashrae.org
Microsoft Scholarship Program – www.microsoft.com
William F. Helms Scholarship – www.aphis.usda.gov
SEG Foundation Scholarship Program – www.seg.org
SPS Leadership Scholarship – www.spsnational.org
American Institute of Physics – www.aip.org
AFCEA Undergraduate Scholarships – www.afcea.org
ACEC – www.acec-co.org/education

Scholarship Foundations:

Sallie Mae Fund – www.salliemaefund.org
White Rose Scholarship Foundation – www.denvercourt.org
National Scholarships Honor Society – www.collegehonors.org
Truman Scholarship Foundation – www.truman.gov
USA Funds – www.usafunds.org
Straight Forward Media – www.straightforwardmedia.com
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans – www.pdsoros.org
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation – www.jkcf.org/scholarships

Veteran Related:

Veterans Education Fund – www.veteranseducationfund.org
Federal Employee Assistance Fund – www.feea.org
Freedom Alliance Fund – www.freedomalliance.org
Military Children’s Program – www.militaryscholar.org
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation – www.mcsf.com
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship – www.woodrow.org

Women

American Society of Women Accountants – www.aswadenver.org/
Society of Women Engineers – societyofwomenengineers.swe.org
Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship – www.google.com/anitaborg
Glamour – www.glamour.com/about/top-10-college-women