Scholarship GPS: Debt Free College Attendance Made Possible

Guest Blog Post Written By: Dave Peterson

My son will tell you that attending a Christian college was one of the best decisions of his life. 

Helping my son earn his college degree without student loans was one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

Today, my son is recently married to an amazing Christian woman who is also debt-free, and they are both gainfully employed in careers related to their college majors. This is the kind of blessing we, as parents, pray for. 

However, my son’s journey to a debt-free college degree might not be what you expect. I hadn’t saved enough money for college, so I learned everything I could about scholarships. 

My son applied to his first scholarship as a high school junior, and he won three scholarships that year. 

In his senior year, he went all-in on scholarships, earning an additional 15 that year. He earned another five outside scholarships while in college. 

Our household income is too high to qualify for need-based financial aid. However, my son’s college awarded him enough merit aid to cover one-third of his college expenses. 

But it was those 23 outside scholarships that covered all but $1500 of my son’s remaining college expenses, including tuition, room, board, books, and fees. You read that right: We paid only $1500 for my son’s college education from a private Christian college! 

So, what is an “outside scholarship”? An outside scholarship, also known as a private scholarship, is one awarded by a business or philanthropic organization rather than a college. Outside scholarships can be used at any accredited college in the country, including Christian colleges. Some of these scholarships even send their winners a check instead of sending the funds directly to the student’s college.  

When our friends saw how much success our family had with scholarships, many asked for help with their own children, which eventually led to the creation of Scholarship GPS.  

Last year, I had the privilege of working with Victoria, who is heading to a Christian college this fall. To date, she’s earned over $185,000 in scholarships. The year before, I worked with Talon, a Christian student who decided to attend community college for two years before transferring to a university for his engineering degree. Talon has earned over $100,000 in outside scholarships to date.  

You might think scholarships are only given to top students, but the truth is that there are scholarships available for all students. In fact, many scholarships have no minimum GPA or test score requirements.  

The first step to earning scholarships is finding them. In my free newsletter, “Your Daily Scholarship,” I share a new scholarship opportunity every weekday. On Saturdays, I highlight legitimate no-essay scholarships (including Christian Connector’s fantastic $5000 scholarship!), and on Sundays, I feature interviews with experts in the college planning field. 

Whether your student is already in college or in grade school, middle school, or high school, there are scholarship opportunities available. We are called to be good stewards of our money. Having your student apply for scholarships is one way to be a good steward of your and your child’s money. 

Dave “The Scholarship Coach” Peterson is the founder of Scholarship GPS, which provides resources, many of which are free, to families on their own scholarship journeys. 

For more information on Christian colleges or to be entered into one of our scholarship drawings, visit us at The Christian Connector.