Private companies, organizations, and individuals who offer student scholarships don’t typically have any specific “rules” to follow. When designing their scholarships, committees will decide who the award is for, what the award is for, and the requirements for applicants to apply. They’ll make decisions about age, level of education, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, heritage, interests, skills, academic achievement, geographic region, financial need, demonstrated leadership, community service involvement, career interest, essay and project submissions, social media components, and how the award will be distributed to the recipient. It’s their money, so they get to decide what is important to them—including offering multiple application deadlines.
How scholarship committees set deadlines
Many private companies and organizations benefit from receiving additional PR and media placements when they announce scholarship opportunities. Deciding when their scholarship will open for applications and when to set the deadline attached to the opportunity can therefore be a very strategic decision for a scholarship committee. Seeing the benefits of increased brand awareness from offering scholarships, many companies are choosing to offer several awards throughout the year with multiple application deadlines. This is technically a strategic move for companies, but it’s really a huge benefit to scholarship seekers.
What to know about scholarships with multiple deadlines
Multiple scholarship deadlines increase the amount of preparation time you have for completing applications. There are three strategies scholarship seekers should utilize to maximize on the additional time you have to apply to these opportunities:
- Ask a teacher or a professor to review the application, essay, or other materials before submission.
- Apply for other scholarships with only one deadline in the immediate future first, as scholarships with multiple deadline opportunities can be sent for the next consecutive deadline.
- Review essays of past award recipients, if available. Many scholarship committees post the essay and name of the previous year’s recipients. Having additional preparation time allows you to gather more information to understand what the committee is looking for in a candidate.
Related: 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Scholarship Search Strategy
Scholarship opportunities with multiple deadlines
- OppU Achievers Scholarship: This $2,500 scholarship is open to high school seniors as well as undergraduate, graduate, professional, and trade school students who are US citizens with a minimum 3.0 GPA. College students must be at least part-time to be eligible. The scholarship is awarded quarterly with deadlines on September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30.
- ExtremeTerrain Scholarship: This essay scholarship is open to high school seniors and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in Environmental Studies, Ecology, Land Use, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Sustainable Land Management, Environmental Biology, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, or Parks and Recreation. The award is worth $2,500, and deadlines are October 15 and June 15.
- CARiD Scholarship: This scholarship is open to US students ages 16–20 who are enrolled in post-secondary education. All applicants have to do is submit a photo inspired by any aspect of the automotive industry. The award is for $1,000, and deadlines are April 30 and October 31.
- Because College is Expensive Scholarship: This scholarship is open to high school juniors, seniors, current college students, and adults looking to head back to school. The scholarship is a sweepstakes offered quarterly with deadlines of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 30.
- AmericanTrucks Scholarship: This scholarship is open to high school seniors, full-time students at US technical institutes, and full-time students in two- and four-year college programs in traditional building trades, including carpentry, HVAC, electrical, or other related fields of study. Students in certificate programs are also eligible. You must be at least 18 years old to apply for this award of $2,500. The deadlines are October 15 and June 15.
Related: Scholarship Search Spreadsheet Template
Multiple deadlines give scholarship seekers the benefit of additional time, if needed, when planning out and applying to scholarships to help pay for college. If you use the time strategically, you can submit overall stronger applications. You’ll also be able to manage your time more easily to apply for additional awards.
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