Many potential college students don't end up attending university due to a lack of money, however there are thousands of college scholarship programs available. Here is a list of the most common types of college scholarships that students can apply for:

• Private organisations
• Corporate awards
• College-specific awards
• Athletic award
• Union funded scholarship
• Military scholarship
• Academic scholarship
• Departmental awards

College scholarships awarded by the college that a student is attending are subject to strict terms of acceptance. This type of college scholarship is constantly re-evaluated throughout the length of the course that the student is funded for and can be withdrawn if the student fails to keep to the agreed terms.

An athletic scholarship is fairly self-explanatory but this type of college scholarship is probably the hardest for a student to obtain. There are hundreds of thousands of highly gifted athletes from a range of sports every year that apply for an athletic college scholarship and the numbers awarded are extremely low. It is worth bearing in mind that only the top flight schools will offer an athletic college scholarship.

The academic scholarships are one of the few that do not actually require the student to apply for them. This is because the college normally awards an academic scholarship based on the college application alone. Obviously, the very nature of an academic scholarship means that a student will require outstanding academic potential to be offered a full academic college scholarship and it is more common for a particle college scholarship to be awarded.

A departmental scholarship is most commonly awarded by a specific department of a college to either attract or retain students for courses run by that particular department. The individual department will provide information as to whether they offer any type of special scholarship or not.

There are many private organisations that offer some form of partial college scholarship. These often depend on the area that a student lives in but national organisations may also offer a student a college scholarship but the competition for these can be fierce.

On the other hand, many corporations actually have a college scholarship program but fail to award them because of a lack of applicants. The corporations may offer a college scholarship to students to attract them into the particular line of work that the corporation is in or simply to offer students in their community the chance to attend college.

Unions have a large amount of money allocated to a college scholarship fund. These are usually aimed at students who are going to enter a field of study related to the type of union.

Finally, the various branches of the military all have an extensive college scholarship program. A military college scholarship is often extremely generous but is awarded in exchange for a pre-agreed length of service after graduation in the particular branch that sponsored the student.

Life is full of options and choices. The choices we make shape our future. As we stand at the cross roads after high school we must have the right vision to make the decision to go to college.

1. A college education secures our future. The number of employment opportunities is greater and statistics reveal that most leaders are college grads.
2. If you have a college education you will make more money which in turn will enable you to have a better lifestyle. If a high school graduate earns US$ 34,303 annually, a college graduate will earn US$ 56,334, and a person with a professional qualification will net at least US$ 99,411.
3. It is not just earnings. A college education makes you a rounded person. It shapes your communication skills, expands your knowledge base, makes you methodical and organized, and exposes you to a whole new world of learning.
4. People with a college education have better value systems and are healthier. They are able to guide their family positively.
5. College can help you qualify in fields you are interested in. So if you are an innovator, inventor, or healer, or artist you can train in the specific field and qualify.
6. According to experts, college graduates are self confident, have greater knowledge of governance, are less likely to become criminals, are emotionally and financially secure, make better partners and parents, and have a deeper understanding of human nature.
7. College instills a deep sense of right and wrong and is they very essence of a democratic world.
8. Education opens the doors to many things like multiple jobs, career choices, the chance to further education at any point in life, and the option of teaching others what you have learnt. Be it a child, family member, or a poor person you meet.
9. College education is an investment in you that yields much more than Wall Street investments.
10. College educated citizens will ensure the continuing success of the “American Dream.” The ability to see the right path and work for peace and prosperity.

Students according to Jose Marti a patriot are the very ramparts of a nation and the strongest advocates of freedom. Education creates a conscience and as a result a better human being. College education eventually becomes a legacy for future generations. Most succeeding generations of college educated people go to college themselves. The value of a good education becomes ingrained in their genes. Huge stones can be moved with muscle power but it is brain power that tells you how to move it and what can be done with it.

Every day that passes offers parents the opportunity to share valuable life lessons they have learned with their college-aged student. One of the most important of those lessons is financial management, and the more you talk about it to your students as they enter young adulthood, the more successful they will be during college and throughout their lives.

To help college-bound students manage their budgets, Chase offers resources to guide students on how to manage their finances responsibly from the first day of class to graduation, and beyond.

Financial Management 101

Before they fill their schedules with biology, economics and philosophy, encourage your college-bound students to make room for Financial Management 101, an important life "curriculum," as they go through the school year.

These tips from Chase will help your students get a passing financial grade and may even land them on the financial honor roll:

1. Create a budget for the school year-and stick to it.
   A-List out all your income/ loan disbursements
   B-List out all your expenses
   C-Make sure A is greater than B.
   
   Check this on a monthly basis to make sure you're on track.


2. Know your budget and credit limit before you spend.


3. Keep track of all purchases and plan your use of credit cards.


4. To avoid late fees and build a positive credit history, always pay all your bills on time.


5. Learn about and track your credit bureau information and rating. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com for more information.

Learning to handle their own finances can be one of life's most important lessons for your students.