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Look to Professional Associations to Find Scholarships in Your Major

By WTOP Staff

Getting a college degree is the single best way to start many careers. Your future career can also help make that degree happen.

By becoming a student member of your field’s professional association or organization, you can access scholarships and other resources to help you complete college, find a job in your field and continue your professional education.

Professional associations exist for just about any field of study you can think of, from accounting to zoology. If a quick online search of your major with the terms “professional association” or “professional organization” doesn’t turn up anything, your advisers or professors should be able to point you in the right direction.

[Learn how to earn scholarships through labor unions.]

Student memberships to these organizations are generally lower-priced than full, professional memberships, and some schools will even provide you a complimentary membership for a year. Whatever the cost, you get plenty for the money.

This article from CollegeParents.org lists a wealth of benefits, including networking opportunities, placement services, mentorship and an inside look at what life in a profession is really like.

What’s more, nearly every professional association also offers scholarships, and many of those scholarships are open only to student members of the organization. As you start your school year, consider joining the professional group that represents your future career, and you’ll find awards.

If you’re technologically inclined, the Association of Information Technology Professionals offers student member scholarships from a couple of sources. Robert Half Technology co-sponsors a pair of $2,500 scholarships with AITP each year, and the Foundation for IT Education awards both national and regional awards to association members. Applications for the Robert Half scholarships are due March 1 each year, and you’ve got until May to apply for the FITE awards.

[Find scholarships for in-demand degrees and jobs.]

Tech students should also look into membership in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the “world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology.” IEEE represents a wide array of electronics and engineering professionals, and they award an equally wide array of student scholarships.

Awards range from $2,000 for “active leaders in the IEEE Computer Society Student Branch Chapters,” all the way to the $24,000 Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Fellowship, given to an exceptional first-year graduate student in electrical engineering.

If your focus is on liberal arts rather than the sciences, you’ve got plenty of options as well. The Public Relations Student Society of America is made of 11,000 public relations and communications students from across the nation, and offers more than a dozen scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students in the field. Deadlines vary widely, so check the award eligibility chart to see where you might fit, and then find application details on each scholarship’s page.

If you’re looking to collaborate and learn, PRSSA’s Bateman Case Study Competition also allows teams of students to put together a real-world PR campaign and compete for a $2,500 award.

[Get additional information on paying for college.]

The Institute of Management Accountants, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, will be hosting its 15th Student Leadership Conference this November, bringing together finance and accounting students from across the country.

The conference isn’t for more than a month, but most of the group’s individual scholarship applications and its team case study competition are open for application now. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $5,000. The association also offers the CMA Doctoral Scholarship, which allows qualified students to prepare for and take the CMA exam free of charge.

These are just a handful of the industries whose professional organizations provide scholarship and educational support opportunities to student members. Whether you’re studying pharmacy, law or supply-chain management, students should find and join the professional association for their future career. The membership will likely pay off.

More from U.S. News

Organize Scholarship Support From a Labor Union

Fund a Semester in America’s Capital With These Scholarship Programs

Take Advantage of Scholarships From Corporations, Foundations

Look to Professional Associations to Find Scholarships in Your Major originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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