How to find scholarships for Southern Nevada colleges

With the deadline to apply for federal student aid looming Sunday, the next step for many college-bound students will be finding scholarships and other financial aid to help them complete their degrees.

While Nevada has one of the lowest in-state tuition rates in the country, it also has one of the highest rates of student loan defaults. And with tuition increasing, need-based federal programs such as the Pell Grant cover a smaller percentage of costs.

Students who have spent at least two of their high school years in Nevada and have graduated with certain academic requirements are eligible for the Millennium Scholarship, available online.

Students also can browse the Public Education Foundation’s list of scholarships for Nevada students, which includes awards from outside organizations based on high school attendance, academic areas of interest and extracurricular activities.

Here’s how to find scholarships at each Southern Nevada institution and scholarships available to Nevada students regardless of school.

UNLV

If you’re going to UNLV, you automatically will be considered for a number of need-based scholarships when you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, including the school’s Tuition+ program. That program offers Pell Grant-eligible students 12 free credit hours and an extra $1,000 for books each semester.

But some scholarships require a separate application, like the school’s .

The Philip J. Cohen Scholarship also requires an additional application, but it’s aimed at students “who may have not otherwise received a scholarship based upon traditional need or merit requirements.”

Students who know their major or area of interest should contact their department heads for information on major-specific scholarships

Nevada State College

Southern Nevada’s newest school offers a scholarship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and DREAM Act-eligible students. The application can be found online.

The school also offers a one-time $1,000 award to new freshmen who served as officers in their high school student government. Students are asked to notify NSC of their eligibility at the time of enrollment.

The Scorpion Academic Scholarship offers funding based on GPA. There are two important deadlines to keep in mind: Students must apply for admission by Jan. 15 and submit their final transcripts by Feb. 1.

NSC also will match up to $500 per semester of outside scholarships for new and returning students.

And the NSC Foundation offers approximately two dozen scholarships, many based on major. The application period for those opens Dec. 15.

College of Southern Nevada

At CSN, the Nevada Promise Scholarship will pay all mandatory tuition and fees for up to three years. (The deadline has passed for the 2020-21 school year.)

Students nearing graduation can apply for the CSN Mission Graduation Scholarship, which offers up to $2,000 for students who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 or who have an academic satisfactory progress pace of 80 percent or higher.

The school also offers scholarships based on areas of interest, including ones for STEM topics, uncommon languages and automotive careers. Students can apply for most of these via the school’s scholarship portal, but some require an outside application.