Applying for scholarships is a great way to pursue higher education or complete the course of your choice without paying extensive tuition fees. In fact, contrary to popular notions that only the students with the highest GPAs can apply for scholarships, the different types of scholarships available allow students belonging to various categories to apply for the same.

If you wish to apply for a scholarship, and do not which category you come under, here are some of the popular types of scholarships that have been helping students in their pursuit of completing their education.

Academic scholarships
This is the category of scholarships that one can apply to only if they have the required GPA. This type of scholarship is also known as merit scholarship and is awarded to students who have 4.0 GPAs and have years of participating in extracurricular activities to their credit. If you have scored the required GPA in your undergraduate studies, you can apply for a Master’s scholarship or a full-tuition scholarship if the university you wish to apply to offers it to the aspiring candidates.  

Average academic performance scholarships
Students who do not fall into the high GPA category can apply for such scholarship programs if their college offers them. Though such scholarships take the student’s academic records into consideration, they lay equal emphasis on the student’s community service and leadership skills. Such scholarships are mostly in the form of essay scholarships where the student’s creativity is tested in the form of contest essays. There are several colleges that offer non-essay scholarships as well; however, you need to conduct a thorough research before applying for scholarship programs.  

Athletic  scholarships
Athletic scholarships are a part of the broader special category scholarships that are awarded to students who have a strong sports background and demonstrate a high level of competitiveness and have a solid academic background as well. Even cheerleaders can apply for this special category scholarship if they meet the criteria laid down by the educational institution. Students who have a strong sports background can apply for this scholarship as college recruiters are keen on having the best athletes in their college.  

Special category scholarships
This category is quite vast and includes several types of scholarships like minority scholarships, which is awarded to minority groups in the country; scholarships for women that are meant for strong, career-minded women who wish to pay for their college tuition fees; community service scholarships, which are meant for those students who are keen on giving something back to the society; and disability scholarships for those students who have learning (like dyslexia), behavioral (like ADHD) or other physical disabilities.