There Are Scholarships Available For Both On Campus And Online Degree

College and university studies might have become more affordable for some students this year. Throughout the country, these institutions have launched scholarships and formed new agreements. One of these institutions, Detroit’s Marygrove College, went so far as to establish a scholarship contest where high school and transfer students are able to get a free ride to college, with books and fees as well as tuition, paid in their entirety.

Several other institutions also launched scholarships and partnerships this year that make college and university studies more affordable for students. Herzing University Online, through a partnership with the Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, for example, is offering members of the departments a free one-credit course. Participants who complete the free course and decide to enroll in the institution receive a scholarship for the duration of their attendance, according to an announcement from the Milwaukee institution.

The Tribal Education Departments National Assembly is a non-profit organization representing Education Departments of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes members who join it. In addition, Herzing University-Brookfield in June announced that it had established a new scholarship for area residents. The Herzing University Community Commitment Scholarship follows the March opening of the institution’s Brookfield, Wisconsin, campus. The scholarship awards $3,000 to a first-place finalist and $500 to four other finalists.

Where the Herzing University-Brookfield scholarship was based in part on a candidate’s geographic location, a new scholarship awarded at Jacksonville University in Florida this year was intended specifically for aviation studies. The Dr. Winston S. Churchill scholarship, based on leadership abilities and academics, was awarded to Sarah Morris, a Jacksonville University senior and aviation and flight management major who co-captains the flight team. The scholarship was named for the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

Jacksonville University also received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and American Association of Colleges of Nursing grants. The grants are for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarships intended partly to provide tuition assistance to students considered underrepresented in the nursing field. The scholarships at Jacksonville University are to benefit 2010-2011 students participating in the institution’s accelerated nursing program. In all, eight scholarships valued at $10,000 are to be awarded, according to the Jacksonville University announcement.

US Health Resources and Services Administration information provided as part of the Jacksonville University announcement suggests that nurses who begin work in the field after obtaining bachelor’s degrees are more likely to move on to a graduate degree in nursing than other nursing professionals. In all, 63 grants for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarships were awarded. They included grants to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR; Azusa Pacific University in San Diego, CA; Boston College; the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN; Kent State University in Kent, OH, and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.

At Kent State University also, a $30,000 grant from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support, advocacy and education group is to provide for endowment of a scholarship for students who minor in LGBT studies at the institution. The grant was provided by the Akron chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered individuals, according to the announcement from Kent State University. The hope is that others contribute money to increase the scholarship amount, the announcement noted. In March, Kent State University opened a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center as part of an overall diversity effort on campus.

In addition to colleges and universities, large companies, non-profit organizations, professional associations and community and civic groups provide high school scholarships. Some are intended to increase diversity. Others are geared toward students who live within certain geographical regions, and are available for both on campus and online school. These awards might also be based on academics, financial needs or a combination of factors. Many, if not most, private scholarships, as well as those provided by colleges and universities, require that students first complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is available online.