College costs a lot, and it is not surprising why so many high school seniors decide to do away with a college education. However, for many potential college students, financial worries are not enough to keep them from their dreams. If you plan to attend university but you lack money for tuition, you may apply for a scholarship or grant. There are thousands of scholarship programs available for deserving students who want to enter college for free. Here are some of the most common types of college scholarship right now…

•    Scholarships given by private organizations
•    Corporate awards
•    College-specific awards
•    Athletic scholarships
•    Union-funded scholarship
•    Military scholarships
•    Academic scholarships
•    Departmental awards

Some of the items on the list you may already know about, while some of the scholarships herein may seem unfamiliar. College specific awards are given by the college of choice and are subject to strict terms of acceptance.

This type of college scholarship is continually assessed throughout the student’s progress in the course. If the student fails to maintain a certain average, there is a chance that the scholarship will be forfeited.

An athletic scholarship is offered to sports-minded students who excel in a certain area. This is probably the most difficult scholarship to apply for because there are hundreds of thousands of other students who really excel in sports. Highly gifted athletes come from different walks of life, and from different sports arenas, making this type of scholarship the most coveted one. In addition, it is worthwhile to remember that only the schools that are in the top tier in terms of sports competition are offering scholarships.

Sometimes, academic scholarships are automatically given to the top students in the high school graduating class. Although some academic scholarships actually require the student to apply, most of the time, the scholarship is awarded based on the college application alone. It goes without saying that a student eligible for this type of scholarship must show outstanding academic potential no matter what course he is taking up.

A departmental scholarship is given by a specific department of a college to draw in more students or to make their current students happy. Courses run by that particular department may be less popular than others that’s why they have to dole out scholarship to attract excellent students.

There are also some charitable organizations that give out scholarships to financially needy students with excellent track records in academics or sports. These private organisations offer full or partial college scholarship. Some charitable organizations sponsor students from particular areas or counties, and it’s obvious that the competition for these scholarships can be stiff.

There are corporations that offer scholarships but don’t find the right candidates because of lack of applicants. Companies and business establishments give out scholarships with the intention of attracting excellent students who show promise in a particular field. Some unions also allocate money to sponsoring deserving students, and are mostly targeted at students who are going to enter a field of study that is linked with the objectives of the union. Finally, there are also military scholarships that are often generous considering the strings attached. Accepting this scholarship means agreeing to work for the military for a certain amount of time.