A large part of planning for college is finding scholarships. Scholarships can be awarded for academic performance, athletic prowess, artistic ability, public speaking, social activism, certain affiliations and a number of other categories. While there seems to be millions of dollars available for scholarships, finding them can be difficult and qualifying for them almost impossible.

“Every year, millions in scholarships and financial aid are awarded at more than 4,200 colleges and universities. But other scholarships, amounting to perhaps several million dollars more, are tied up in endowments that have rules so obscure and restrictive that they are rarely tapped – even as the cost of higher education soars.”

In the New York Times article, “What’s in a Name? Some Obscure Scholarships Often Go Begging,” journalist Michelle York addresses the phenomenon of millions worth of scholarships that might never be awarded due to strange language or unobtainable qualifications.

York reports that at Vassar College, students who can prove they are descendants of an 1800’s benefactor, Calvin Huntington – or who are willing to change their middle name to his last name – are eligible for a full scholarship. And for years, Jewish orphans interested in pursuing a graduate degree in aeronautical engineering at the University of California at San Diego were the only ones eligible for the Malcolm R. Stacey Memorial Scholarship.

Because these unusual scholarships are holdovers from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and benefactors endowed scholarships through a will or an informal letter, only the donor can change the agreement. Once the donor dies, or if the scholarship is created as part of someone’s will, the college must adhere to its rules, however eccentric.

As a last resort, a college will take the issue to court, asking a judge to amend the agreement posthumously as the University of California at San Diego did to ease restrictions for the Stacey scholarship. But in doing so, the college may spend more on legal fees than the endowment earns in interest, and it must show that the scholarship is all but impossible to fill, education officials said.

But students should not loose hope in their quest to secure scholarship money for college. Racking up scholarships to limit the amount of money borrowed through student loans to pay for college is well worth the struggle, time commitment and frustration that often goes into the scholarship search process.

Guidance Counselor tools to help students find scholarships:
Find Tuition
Scholarships.com
College Board