Scholarship resources for DFW high school students: Don't leave money on the table

DFW students have access to scholarships most don't know about. Start here.

Local DFW scholarships:

Dallas Foundation scholarships — 100+ scholarships for Dallas County students. Source: dallasfoundation.org/scholarships
Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber — scholarships for Hispanic students. Source: fwhcc.org
Communities Foundation of Texas — grants and scholarships. Source: cftexas.org
Junior League of Dallas — community service scholarships. Source: jld.net
DFW Rotary clubs — each club offers local scholarships. Check your area Rotary.

University-specific (DFW schools):

UTD Academic Excellence Scholarship — automatic based on test scores. Up to full tuition. Source: utdallas.edu/enroll/scholarships
UNT Honors College — scholarships + honors program for qualifying students. Source: honors.unt.edu
SMU Mustang Scholarship — merit-based, up to full ride. Source: smu.edu/financialaid
TCU Chancellor's Scholarship — competitive, full tuition. Source: tcu.edu

National scholarships:

Gates Scholarship — full ride for Pell-eligible students. Source: thegatesscholarship.org
QuestBridge — matches low-income students with full rides at top universities. Source: questbridge.org
Coca-Cola Scholars — $20,000. Community leadership focus. Source: coca-colascholarsfoundation.org

How to find and apply:

Fastweb.com — largest scholarship search engine. Free. Create a profile. Source: fastweb.com
Scholarships.com — similar database.
Your school counselor — they know local scholarships that aren't online.
College financial aid offices — call and ask about institutional scholarships. Many are not advertised.

Pro tips:

Apply to EVERY scholarship you qualify for, no matter the amount. $500 scholarships add up.
Local/DFW scholarships have fewer applicants = better odds.
Start in 10th grade. Some scholarships require multi-year involvement.

Sources:

Don't pay full price for college if you don't have to.

What would you do?

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