Genuine scholarships abound. The KFC scholarships, Coca-Cola stipends, and also Pepsi scholarship funding prove that free money for students is real. Unfortunately, so are the scams. The problem has become so pervasive that the College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act was passed; nevertheless, scams bilking hopeful college students are still out there. Would you know how to spot one?
KFC Scholarship Application Deadline is 02-10-09
Known as the KFC Colonel’s Scholars, this KFC scholarship is open to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree. The award is up to $20,000 and high school seniors who will attend a public college in their state of residence do qualify. Become a KFC scholar today, or wait until next year, when KFC scholarships may once again become available.
Coca Cola Stipends for a Community College Education
Coca-Cola Scholars offers a number of stipends for community college students. Offering funds between $1,000 and $2,000 per student, anyone enrolled in a community college with a GPA of 3.5 or better may be nominated by their school. The catch is that 36 semester hours – this translates into 48 quarter hours – need to have been completed by 12-08, and a total of 48 semester hours (72 quarter hours) need to be completed by 08-09. There are other strings attached, but they are relatively minor.
Pepsi Pays $1,000 for Husker Freshmen
A Pepsi scholarship of $1,000 awaits enrolled freshmen at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Residents of Nebraska are usually preferred. Although $1,000 may not seem like much in the face of a costly college education, yet when considering that free money is, well, free, it is nothing to spit at.
Federal Trade Commission Warns of Common Scams
With a waning economy, student loans and scholarships are becoming more popular for the purpose of funding a higher education. The FTC warns that scam artists are not far behind.
The May, 2008 report on college scholarship fraud prevention lists three common claims made by disreputable outfits: an approval of the supposed organization by a major government agency or even the Better Business Bureau, supposed access to secret funds that the general public cannot have a prayer of putting their hands on, and a guarantee that offers to return the application fee in case of failure.
Sources
http://www.kfcscholars.org/; https://coca-colascholars.org/cokeWeb/page.jsp?navigation=16; http://admissions.unl.edu/scholarships/resume.php; http://www2.ftc.gov/os/2008/05/collegescholarshipfraudpreventionrpt.pdf
