Everyone wants to win scholarship money. Some people need to win scholarship money. Not everyone received the best grades in high school. Many people assume there isn’t a point in applying and that only people with top grades win scholarships.
This assumption is very far from the truth. Having this mindset could end up costing you money that you could possibly win from scholarships. Even without a straight-A report card.
While there are many scholarships that award students for merit, there are also many scholarships that award students for attributes other than academics. Do you play a sport? Have a unique talent? Volunteer in your community? Did you overcome a hardship? All of these things can win you scholarship money.
Your report card may not be pristine, but there are surely other things that you can show off. Here is our guide on how to get a scholarship without good grades.
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The first thing that you should be doing is only applying to relevant scholarships. If you have a 2.5 GPA, don’t waste your time applying to scholarships which require a minimum GPA of 3.0.
There are many scholarships that require a lower minimum GPA. There are also scholarships that have no GPA requirements. These are the scholarships that you should focus on.
Many scholarships award creativity and don’t take into account an applicant’s grades. Take the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. This scholarship awards students who make the best prom outfit from duct tape. You might not have aced your history class, but you might be able to whip out a killer dress from duct tape.
If fashion designing isn’t your thing, maybe throwing footballs is. Dr. Pepper gives away $1 million in tuition to students who prove that winning scholarship money will change their lives. Finalists are invited to throw a football at a college football conference championship game.
Get Solid Recommendation Letters
Having good recommendation letters is so important. This is especially true if you don’t have high grades.
Recommendation letters help give the scholarship committee an outside opinion of your character. If you can get recommendation letters from somebody who can vouch for why you deserve the scholarship, this can really give a boost to your candidacy.
Write a Killer Essay
Your personal statement can make or break your chances of winning a scholarship. You may not have the highest grades, but sometimes the judges are looking to invest their money in unique students.
The scholarship committee values creativity, independence, and determination. Make this side of you shine in your essay and you may have a chance at winning the scholarship, even without good grades.
Enter Sweepstakes Scholarships
Sweepstakes scholarships are lotteries that you can enter to win money. All you have to do is fill in the company’s application with your personal information.
Because sweepstakes scholarships are so easy to apply to, they receive thousands of applicants. You shouldn’t only apply to scholarship lotteries, but since they only take a few minutes to apply to, you might want to try your luck.
Scholarships for Everything
There are scholarships for everything. There are scholarships for students of certain religious or ethnic backgrounds, scholarships based on gender, location, areas of study, scholarships that award tall students, and even scholarships that award students for their last name.
For example, if you are a Hispanic female, look for scholarships specifically for that. If you are Catholic, or a business student, find scholarships that are relevant to those qualities. More specific scholarships generally receive less applicants. This increases your chances of winning.
Work for It
We aren’t going to sugarcoat it; applying to scholarships is hard work. If you are hoping to win a scholarship but only apply to a few, this probably won’t cut it. If you are really hoping to win scholarship money, you need to invest your time in winning one. This means applying to as many scholarships as you’re able to. The more you apply to, the more you increase your chances of winning.
Having high grades increases the number of scholarship options you have. But, it isn’t the end all be all. Even without high grades, you have other great qualities that some scholarship committee out there is looking for. If you spend your time finding the scholarships that are right for you, you might get lucky and win some serious scholarship money.
David
CEO at ScholarshipOwl
David Tabachnikov is the CEO of ScholarshipOwl. Formerly at Waze and Google, David is an experienced CTO/R&D manager with over 10 years of experience of leading tech teams. David fervently believes that students should have greater access to education, and is passionate about using technology to help them achieve that goal.
One possibility is to look for local scholarships. Many community organizations, businesses, and foundations offer scholarships that may not require a high GPA for eligibility. These scholarships can come from places such as your local Rotary Club, a business in your area, or a nonprofit organization.
Some scholarship committees only consider applicants whose GPA meets a certain threshold. Minimum requirements range from around 2.0 on the lower end to 3.75 or higher for competitive academic scholarships. Generally speaking, a 3.0 GPA or higher will give you a decent shot at qualifying for a variety of scholarships.
With the national average GPA being 3.0, students with lower GPAs looking for college scholarships might be frustrated that many scholarships have high minimum GPA requirements. But, fret not! High school, undergraduate, and graduate students with a 2.0 GPA are still eligible for scholarships.
While you may find that some scholarships require a 3.0 or higher to apply, many have GPA requirements of 2.5 or higher. Alternatively, many don't require a GPA at all. You can find a variety of scholarships in our database, so apply to as many as you can! They can really help offset the cost of tuition.
For most programs, there's no minimum GPA to earn a full-ride scholarship. However, having a good or above-average GPA can make you a better candidate than most colleges or programs. Some colleges offer full-ride scholarships to students at the top of their class to entice them to enroll.
A 3.7 GPA is a Grade Point Average of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale. It indicates that you've earned a predominantly A- average in your courses. A 3.7 GPA is considered to be a very good GPA and is often an indicator of strong academic performance.
A 2.5 GPA corresponds to a C average, making it a common starting GPA for many colleges and universities, even some more competitive institutions — though acceptance at that level would be a long shot.
Basically, the highest GPA you can earn is a 4.0, which indicates an A average in all of your classes. A 3.0 would mean a B average, a 2.0 a C average, a 1.0 a D, and a 0.0 an F.
Wrap it up with a simple sentence or two. You can include how your education to date has made a difference to you. End with a “thank you for allowing me the opportunity to apply.”
Make your intro short and sweet. Don't simply restate the question or say how you'll be answering it. Get right into it. Whatever the overall tone of your writing — whether scholarly, casual or something else — you can engage the reader with either a pertinent story or a personal anecdote.
The C's and D's will make it hard to get a scholarship, but definitely not impossible. There are two general types of financial aid ... one is "merit aid" that students typically receive due to various talents or achievements. These could include academic talent, artistic talent, athletic talent, etc.
To be eligible for federal student aid and college financial aid, a student must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This generally consists of maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (i.e., at least a C average) and passing enough classes with progress toward a degree.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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