To many, applying for scholarships can seem like a waste of time. Hundreds of thousands of scholarship rejection letters are sent out every year. Because of this, many students become incredibly discouraged and stop applying altogether. But, what if there was a way to know you were not wasting your time? A way to hone in your scholarship efforts, begin applying to the right ones, and start funding your education with scholarships? Well, there is! Learning how to prioritize your scholarships is the ultimate way to apply for the right scholarships fit for you!

What does it mean to “Prioritize your Scholarships?”

In my 12 Secrets to Winning Scholarships blog post, I discuss how essential it is to focus your efforts on the right scholarships and I lay down this truth bomb:

The more specific the scholarship requirements are, the smaller the pool of applicants and the higher your chances are of winning.

BOOM! Mind blowing, right? If you really get down to it, you might be the most perfect scholarship applicant, but if you are up against hundreds of thousands of other students, your chances are slim. Once you begin applying for scholarships with less competition, your chances of winning scholarships begin to skyrocket! Because of this reason alone, prioritizing your scholarships to focus on scholarships with less competition is the number one ultimate secret to scholarship success.

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Let’s get into an example:

In order to understand this, let’s briefly go over a real-life example. A few years ago, I was applying for a handful of scholarships. Among them were two very large scholarships I truly thought I had a shot at. Scholarship A was a national science scholarship only offered to college juniors or seniors. Even though it was only given to juniors or seniors in the sciences, the pool of students was still in the thousands (maybe even tens of thousands, who really knows). Scholarship B was a community scholarship offered by a local credit union.

Months after I applied, I received an email from Scholarship A’s committee congratulating me on making it as a finalist and was now one of one hundred to be considered. For Scholarship B, however, I knew quite a few other individuals (including my now-husband) who applied, and I didn’t think I would stand a chance against them. At this point, I was sure I would win Scholarship A but not B. Guess what happened…

I won Scholarship B but not A! Turns out, only about 60 people applied to Scholarship B and they gave out 5 scholarships! Even though I made the finalists of a national scholarship competition, the finalists were more than the actual entire pool of applicants applying to the credit union! Crazy!

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Okay, Sarah… Cut to the Chase.

Okay, okay. What I am trying to say is this: don’t waste your time with those larger, time-consuming scholarships when you have better options out there! How do you do this? How do you know which to prioritize?

Create your own list of first, second, third, fourth, and fifth priority scholarships (using my guide below). Use this as a guide for both searching for AND applying for scholarships. It’s that easy!

Another quick example:

How can you easily do this? Well, first, you will need to find the scholarships… right? Use your priority lists to know where to look first and how often. Personally, depending on how often the websites are being updated, this is how often I will look at my scholarships:

First Priority: Twice a Week
Second Priority: Once a Week
Third Priority: Once every 2 Weeks
Fourth Priority: Once a Month
Fifth Priority: Once a Quarter

As for scholarship applications, I will base my efforts on both priority and deadline. For example, I will begin working on and submitting first priority scholarships, then second, and so on (unless the deadlines are mixed up, but I always weigh priority much greater than deadline).

How to Prioritize your Scholarships:

Alright, listed below are examples and ideas to help you begin creating your own scholarship priority list.

Action Step: Okay, RIGHT NOW! Download your free scholarship spreadsheet. Then pull it up on your computer and begin creating your own personalized scholarship priority list. Read through the next five sections that give examples of how you should prioritize your scholarships and brainstorm your own list!

Free Scholarship Spreadsheet

Smash your scholarship goals by staying organized with this free scholarship spreadsheet.

Scholarship Priority Order:

First Priority Scholarships:

Counseling Office/Scholarship Center of the high school you graduated from: Yes, even if you have already graduated! High schools are notorious for informing their current graduating class of countless scholarship opportunities in and around their community. Chances are you could find one or two scholarships available for current college students but only given to students in your hometown.
Counseling Office/Scholarship Center of high schools within your county/region: Even if you didn’t graduate from this school, you may still qualify for a scholarship they have posted.
Department website/office of your current major: Even if you haven’t declared or begun school just yet, look at your intended major website for scholarship opportunities. The competition will be much smaller than college-wide scholarships.

Second Priority Scholarships:

Current/Future college scholarship office/website: Even if your college has a general/combined major scholarship offered each year (which you should be applying to!!!), they should also be updating their site with the nearby community and other relevant scholarships you could apply for.
Parent/Family/Spouse Company Scholarships: There are various small and large companies that offer scholarships only to family members of current workers.
Counseling Office/Scholarship Center of high schools in you the area around your college: Like I’ve already explained, high schools are notorious for notifying their graduating seniors of local scholarships. Some of these scholarships are available for current college students as well.
Military Scholarships: If you are an active member or veteran, you, of course, have benefits such as the GI Bill. But there are countless other scholarships out there for current, past, and future members, ROTC cadets, and scholarships offered by local VAs. Some military scholarships are incredibly competitive, while others are not. Worth a look!

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Third Priority Scholarships:

Your personal credit union or bank: Because credit unions are smaller, you have the best chances of getting their scholarships, but either way, check both local banks and credit unions for scholarship opportunities.
Other local organizations or clubs you may be a part of: Country clubs, doctor offices, girl scouts, etc.
Professional organizations you plan to be affiliated with in your career: As a future geologist and engineer, I am involved with Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, and many more that offer scholarships, both locally and nationally. Look into relevant organizations for your future career and look for scholarship opportunities!
State-Specific Scholarships: Some states, such as Washington State, have websites and organizations that are specifically designed only for their residents. For example, Washington State has a search engine called The Wash Board that only post scholarship listings for state residents. Other state programs, like Colorado’s College Opportunity Fund, offer stipends to nearly all residents. Look at your state (or province…) to see what they offer!
Study Abroad Scholarships: If you are planning on studying abroad, begin your search with the specific company you are going through. I go into much more detail on how to fund your study abroad experience in this post.

Fourth Priority Scholarships:

National Scholarships: Finally! We got to the national scholarships. These are scholarships that may have some requirements but are offered to everyone in the country. The bulk of these scholarships are found on the larger and more famous search engines. That being said, you can still use these large search engines to search for specific scholarships by state, county, major, EFC, etc.

Fifth Priority Scholarships:

Reoccuring/Scholarship Drawings: Last on your priorities should be scholarship drawings. Oh, still do them! They only take a few seconds to enter, but thousands upon thousands of people enter. Your chances are incredibly low, so don’t sweat it if you miss a deadline.

Search Engines:

Because you could be reading this from anywhere, I won’t be adding everyone’s high school, college, or credit union websites. Instead, here is a list of search engines I actually do use, AFTER the other resources listed above. The key to these search engines is to be sure your profiles are complete so the most relevant scholarships pop up!

Tip: Save these search engines to your bookmarks and assign a day of the week or month to each so you aren’t searching on just one site all the time. Some scholarships will only be posted on one site, while others are posted on nearly all. Also, be sure to look at websites that list scholarships with a higher priority more frequently.

Your Next Steps:

If you haven’t already, download your free scholarship spreadsheet.
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Under the “Search Engines” tab of your free spreadsheet, create your own scholarship priority list complete with websites and when you will search for scholarships on them.
Begin searching for scholarships! Start with your first priority scholarship sources and begin searching for your next scholarships!
APPLY! Fill out and submit your scholarship applications in order of priority!

Phew! You did it! You learned how to prioritize your scholarships!

That wasn’t too bad now, was it? Now you have the tools to be able to begin winning more scholarships, spending less time on pointless applications and more time to watch Netflix, or go hiking, or… study?

Happy scholarship hunting!