When to Apply For College Scholarships

Did you know you can win a scholarship as early as kindergarten? That’s right, scholarships aren’t just for graduating high school seniors. This means you don’t have to wait until senior year to start searching for, applying to, and winning scholarships—and here’s why you shouldn’t wait:

Start as Early as Possible

Ideally, you should start applying to scholarships ASAP. Even at the beginning of freshman year in high school. College may feel like it’s a long way away still, but there’s no such thing as starting a college fund too early.

Scholarships Add Up

The more you win in scholarship money, the less you have to take out in student loans. Scholarships don’t have to be repaid with interest, after all, and are by far the best way to pay for college because of that.

If you get a head start on winning scholarships, you’ll have that much more money in your college pocket.

3 Repayment Options

Variable rates from 5.54% - 15.70% APR with auto-debit

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More Time, Less Stress

Junior and senior year get pretty busy. There are college visits, ACT/SAT study sessions, writing college app essays, submitting applications, and regular school on top of it all. While you should still definitely apply for scholarships during those years, it can lower your stress levels knowing you already have a few scholarships tucked under your belt.

Use College Raptor’s new Student Loan Finder to discover personalized loan options. Compare lenders and interest rates to find the ideal student loan—for FREE!

Rates (APR)	Eligibility
5.50%-16.12%* Variable 3.99%-15.61%* Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT CITIZENS
5.54% - 15.70% Variable 3.99% - 15.49% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT SALLIE MAE
4.63% - 17.99% Variable 3.49% - 17.99% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT CREDIBLE
6.00% - 13.75% Variable 3.99% - 13.75% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT LENDKEY
5.66% - 14.72% Variable 3.69% - 14.56% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT ASCENT
3.70% - 8.75% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT ISL
5.62% - 16.85% Variable 3.69% - 16.49% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT EARNEST
5.00% - 14.22% Variable 3.69% - 14.22% Fixed	Undergraduate and Graduate	VISIT ELFI

College Raptor is not a loan lender and does not assume responsibility for suggesting a loan to a user who may not be eligible for it. Rates, terms, conditions, eligibility, approval, and other considerations are the decisions of the lenders and may vary depending on which lender or marketplace the user selects. We urge users to carefully consider and review all loan options and terms before committing to taking out a loan.