Online College Club

College and university studies can be more affordable with help from free college degree opportunities. For these institutions, scholarships can also help attract students. If you have colleges and universities that you’d like to attend in mind, it’s quite possible their financial aid representatives have scholarships that might entice you to enroll.

Some scholarships are based on athletics and academics. Likewise, some scholarships are for high school students about to graduate, while others are for specific undergraduate or graduate levels of study. There are also scholarships intended to encourage studies in specific topics or among people of specific genders or racial or ethnic backgrounds. Here are some newly announced scholarships that different colleges and universities are offering for 2010 and 2011:

Centenary College: This Hackettstown, NJ institution is offering new scholarships for high school students within the state. The Centenary College scholarships amount to $10,000 annually, according to an announcement in the Daily Record. They’re designed for high school students in New Jersey who have a strong community service background, the Daily Record item suggested.

Kaplan University California: Kaplan maintains courses throughout the country and is making two scholarships available to help California students affected by budgetary cutbacks in the state. The scholarships, known as California Commitment and Experiential Learning Scholarships, award $5,000 and $1,500 respectively to California’s resident students.

Nova Southeastern University: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Nova Southeastern has announced several new scholarships. They include AAHD Scholarships of less than $1,000 for students who expect to pursue health promotion, public health or disability studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels; American Society for Engineering Education Scholarships and Fellowships of different amounts for students who plan to study science technology, engineering or math (STEM) subjects at the undergraduate or graduate levels; Nova Southeastern University Trustee Florida Academic Scholarships that cover full tuition costs for first-time, full-time undergraduate education scholarships students who have obtained Florida Residency Access Grants and who have met all Florida Academic Scholars Award eligibility requirements.

Western Governors University: New academic-based scholarships from Western Governors University target math and science education. They’re known as Mathematics and Science Educator Scholarships, and they’re for teachers and students who want to become teachers. Per-term renewable scholarships of up to $4,000 in total tuition assistance per student are provided in instances where students meet eligibility requirements and demonstrate online college study readiness.

Students interested in scholarships for college and university studies might also find themselves eligible for government assistance, which is often provided based on financial needs. To determine eligibility for government assistance, students can complete an online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and receive electronic results. College and university financial aid officers often require FAFSA results anyway.

Private scholarships for college providers might also require FAFSA results. Non-profit organizations, professional associations, large corporations and community and civic groups offer private scholarships based on different criteria. What many scholarships have in common is that they often require accreditation on the part of colleges and universities where students intend to study. The US Department of Education keeps a list of these colleges and universities on its web site.

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