Financial Aid

Although they amount to less than 4 percent of the grant and scholarship money awarded to undergraduates, private scholarships from civic groups like the Elks Club and corporations like Coca-Cola and Target nonetheless total more than $4 billion. Many of the biggest and most prestigious awards are thousand-to-one shots. And many other scholarships, such as those in the $500 to $1,000 range, may seem puny, but every little bit helps.

Outside scholarships are portable, which means the student can use them at the college or university of his or her choice. They're usually not based on financial need, so they're especially welcome to students who don't qualify for much need-based aid, but whose families still struggle to find cash for college. And the awards aren't just for head-of-the-class students with high SAT scores and a long list of extracurricular activities. There's also plenty of scholarship money allotted for recognizing outstanding accomplishments in arts, science, writing, community service, and other endeavors. Burger King even sponsors a scholarship that's not for the highest achievers. It's designed for students who may be sacrificing academics to work part-time out of financial need. Here's a sampling:

Academics and leadership

• Coca-Cola Scholars
  Winners excel in academics, community service, employment, and leadership in school activities. Fifty recipients earn $20,000 scholarships, while 200 others earn $4,000.
• Sam Walton Community Scholarship
  Wal-Mart rewards students with financial need, strong academics, community or extracurricular involvement, and work experience. There's one $25,000 award, 50 awards of $5,000, and 6,000 awards of $1,000.
• National Merit Scholarship Awards
  About 8,200 finalists are selected from top-scorers on the PSAT. All earn a $2,500 scholarship, and some are awarded additional scholarship money from their schools or from corporate foundations.
• Young Latinas Leadership Institute (YLLI)
  The Young Latinas Leadership Institute (YLLI), founded in 2002, aims to enrich the college experience of motivated, ambitious and hardworking Latina students enrolled full-time in a four year CUNY college with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  
  The program also requires a minimum 3 year commitment to attend and participate in 3 educational workshops per year, and to remain active leaders among their peers. Throughout its existence, YLLI has honored over 35 young Latinas awarding them 3 to 4 year scholarships in the amount of $4000. Thus far, the program has donated $144,000 in scholarships and continues to grow as we select five new scholars annually.

The arts and writing

• Arts Recognition and Talent Search
  Awards ranging from $100 to $10,000 are offered for excellence in dance, music, theater, visual arts, film, photography, and writing.
• Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
  This competition leads to 900 awards of up to $10,000 in numerous art and writing categories.
• Ayn Rand Institute Essay Competition
  Students write an essay on Rand's The Fountainhead. Top prizes are $1,000 to $10,000; semifinalists and finalists earn $50 to $100.

Public speaking

• American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest
  Students deliver local speeches on topics related to the U.S. Constitution. Three national winners earn $15,500 to $19,500. Numerous state and regional winners earn smaller awards.
• Voice of Democracy Audio Essay Contest, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars
  Students tape a short essay they've written on a patriotic topic. Sixty prizes range from $1,000 to $25,000.

Community service

• Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
  Prudential looks for students who have performed exemplary community service. More than 100 state winners earn $1,000. Ten national winners are awarded an additional $5,000.
• Target All-Around Scholarship Awards
  The retailer rewards students with a record of outstanding community service. There's one $25,000 award and 600 awards of $1,000.

Miscellaneous

• Intel Science Talent Search
  This prestigious competition recognizes original scientific research. Top prizes are $20,000 to $100,000. The 330 semifinalists and finalists earn $1,000 to $5,000.
• Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship
  College sophomores and juniors must have a significant record of service for environmental causes or, for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, a commitment to tribal public policy or healthcare. Scholarships of up to $5,000 go to 80 winners.
• Discover Card Tribute Awards
  Discover recognizes students who have faced a significant roadblock or challenge in their lives. Judging is also based on community service, leadership, and special talents. There are up to nine national awards of $25,000 and up to nine awards of $2,500 in each state.
• Burger King Scholars Program
  This scholarship is awarded to students with GPAs of 2.5 and above who must work during high school out of financial need. Candidates submit recommendations from their schools and their employers. The 1,600 winners earn $1,000 each.
• The Myself Third: Spirit of New York Scholarship
  The competition was established in 2002 in tribute to the idealism and spirit of those who participated in the rescue effort following the World Trade Center tragedy. The scholarships, made possible through a generous gift by City College alumnus Robert Friedman, seek to encourage and reward civic involvement of high school students.

