Noninstitutional Scholarships

The Savannah College of Art and Design encourages all students to pursue scholarships from all available sources throughout their academic careers. We are frequently asked how to start a scholarship search. While we do direct many students to various resources, we are unable to endorse or guarantee any particular site or reference book.

Based on our experience with students and other financial aid professionals, we recommend the following scholarship sites as good starting points for an online scholarship search:

finaid!
www.finaid.org

scholarships
www.scholarships.com

international students
www.iefa.org

college board
www.collegeboard.com

Additionally, many Internet service providers and familiar search engines feature areas dedicated to higher education funding research.

Recent consumer and governmental reports indicate that a number of scholarship "scams" have proliferated over the past several years, many of them aided by the anonymity of the World Wide Web. We encourage students to visit the Web site of the Federal Trade Commission before paying for any scholarship search service. The FTC encourages students to be wary of any scholarship service that makes any of the following claims. Visit www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams for additional information.

"The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back."

"You can't get this information anywhere else."

"I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship."

"We'll do all the work."

"The scholarship will cost some money."

"You've been selected by a 'national foundation' to receive a scholarship."

"You're a finalist" in a contest you never entered.

Remember, the competition for free higher education funds is tough, but the effort can be very rewarding. We recommend that both applicants and returning students maintain an annual calendar of scholarship application due dates, as most external scholarships can be applied for on an annual basis. All students should monitor SCAD publications and bulletin boards for announcements of funding opportunities occasionally offered during the academic year.

Traditional, paper-bound reference materials are a valuable resource for many people, and are available in public libraries, college libraries, vocational schools, high school counseling offices, and job and community centers.

Be sure to utilize all the resources available in your community. Your area Chamber of Commerce may have a list of local scholarships. Check with area companies, organizations and places of worship to find out what opportunities may be available.