GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS
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One of America’s greatest traditions is that of philanthropy. Both individuals and institutions put forth funds to support the causes and issues they believe in. Education has been a primary beneficiary of this tradition. Many people and organizations have contributed funds to support students in pursuit of higher education.

Some of these have specific purposes or goals; some specify a particular population or support further studies; other support travel or research. Some scholarships and fellowships are based on merit; others on need or a combination of both. Scholarships are most typically need-based and may include merit as a determining factor. Grants and fellowships tend to serve particular goals and are more merit-based and competitive. Scholarships may be clustered toward support of undergraduate education while grants and fellowships are likely to involve graduate work.

 All seek to reward and recognize promise and excellence. Therefore, the application process in every case will reflect some standard of demonstrated academic excellence. How rigorous the process is will vary. However, it is worth the effort to apply.