Scholarships/Financial Aid

BHS Local Scholarships Application Window Dates:

• Opens: January 31, 2025 at 8am
• Closes: February 14, 2025 at 3pm

The counseling department will be presenting to the senior class in advisory before this window opens to ensure all seniors are aware of this opportunity. We will also follow up with an email of the presentation to all seniors and senior parent/guardians.

non-local scholarships 24-25

Students, remember that if a non-local scholarship requires any of the following:

• an official transcript
• counselor paperwork/signature
• a recommendation, or any other information from BHS staff

you will need to seek out this information from the staff at least a week before the deadline is due. Otherwise, no guarantee can be made that this information can be obtained by the scholarship deadline.

If an Official Transcript is needed for the scholarship, your counselor is happy to provide a paper copy.

TOP FIVE PLACES TO LOOK FOR SCHOLARSHIPS:

1. The college/institution you will be attending

Some scholarships for college are merit-based. You earn them by meeting or exceeding certain standards set by the scholarship-giver. Merit scholarships might be awarded based on academic achievement or on a combination of academics/test scores and a special talent, trait, or interest. Other scholarships are based on financial need.

2. Your parent's (or your own) place of employment or union

Check with your parent's place of employment or union. The Human Resource department may offer scholarships to employee's dependent's (i.e. Mayo Clinic, Hy-Vee, McNeilus, IBM, etc). 

3. Local Community Organizations

If you, your parents, or grandparents have been a part of organizations that may have scholarship opportunities. Examples would be: Legion, Lions Club, VFW, Eagles Club, church, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, etc.

4. High School Counseling Office

Check with your high school counseling office for scholarships they advertise whether they are national, state, or local. BHS has a listing of scholarships linked here and can also be found on this page under "non-local scholarships"

5. Scholarship Databases

Scholarship databases are websites that list scholarships to help students pay for college. They can help students find scholarships based on their: financial need, merits, community service, heritage, gender, orientation, life experience, and hobbies.

To use a scholarship database, students can: 

1. Search for scholarships by category
2. Enter information about themselves and their activities
3. Receive matches for scholarships they might be eligible for

Here is an article from Business Insider that has some recommendations for scholarship databases as well as tips/tricks.

The 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form will be available December 1, 2024. If you have not filled out the FAFSA yet, we encourage you to get this done as soon as possible. If you have questions about the process, the financial aid department at the college your student plans to attend will be your best reference, as they are the experts.

Tips for Students Preparing To Fill Out the FAFSA® Form

Students should do the following to prepare for filling out the FAFSA form:

• Create a StudentAid.gov account (if they don't already have one).
• Have their documents ready (e.g., 2023 tax returns; records of child support received; current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts; and net worth of investments, businesses, and farms).
• Use the Who's My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on their FAFSA form.
• Have their contributor information ready (e.g., first and last name, Social Security number [if they have one], date of birth, email address, and mailing address [if they don't have a Social Security number]).Additional information and updates can be found at the Federal Student Aid Financial Aid website:  StudentAid.gov