Start your scholarship search this month
Students relaxing on the drillfield. Photo by Mary Desmond/Virginia Tech Student Affairs
If you’re a student looking for a scholarship, here’s some great news: You have a one-stop shop to start looking.
It will only take you about five minutes to apply, and you still have time to get your application in before the priority date. November is National Scholarship Month, making the timing perfect, according to the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid.
Here's what you need to do:
- Head over to Scholarship Central and complete the General Scholarship Application, which is open now for the 2025-26 school year.
- You should complete the General Application before attempting to complete any other scholarship application in the Scholarship Central system.
- Jan. 22, 2025, is the priority date to complete the General Scholarship Application and 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which opens Dec. 1.
- Be mindful that a handful of individual scholarship applications are due this November and December.
You should fill out your FAFSA even if you don’t think you will qualify for federal grants. An estimated $9.5 billion in Pell Grants were left unclaimed for the 2019-20 academic year, according to the National Scholarship Provider Association.
Many of Virginia Tech’s privately funded scholarships have a preference for or require need. Virginia Tech’s priority date to complete the FAFSA is March 1, 2025. Remember that you must complete both the General Scholarship Application and the FAFSA for maximum scholarship consideration.
Thanksgiving break is just around the corner, and if you’re heading home to family for the holiday, use this to your advantage. Take the time to steal away and fill out the General Scholarship Application. A quick five minutes could lead to a scholarship that helps cover some of your educational costs next year.