How to get private scholarships

To get a leg up on the competition, scholarship applicants should strive to become junior movers and shakers. Judges aren't expecting a long list of extracurriculars. Instead, they're looking for accomplishments that rise above the crowd: a community service project that has real impact, for instance, or participation in activities that show a true commitment to music, art, or a particular area of study.

Many competitions require an essay outlining what the student has accomplished and what it has meant to him or her. The winning compositions are typically polished and personal, with earnest detail about what it's like to, say, overcome a crisis, or what it felt like to help build a home for the less fortunate.

You'll need plenty of time to work on applications and draft a compelling essay. It might help to study what prior winners have written. Scholarship sponsors sometimes post information about winners or even the entries on their websites. Or you can ask for copies of the winning essays. You may even want to ask a teacher or counselor to critique your essay. The Scholarship Scouting Report (Harper, $21.95) details winning entries for several dozen top competitions. Be sure to pay attention to eligibility criteria, contest rules, and deadlines. You don't want to waste your effort on an application that gets thrown out on a technicality.

The competition for the big national scholarships can be fierce. The Coca-Cola Scholars program, for instance, gets more than 91,000 applications each year for its 250 awards. The Internet is the easiest place to begin scouting for scholarships. FastWeb is the best-known scholarship search service, but users have to put up with lots of ads. After filling out a questionnaire, a student receives regular emails noting applicable scholarships and deadlines. Other search services include CollegeNET and the College Board.

Be forewarned: The big search services probably won't include local scholarships. While the awards may be small, the competition probably won't be as stiff as the national contests because there may be only a handful of applicants. Some places to tap for local scholarship information: your high school guidance counselor, your employer or your parent's employer, professional associations in the field you plan to study, unions (if you or your parents belong to one), and community and civic groups like the Elks, Jaycees, Kiwanis, Lions, or Rotarians.

While a majority of scholarships are earmarked for entering freshmen, plenty of awards are open to upperclassmen. So once you're in college, keep in touch with your school's financial aid office and your academic department to learn about scholarships open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Aid from the armed forces

Think it's tough to get into Harvard, Yale, or Princeton? Then try West Point (www.usma.edu), the U.S. Naval Academy (www.nadn.navy.mil), and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (www.cga.edu), which accept just 7 percent to 10 percent of their applicants. An applicant's grades, SAT or ACT scores, athletic ability, and leadership potential must be impressive enough to garner a nomination from a U.S. Senator or Representative. Students who are admitted to any of the service academies-the U.S. Air Force Academy (www.usafa.af.mil) and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (www.usmma.edu) are the other two-get a first-rate education along with military training. There are no tuition or room and board charges. Instead, the applicants pay for their schooling with minimum five-year service commitments.

Students might also want to consider the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship. Applications can be found online: the U.S. Army (www.armyrotc.com), U.S. Air Force (www.afrotc.com), and U.S. Navy (www.navy.com/nrotc). Students who are selected for the scholarships typically have above-average SAT scores, rank in the top quarter of their high school class, and have been leaders in an extracurricular activity or sport. The military pays most or all of the student's tuition and also provides allowances for books, fees, and living expenses. Many colleges with ROTC programs offer additional incentives that cover any remaining tuition and/or room and board. Upon graduation, the minimum service commitment is four years full time or longer for part-time service in the Reserves or National Guard. There are also ways to earn a college degree during or after a tour in the military, with Uncle Sam footing most of the bill.