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What College Students Should Know About Scholarship Video Essays

2026-07-15 00:00:00

Scholarships can be a pivotal resource for college students. Among the application requirements, many scholarships now ask for video essays instead of traditional written essays as part of their selection process.

Video essays allow applicants to showcase their personalities and talents in a dynamic way that goes beyond the traditional written essay. However, some students may find creating a video essay daunting. Here are some key points to remember to help you ace your next video essay submission.

At OVC Scholarship Network, we have scholarships available that fit many different types of students. If you’re planning on attending college or university in the 2026-2027 school year, check out our scholarships and contact us for help applying.

Understanding the Prompt and Criteria of Video Essays

Before you begin planning what you want to say, make sure you understand exactly what the scholarship committee is asking you to do. Video essay prompts often seem simple, but they may contain several parts. For example, a scholarship may ask you to describe a challenge, explain what you learned from it, and connect that experience to your future goals.

Paying for College with Divorced Parents

2026-06-25 00:00:00

Figuring out how to pay for college is complicated for most people, no matter what your background is. When your parents are divorced, the financial aid process and potential lack of money from either parent add an extra layer of problems. Whose income do you use for FAFSA? What if one parent won't cooperate? What if you have not spoken to one of your parents in years?

These are real questions that don’t have easy answers. What we at OVC Scholarship do know, however, is that paying for college is much easier when you have scholarships. OVC Scholarship Network is a great place to find scholarships, and we can even help you if you aren’t sure where to start.

How Does the FAFSA Handle Divorced Parents?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, determines eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work-study programs. For students with divorced parents, the FAFSA uses the parent who provided more financial support. If that parent has remarried, their new spouse's income is also included, even if your stepparent has never contributed to your education costs, as long as they file taxes jointly.

How to Ask for a Scholarship Recommendation Letter

2026-06-12 00:00:00

Getting a scholarship in 2026 is about more than good grades and well-written essays. Most scholarship committees want to hear from someone who knows you personally, which means you'll need at least one strong recommendation letter.

Asking for a recommendation letter doesn't have to be stressful if you approach it the right way. If you're searching for scholarships to apply to, OVC Scholarship Network can help you find opportunities and maximize your chances of winning.

Who Should You Ask for a Scholarship Recommendation Letter?

Teachers and Academic Advisors

The strongest recommendation letters come from people who know your academic work and your character well. Teachers, academic advisors, and school counselors who have watched you grow over time are natural choices for recommenders. A good recommender is one who can:

Do Scholarship Committees Check for AI in Scholarship Applications?

2026-05-27 00:00:00

It’s summer break 2026, you’re sitting down to get started on your scholarship essay, and you're curious about whether the judges will run your essay through an AI detector. Does this sound like something you might ask? It's a fair question; after all, most of us use AI to get things done these days.

So can you use AI to write your scholarship essay? If you can, how exactly should you do it? If you can’t, can you use AI to get feedback, just to spell check, or to rewrite sections that don’t sound great? Knowing the answers to all of these questions is important if you’re relying on scholarship funds to pay for college.

At OVC Scholarship Network, we want you to have the best possible chance of winning scholarships and pursuing the education you’ve always dreamed of. Learn more about how to use AI wisely in your scholarship application, and then look through our scholarship directory for scholarships that might be a good fit for you.

How to Pay for College if Your Scholarship Won’t Cover Everything

2026-05-13 00:00:00

Getting a scholarship is a major accomplishment that is usually the result of hard work over years of schooling, plus serious effort during the application process. For most students, though, even a generous single scholarship is not enough to cover the full cost of college.

In 2026, the average cost of attending a four-year public university runs over $28,000 per year. Tuition is only one part of that price — books, fees, and housing are also very expensive. If your scholarship only covers part of the cost of getting the education you dream of, don’t despair. You have more options than you might think and OVC Scholarship Network is a great place to start.

What Should You Do When a Scholarship Doesn’t Cover Your Full Costs?

The first thing to understand is that a partial scholarship from your university or a private donor isn’t the only source of funding available to you. Most students who successfully pay for college piece together their funding from several different sources. This might look like one scholarship, one grant, a work-study job, and maybe a small loan. Together, these combine into a package that makes college possible.

