Financial need is determined by the information you enter into your FAFSA. It's the difference between how much it's going to cost you to go to college, your 'cost of attendance (COA)', minus how much of this cost can you / your family cover, your 'Expected Family Contribution (EFC)'. If your EFC is lower than your COA, you have financial need! If you're not sure about your EFC or COA, reach out to a Mos advisor for help!

If you haven't heard back within a few weeks, reach out to the scholarship organization! Some scholarship organizations email all the applicants to let them know if they were selected or not, while others only contact the winners—it usually depends on the number of applicants. It never hurts to follow up.

To increase your chances of getting a scholarship, apply early, follow all application instructions, and write a great scholarship essay (if applicable)! For more help, ask a Mos advisor!

To prioritize your scholarship applications, think about which scholarships you have the best chance of getting (the most specific ones, with more than one winner), the ones due the soonest, and the ones that are awarding the most money.

Tip: We recommend you make a schedule for yourself to follow to stay organized and on track throughout the scholarship application season! You can always ask a Mos advisor for help.

Each scholarship has a set of requirements: specific factors that determine whether or not you're eligible to apply. You can visit the scholarship site to find this information, or fill out the Mos quiz to be automatically matched with scholarships you qualify for! FYI: the more information you share with Mos, the better scholarship matches Mos will make!