This past Sunday, an announcement was made that will forever change the lives of 32 American students. These 32 students will be heading to the University of Oxford in England in October of 2011 as the latest group of Rhodes Scholars.

This year there are 17 women and 15 men that gained the prestigious designation of Rhodes Scholars. There were a total of 837 applicants this year from 309 schools. The 32 scholars from the United States heading to Oxford next October will join several others from 14 jurisdictions around the world.

For many, this is the most famous academic award available to American college students. This year’s scholars include more women than men for only the third time since women were allowed to apply in 1976. Also, for the first time in history, two scholars come from the state of South Dakota. Ursinus College and the University of California, Irvine are the two new colleges that were added to the list of those represented by winners this year.

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If you love to tweet and you need money for college, then look no further. KFC will give $20,000 in scholarship money to a high-school student with the best tweet.

With a character limit of 140, applicants must write a short statement to explain why they are worthy of such a scholarship.

“It’s judged based on quality, creativity, ability to tell a story on why they should receive the award, and the entrepreneurial drive and desire to pursue a college education,” Rick Maynard said, a KFC spokesman.

The contest started on Nov. 17 and will end on Nov. 26. The winner will be revealed on Dec. 1. To apply, tweets must include the hashtag #KFCScholar.

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Athletes give us something to get excited about while we are in college. Whether they are shooting baskets, scoring touchdowns, or crossing the finish line first, college athletes are an integral group of students at every school. It makes sense that these athletes - who are almost seen as heroes at some schools - should receive some sort of compensation for their efforts, which is why most people think athletes receive full scholarships to the school they attend. However, a new report shows this isn’t true.

Researchers at Ithaca College recently reported that the “average ‘full scholarship’ Division I athlete winds up having to pay $2,951 annually on school-related expenses.” These expenses include everything from campus parking permits to school supplies.

“It’s really deceptive to use the words ‘full scholarship,'” said Ramogi Huma, head of the National College Players Association. “There’s never an explanation for recruited athletes that the price for attending school falls short of the scholarship amount.” Read the rest of this entry »

People tend to have a strong opinion about movies of the horror genre; they either love them or hate them. Those that love horror movies typically enjoy their climatic moments, scary music, gory death scenes and great special effects. For those that love scary movies and happen to be entering or are currently in college, Star Costumes is offering the first-ever horror scholarship.

This scholarship is for $1,000 and is available to those students that are studying to work in the horror film industry. This is the prime example of being able to do something you love and having it pay off. For those that love horror films, working in the horror film industry seems like the dream job.

Star Costumes has been a leader in selling costumes, makeup, masks and all things scary since 1970. The company decided to offer this scholarship to help fuel the love of horror films and keep the enthusiasm for horror movies going. Because there has been no previous scholarships of this kind available, Star Costumes decided to create one. To qualify, students must be 18 years of age and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students must also be enrolled full-time at an accredited school, whether it is in undergraduate or graduate studies. Read the rest of this entry »

Forget about the scholarships that are awarded for high grade-point averages or athletic ability. The following scholarships, although unusual, can help students with unique majors and interests land some cold, hard cash for college.

American Association of Candy Technologists Scholarship: If you’re serious about candy making, then this $5,000 scholarship could be for you. College sophomores, juniors and seniors carrying a 3.0 GPA and majoring in food science or other related major are eligible for this scholarship.

National Potato Council Scholarship: You don’t have to even like potatoes to receive this scholarship. The National Potato Council awards the annual $5,000 Potato Industry Scholarship to a graduate student in Agribusiness, which in turn helps out the potato business. Read the rest of this entry »

No one ever said college wouldn’t be expensive. In fact, along with all other costs, college expenses are on the rise. Whether you decide to attend a community college for completion of your core classes, or spend all four years at a university, money is going to be a factor. Many students stress about the costs involved, while some students skip college all together because they can’t afford it.

There are a lot of resources to help you pay for college, however, including scholarships, grants, student loans and work study programs. Scholarships and grants are options that don’t have to be paid back while student loans must be repaid, sometimes along with interest, depending on the type of loan. Federal student loans, grants and work study eligibility are determined through filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Student loans are very popular among college students, but if you are looking to stay out of debt while in college, loans should be avoided.

Some of the best ways to graduate from college without any accumulated debt appear below. Utilizing some or all of these pointers will help you get out of school with no debt: Read the rest of this entry »

The Organization of Black Maritime Graduates (OBMG) was founded in 1994, and has granted over 80 maritime scholarships since its inception. The nonprofit organization was formed by Captain Robert Cook and five other SUNY Maritime College graduates to help minority students at Maritime College fund their higher education.

The scholarships are awarded each year at a dinner held in February, in honor of Black History Month. Awardees are selected based on their academic merit and financial need. OBMG also provides these students with guidance and mentoring, both during college and after graduation.

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The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that is the most well-known and prestigious of the cycling tournaments known as the “Grand Tours.�? The other two Grand Tours are the Giro d’Italia, held annually in May, and the Vuelta a Espana, held in August and September annually in Spain.

The Tour de France lasts three weeks and covers approximately 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) throughout France and some bordering countries.

The race is divided into day-long stages and the individual finish times from each stage are totaled to determine the overall winner at the conclusion of the race. The last leg of the race, since 1975, has been along the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Read the rest of this entry »

Western Governors University is hosting a video scholarship contest.

I personally think the WGU’s, “A Smarter Way to Learn�? television advertisement is really funny, especially when the woman in the desk knocks over everything at the dinner table. Have a look:

But maybe you believe you could produce an advertisement that is better.

Well here is your shot.

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It’s not often that you come across scholarships that one would consider easy to get. There are usually endless applications to fill out, test scores to submit and transcripts to send when trying to be considered for a scholarship. Then there are essays to write and mail in and many times in-person interviews to be conducted. All of this for a chance at free money to get an education. With many of the scholarships available there are also strict rules on what the money must be used for and guidelines for keeping the scholarship with a certain GPA or performance level. All that red tape can make scholarship hunting seem to be more trouble than it’s worth. Throw in the everyday responsibilities that come along with being a dad, and you’ve got quite the task on your hands.

There are some simpler scholarships available out there. Scholarships4Dads offers a $10,000 scholarship drawing several times per year. You can use the money for any school-related expense that you choose. Being eligible for the scholarship is also much simpler than many other scholarships. You must simply be a US citizen and 18 years of age or older. Read the rest of this entry »