For many students, scholarships have become an important necessity as college tuition continues to skyrocket in cost. But as the Covid-19 crisis continues to disrupt all aspects of the college admissions process, many of the requirements for these scholarships have greatly changed.

With the SAT and ACT previously serving as a key component for a number of these scholarships, many have been left wondering how the lack of SAT and ACT testing centers will affect those trying to obtain such scholarships.  

“Some of the safety schools I am applying to, I’m assuming I can get scholarship money because my grades are much higher for these schools, but it feels really uncertain with the SAT and ACT changes going on right now,” said Nathan Cohn (‘21).  

Scholarships differ from other types of need based financial aid as they depend mostly upon a student’s academic performance.

These scholarships can range from thousands of dollars to full tuition scholarships. Many schools offer a wide range of scholarships with some requiring an application while others are immediately considered as soon as a student submits an application to the school.  

“I’m definitely going to apply for scholarships this year and I’m also hoping to get some academic scholarships from the schools once I finish applying to them,” said Simona Matsoyan (‘21).  

While colleges and universities do offer scholarships there are many private scholarships that seniors and even juniors can apply for.

A quick search online for scholarships will lead you to multiple sites that list a wide variety of scholarships one can apply for. Some of these sites include College boards, Cappex, and many more.

The requisites for these private scholarships can range from essays with letters of recommendation or just creating an account.

It is also important to check with your parents as many companies offer scholarships to their employee’s children. 

If you are worried about being unable to qualify for scholarships because of the SAT and ACT, it may be relieving to hear that many schools have eliminated the ACT and SAT threshold in regards to competing for certain scholarships.

Instead schools are putting more weight upon GPA and other holistic factors. Schools such as the University of Oregon and Penn State have dismissed SAT and ACT requirements for all of their scholarships with other colleges following suit. 

For many, colleges can be a financially stressful time and the added unknown of the COVID crisis has certainly shaken up the scholarship process, but it is important to remember that colleges are doing everything they can to ensure a fair consideration for each student in spite of the current circumstances.

Scholarships are an important part of making college financially feasible and through scholarships sites and research any student can help pay their tuition through scholarships.