Everybody would like to go to college without having to take out a student loan. Not unless you have the financial muscles to take care of all your college needs, you have to either get a loan or a college scholarship.

Unfortunately, not every student can get a college scholarship. A bigger percentage of students have to get a loan for them to complete their education. This is one of the reasons why we are seeing a growing number of outstanding loans every year.

However, this does not mean that you should give up on applying for a college scholarship. Here are a few things to know before applying for college scholarships;

Scams are Common

You need to understand that there are many scholarship scams today. Before applying for college scholarships, you need to do some research to learn how to differentiate between legit and fake scholarship offers.

The first thing is to ensure that you are applying through a legit website. Many college scholarship scams will either ask you to pay some money before applying or provide your social security number.

It is important to note that most scholarships are free. You are not supposed to make any payment for you to access the application websites. When doing your research, avoid websites that offer too good scholarship options.

You Do Not Need To Pick a College

You might find yourself in a situation where you are pretty sure that you want to go to college but do not know which college yet. In addition, you come across a scholarship offer but are not sure if you should apply since you do not know where to go.

Well, you can apply for a college scholarship even when you are not sure about the college you will be attending. You can even start applying for college scholarships when you are still in high school. So get down and send that application right away.

However, you need to check whether the scholarships require you to attend certain colleges. This is because some scholarships are college-specific, requiring you to attend a college of their choice. Always make sure that you choose a scholarship that is not college-specific if you are applying while still in high school.

You'll Likely Need to Write an Essay as Part of the Application

You might be required to write an essay as part of your college scholarship application. However, this does not mean that every other college scholarship requires applicants to write essays.

That notwithstanding, an essay might be the only thing standing between you and a scholarship. When writing an essay, remain alert and go through it many times. This is because your essay has to be outstanding for you to qualify for the scholarship.

You can take notes from this "how to" guide and learn how to write an essay that stands out from the rest. If you do not follow the set guidelines or requirements when writing your essay, your application will not go through. Check samples of some of the best essays online before writing yours.

Scholarships Are Not Available To All Students

Even though they are made to help needy students, it is important to note that scholarships are not available to all students. You will find that different scholarships come with different requirements that applicants need to meet.

For example, while a certain scholarship might require applicants to meet a set of financial requirements, another one might require them to attain certain grades in their high school exams. If you do not meet these requirements, then you cannot qualify.

Before applying for college scholarships, make sure that you have gone through and understood all requirements. If you do not meet the set requirements, then you should not apply since you will be wasting your time. You cannot qualify.

College Scholarships May Not Be Transferred

You might be planning to apply for a college scholarship and then later transfer to another college. For instance, you see a college-specific scholarship and decide to apply even though you do not like the colleges it is recommending.

You send your application thinking that even if you win the scholarship, you will transfer to a college of your choice. Well, it is important to note that college scholarships may not be transferred.

Applying for a college scholarship is one thing, having your application approved is another. However, if you follow all guidelines, you will increase the chances of your application going through.