Can Community Service Help Me Win Scholarships?

2026-04-28 00:00:00

If you are applying for scholarships in 2026, you already know that grades and test scores are perhaps the most important part of your application. But there is another factor that scholarship committees look at very closely: community service. Volunteering and giving back to your community can make a major difference when it comes to standing out in a competitive applicant pool.

The good news is that you don’t need to have logged hundreds of hours or led a major nonprofit to make community service work for you. What matters is how you talk about what you did and why you did it. If you’re looking for scholarships that match your background, OVC Scholarship Network has a fit for you.

Does Community Service Actually Matter to Scholarship Committees?

Community service genuinely does matter on a scholarship application. Scholarship committees are not just looking for the student with the highest GPA. They want to fund students who show initiative, care about others, and are likely to contribute to their communities in the future.

Is There a Way to Bring Up Your High School GPA for College Scholarship Applications?

2026-04-13 00:00:00

Your GPA is one of the first things scholarship committees look at. If yours is not where you want it to be, it can feel like a door is already closing before you even get a chance to knock. The good news is that GPAs can sometimes be brought up. Even if it takes some time to improve yours, there are things you can do right now to strengthen your profile before you start applying to scholarships for the 2026 fall semester.

At OVC Scholarship Network, we are passionate about helping students of all backgrounds get the education they want and deserve. Contact us today to learn about our scholarships and get more tips for submitting great applications.

Can You Raise Your GPA Before You Apply for Scholarships?

How much you can raise your GPA before you submit college scholarship applications depends on where you are in high school. Your GPA is a running average, which means every new grade either pulls it up or pushes it down. The earlier you start working on it, the more impact each class will have.

When Should I Start Applying for Scholarships?

2026-03-26 00:00:00

Planning for college is exciting, but it also comes with the reality of having to pay for tuition, books, and housing costs. Scholarships are one of the best ways to reduce that financial burden, and the earlier you start the process, the better your chances of success.

Unfortunately, many students wait too long to apply and miss out on valuable opportunities simply because they did not know how to begin the process. This is why starting your scholarship search at the right time is key.

If you are planning for college in 2026, OVC Scholarship Network is a valuable resource for finding scholarship programs that match your goals. Our directory features a wide range of opportunities for students of different ages, academic interests, and backgrounds. Check our scholarships out today in addition to FAFSA, scholarships through the schools you apply to, and national scholarships.

Will I Lose My Scholarship if I Transfer Schools?

2026-03-11 00:00:00

Transferring to a new college or university is a big decision on its own. But for students who are receiving scholarship money, there is usually one question that troubles them the most: Will I lose my scholarship if I switch schools?

The honest answer is that it depends on the type of scholarship you have. Some will follow you, some will not, and some may require a little extra work to keep. If you are looking to transfer schools in 2026 and need scholarship opportunities, take a look at OVC Scholarship Network today.

What Happens to University Scholarships When You Transfer Schools?

Institutional scholarships are awards given directly by your college or university. They are one of the most common types of scholarship aid, and unfortunately they are also the ones most likely to disappear when you transfer. These awards are tied specifically to your enrollment at that school. When you leave, the scholarship stays behind.

Applying for Local vs. National Scholarships: Which Is the Better Strategy?

2026-02-27 00:00:00

When students start searching for scholarships in 2026, the first instinct is often to go big. National scholarships seem impressive, and it’s easy to assume that more money makes them more worth chasing.

But that thinking leaves a lot of possibilities for free money on the table. Smaller, local scholarships offered through community organizations, law firms, and professional networks are often far easier to win and just as valuable when it comes to paying for school.

Understanding the difference between these two types of scholarships can change your entire approach to funding your education. At OVC Scholarship Network, we have a large variety of scholarships available. Take a look and start applying today.

Why Are National Scholarships So Hard to Win?

National scholarships attract enormous applicant pools. A well-known scholarship open to any student in the country might receive tens of thousands of applications for just a handful of awards. Some of the most popular national scholarships receive upward of 100,000 applications per year. Even the most qualified student can get lost in that crowd.