Structuring Post-Secondary Scholarships to Increase Student Success
Download Resource
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

While private, third-party scholarships account for a small portion of financial aid available to students nationally, they play a role far greater than their dollar amount might suggest. In order to ensure post-secondary persistence and completion as well as access, scholarship providers should offer non-financial support services to supplement financial aid. These services should be tailored to meet the needs of specific, higher-need demographic populations.

Top Takeaways

  1. Private, third-party scholarships are the most flexible type of funding; they fill gaps in funding from other sources and they reduce the debt burden students must assume, while enabling students to enroll full-time or work fewer hours while attending school.
  2. Examples of possible non-financial support services include pre-enrollment services (academic preparation, application assistance, and financial aid guidance) and post-enrollment services (academic, social, and financial supports, including emergency funding).
  3. Non-financial support services should be tailored to meet the needs of specific demographic populations. For example, for minority male students, services should be delivered proactively or be required; for community college students, additional resources should be provided for those who are working or who have families.
Scholarships are most effective at increasing post-secondary completion rates when combined with support services provided to students while they are still in secondary school and throughout their post-secondary education.
Close

Sign Up to Download

You will also receive email updates on new ideas and resources from FSG.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Already signed up? Enter your email

Confirm Your Registration

You will also receive email updates on new ideas and resources from FSG.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.