Bats, Fungus, and the Bible may get you unusual scholarships which will pay for some of your college expenses. These are some of the unclaimed college scholarships that can give you a financially softer route to college. These uncommon and unknown scholarships are not the typical college scholarship award many of us think of when trying to get financial monies for a higher education.
Each year, the cost of college tuition continues to rise. More and more students face higher debts as book fees, tuition, and room and board increases at a rate exceeding that of inflation. Many parents are unable to pay for the full expense of educating their children, especially if they have more than one child in college. Because tuition rates are increasing, more people are seeking quick and easy unusual scholarships for college to help finance their education. These scholarships for unusual talents are not heard or read about much; but they do exist and in big numbers too! You just have to keep searching all avenues that even hints of a scholarship award.
As more people search for scholarships, the grade requirements and extracurricular involvement expectations become increasingly stringent. Academic and sports scholarships are some of the most well-known, and some of the most highly sought after. If your grade point average isn’t 4.0, and you cannot make a free throw, don’t lose hope. Many unusual scholarships are available, and a large percentage of scholarship money is unclaimed each year because students aren’t even aware of their existence.
For example, the American Association of Candy Technologists offers a one-time award of $5,000 to a student in an accredited, four-year college or university in North America. These students must be pursuing a major in food science, chemical science, biological science, or a related field. They must have demonstrated an interest in candy technology as evidenced by proof of research projects, work experience, or formal education within this area of interest. In addition, students must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average.
Do you know a student that has an intense interest in the environment, or is very informed on another particular topic? For those students who have a broad knowledge of environmental issues and conservation, an unusual and unique scholarship opportunity is available through the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation. This foundation, available online at www.cksf.org, offers free registration to students seeking scholarships for college educations. Students take timed quizzes about information, and the winners of preliminary rounds go on to compete for a $250 scholarship. The organization also features scholarships based on individuals’ knowledge of other topics, including books of the Bible, saving and investing strategies developed by Jim Cramer, and autism awareness.
For those students convinced they have absolutely no unusual talents, the Alice McArver Ratchford Scholarship may be appealing. Recipients live on campus at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. They must be female undergraduates in financial need who have won no other scholarship, have no car, and not be engaged or married.
Scholarships for Unusual Talents
As unusual as some of these scholarships sound, many more, even more esoteric scholarships are available. Do you have a talent that no one else around you possesses? A unique heritage or interest in an unusual subject? Are you pagan or a wiccan? Think about applying for the Karma Scholarship. Are you interested in studying fungus? Possibly you might be interested in the Mycological Society of America Scholarships.
Do you regularly beat everyone else at a game of marbles? Try to compete in the National Marbles Tournament Scholarship. These unusual scholarships for college and many more, exist, and are just waiting to be found by the right person. There are many unusual scholarships for college out there – just for you. Start looking now! You can start your search on how to find a student loan scholarship.