CG 105: Getting Scholarships: Scholarships

First Choice - PCC Foundation

number 1While you are a student at PCC, your first choice when looking for money for college should be the PCC Foundation. They have funds available for PCC students from every kind of background in every discipline.

group of students talking, looking at computer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Choice - Oregon CIS

number 3

The third best option is to check out Oregon CIS (Career Information Systems). This is a website run by the University of Oregon and it has LOTS of great scholarship resources. The only problem with it is that it may be TOO much. It can be hard to find what you need. But if you have some time and patience, there are some gems in there!

First, log into MyPCC and go to the My Courses tab. On the right, you will see the link to Oregon CIS. You must connect to Oregon CIS through this link -- if you go directly to the website, you will not be able to log in!

Next, go to Explore Resources then click on Education & Training. The box on the right has Scholarship Tools -- click on on the button and then use the filters to find scholarships that are right for you!

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Second Choice -- Oregon Resident Scholarships

There are some grants that are available only to Oregon residents attending college in Oregon. This website:

oregonstudentaid.gov

is the official site for the state of Oregon's Office of Student Access and Completion. They have a directory of grants and scholarships available to Oregon college students. They have a standardized application form that you can fill in and save online.

    1. In the Green Bar, click on Scholarships
    2. Click on the button that says Apply Here! 
    3. Create an account on the OSAC Student Portal website and fill out the application. One application helps you apply for over 500 scholarships so this is one you do not want to miss!  Fill out the form!

Searching Online for More Scholarships

et ceteraYour best options for a successful search will probably be one of the three choices listed above. Searching for scholarships outside of those options can take a lot of time and effort and may result in fewer successful applications. But if you really want to spend the time and energy, you may just uncover a scholarship that's just right for you with one of the methods described below. 

But one word of advice before you get started:

NEVER PAY SOMEONE TO GET YOU A SCHOLARSHIP!

Payment should never be a requirement of getting a scholarship. 

 

Using Google (or other web search engines like Bing or Duck Duck Go)
You can search the open web for scholarships, but BE CAREFUL! Do not trust commercial websites and make sure you know the organization is legitimate before you submit your personal information on ANY website.  You can create a search with the word "scholarship" and any special factors you want included. You can also add the phrase "-.com" so it will not search websites that come from .com (or commercial) websites.  Here's an example: 
Google Web Search

Looking for Print Books

At the library, you can find and check out print books that have lists and descriptions of scholarships. The call number of that section is: 378.73. If you don't know what that means, ask a librarian! Some of the scholarship books can be checked out and some have to stay in the library. Ask if you're not sure which is which.

 

College Blue Book
The Library has access to the eBook version of the College Blue Book. What's that? It's a huge 6 volume reference guide that dives deep into all things related to colleges, including one whole volume devoted to scholarships. We have the print version in the library, but you can also read it online. 
  1. Go to the College Blue Book online and you will be prompted to login to your MyPCC account if you have not already. 
  2. In the pulldown menu under the picture of the book, select Volume 5: Scholarships. 
  3. Go to the Table of Contents and scroll down to look at your lists of options. Click on the arrows to expand the lists. 
  4. There are A LOT Of choices and it can be overwhelming! Take it slow and look through them bit-by-bit. But remember that your best bets are the options listed above!