This scholarship is not given to high school seniors, it was founded specially for those students who are sophomores and juniors in college and who are not only planning but already pursuing one of the chosen career fields. The maximum money amount which can be given to the participants of this program is $7,500 per academic year. Usually there are only 300 students who receive the award each year.

There are two qualifications the candidates must qualify:

1)     the student must show significant merit. The preference is given to the students with high GPAs;

2)     financial need is very important, too. Students in great need are more likely to receive the assistance.

There is extreme competition for this scholarship, that is why it is not easy to get it. Students must be nominated by the Universities, they also have a limit of four nominees each year. Such schools which have fine science programs, like Princeton, have the highest number of students who received the award.

The nominees for the award are determined by the Foundation Board of Trustees. With intent to determine the nominees who will make the most impact on the fields of science, math, and engineering this body look at such merits as total picture of a student’s interests, field of study, career objectives, and others. This scholarship program was founded specially to keep America strong in these areas with the help of excellent minds.

If you are a student who wants to participate in this scholarship program, you must focus strongly on your grades. Be sure that you took all possible advanced science and math classes in high school. The college you choose must be famous for its strong science and math program. Try your best while studying there.

If you are already nominated you should explain honestly and carefully your career carefully, it is important to explain the way and the efficiency of you in chosen fields. But even this do not guarantee success, because this important scholarship usually awarded at the whim of the board, but all these efforts will help you to qualify for other science and math scholarships or grants.

If you are a high school senior or graduate and you are already accepted into the university or to the college, you can apply for the Robert C. Byrd scholarship. You also must show high academic achievement and must continue study well during their postsecondary education. You also must provide the letter of acceptance from your college during the application process.

If you decided to apply for the Byrd scholarship you must go to your state educational agency. It is important to know that each agency has its own deadline. You have to request an application package from the agency and carefully fill it out according to the instructions

You must meet certain educational standards if you want to receive the scholarship:

- you must be in the top 5 percent of your graduating classes;

- if there are 60 or less students in your class, you must hold a ranking of 1, 2, or 3;

- usually your GPA must be 3.50 on a 4.00 scale;

- you must have a combined SAT score of 1150 or higher or an ACT score of 25 or higher.

The amount of money you can receive through the Byrd scholarship program depends on some conditions and usually varies. Usually it is $1,500 per successful applicant. But the amount varies and some students can receive more while others receive less. 6,300-6,500 awards are given out each year through this program. If you still have a high grade point average and still attend the school full time, your scholarship can be renewed for up to three additional years.

The program helps student from 1985. At first this scholarship was non-renewable. But later in 1993 successful applicants get an opportunity to renew their scholarship over a four-year program. If you want to apply for this program you should be a legal resident of the state, you also must attend school within the United States. It is not allowed for the applicants to have any kind of dept to the federal government that is currently in default, students with past drug offenses are not allowed in most states.

There are a lot of frauds which act like scholarship search services. The problem is that they are hiding among legitimate search programs. These programs are made for those students who want to pay money to someone else to find the scholarships that match their information. Most of them work well but why you should pay for something you can do yourself for free with the same efficiency?

So at first it is not easy to find a difference between a legitimate and scam service, but we’ll help you. First of all pay your attention to the services which guarantee results, because it is not possible. The amount of scholarships is limited and there are a lot of people who want to get them. Some companies offer money back guarantee, in that case read all the terms carefully, and you will possibly find that it is not easy to get your money back as you might be led to believe.

Another sign of the scammers is that they say they will do all the work for you. It is not possible, too. Only the students can fill in the scholarship application if there are scholarships that match them. If someone else will write the application essay for you it will be the fraud.

Sometimes services claim that they have the unique information that you will not find anywhere else. Such services are lying, too. If you want to find all the information about almost every scholarship you should read the book called Scholarships, Grants and Prizes by Peterson. Your guidance office and the internet will provide you actual information, too.

And the last one: avoid the scholarships that cost money. It is nonsense to pay money to receive the scholarship (if you want to pay for the search only it is ok), it is dangerous to give your credit card number in advance of receiving the scholarship. Such services are scam, in the end you will lose a lot of money if you decide to use it. One more time: it is ok to pay for the services but not for the award.

Anyway feel free to check the Federal Trade Commission if you are not sure about a company or program. You will find a lot of resources available for those looking for a scholarship on their website for free. And remember the last thing: if it sounds too good it must be a scam, that is why check everything one more time and get everything in writing before you start to spend your money on search services.

It is not always easy for adult people to find a grant. Grants are usually intended for high school seniors, and focused on high school GPAs and accomplishments. Another problem is that most scholarships require a student to be enrolled full time in a degree program, but many adult students prefer to be part time students because they need time to work and to care for their families. It is also true that scholarships which are based on need do not apply to those adult learners who work full time in a salaried field.

Bearing in mind the above mentioned, those adult student who want to study can find a grant if they know where to look. At first they need to ask their employer. A lot of large companies have a continuing education program already in place. That is why your aim is to prove that your degree will benefit the company. You can receive some assistance paying for your study. You must remember that such scholarships are usually quite small and your coursework has to be in the same field that the company works in.

You can also ask the financial aid office for help, if you know the school you want to attend. Contact them and ask if they have any available scholarships. Sometimes school has one specifically designed for adult students, in other way people from the financial aid office will point you in the right direction.

Those adult students, who are a part of a professional association can contact them and ask about any available scholarships. Usually such groups have scholarships which are specially designed for adult students, particularly for women.

It is interesting that it is hard to find information about most national scholarship opportunities for adult students. In case when you tried all previously mentioned methods and still have not found the right scholarship, just ask other adult students that you know about the way they have gotten their degrees. You can be successful to find a scholarship you never heard.