Scholarships! Scholarships! Scholarships!

Loans are easy to obtain. But Grants and Scholarships are a lot of work. But it's a smart way to bridge the gap between what you owe for college and what loans will cover. Companies like NextStudent offer a pretty comprehensive scholarship engine (besides all flavor of student loans).

What you'll find here are merit scholarships (you must maintain a predetermined grade point average), university scholarships (offered for a specific academic discipline, atheletic participation, or fellowships), corporate scholarships (offered by large corporations as part of their "social responsibility" commitments), ROTC or military, ethnic or racial organizations, religious organizations, community organizations, private scholarships, and parents place of employment. That's quite an offering. So do take the time to search out these scholarship sources.

And just to dispell an urban myth: yes there is a David Letterman Scholarship for Ball State students, and NO you do not have to be named "Dave" to receive it -- all students enrolled in a Ball State TCOM program are eligible. That being said, there are an untold list of unusual scholarships. Our favorite is the Ayn Rand Esaay Contest. Budding free market extremists gain a popular audience here.