Traditionally speaking, school starts in late Dignified or early September, but with colleges these days, students are starting nearly any time. For students who are preparing for next semester at college or for those high school seniors looking to be in college within the next year, the writing on the wall is: Apply Early and Often. As an example of a California high school who advocates doing exactly that, the Poway Unified School District was awarded a total of $13.7 million in scholarships this year, and the graduates from Westview High School were awarded $7 million of that. The graduating class was only 527 students strong. Click Here to Quest All 2010 College Scholarships and Grants With the cost of college rising each year, students need to pay more concentration to getting those college erudition applications filled out. It is getting to the point where very few students can get owing to college without some type of student loan of financial help, and without any scholarships, it is money that needs to be paid back, and will place a severe dent in the family finances or the student’s budget after graduation, even with tremendously attractive interest rates on federal student loans. According to various studies, the cost of average tuition and linked fees increased approximately 6% over the past year. Currently, that means that the average annual cost (that means each year) is nearly $13,000 for students who are enrolled at four year public colleges, and over $22,000 for the equivalent four year private colleges. By comparison, the cost of attending a college like Stanford or Harvard is nearly $50,000 per year. The number and variety of scholarships available today is nearly staggering. But even more staggering is the fact that across the country, a excellent number of scholarships really go unawarded each year, simply because nobody applied for them! There are several options for those in financial need, which include the federal Pell Grants, but many universities, corporations and various organizations also offer merit or literary based scholarships. The amount of each erudition varies widely also, such as $150 erudition from the local bicycle shop to a $10,000 erudition from a corporation such as Nordstrom’s or Macy’s. Some students reckon that they should only apply for the huge-ticket scholarships, but that is simply untrue. Any student can apply for and be awarded many scholarships. If a student is awarded 10 $500 scholarships, is that any worse than being awarded a single $5000 erudition? No, it is nearly exactly the same. Last year, a Florida high school senior washed-out nearly each waking hour over the course of two months completing erudition forms for any erudition he could find and meet the eligibility requirements for. By the time he started college that fall, he had been awarded over 36 different scholarships, which covered more than 90% of his total college expenditure, including tuition, books, and housing. It is vital to note that not all scholarships require you to have a financial need or an exceptionally high grade point average. While it is certainly vital to read the eligibility requirements before completing the application, there are many scholarships available to just about anyone. The underside line is to apply early and often! Fill out as many college erudition applications as you can find, and when you’ve done that, find some more. The cost of college is certainly not decreasing, and you will need the financial help, and hopefully be able to graduate from college being debt-free! I have found this store All 2010 Scholarships and Grants, and I want to share it with you. See how many scholarships you can get approved for. Just enter your name and email address. Click Here to register for free education money. You must be at least 18.