LF Educational Consulting scholarship program looks at the student profile and then locates scholarships, so the search is targeted and strategic. This approach saves students time and frustration. They are spending time on scholarship applications that they have a good chance of being awarded.

Scholarships are available for students of nearly every identity, interest area, professional aspiration and race. Most scholarship deadlines are in the spring, with many falling on March 1, so now is the time for high school seniors to search for awards.

Some scholarships, such as the National Merit Scholarship, are available to eligible students across the country. Others are local scholarships, available only to students living in the community. While national scholarships may boast a larger award amount, they are also much more competitive and experts often advise that students apply to both local and national awards.

To learn more about the often overlooked scholarships available in your own backyard, here are four steps your student can take to find and win local scholarships.

Ask Guidance Counselors About Local Scholarships

A student's school can be a wealth of information and a great jumping-off point in the search for local scholarship dollars.

The absolute first place to visit for local scholarships is your school counselor's office or the school's website Many local businesses truly want to help out students in their hometown and will approach the school counselor for getting the word out about their scholarship.

High school guidance counselors sometimes create a space in their office dedicated to scholarships, complete with a list of scholarships and deadlines.

Research Past Local Scholarships

Winning scholarships can take significant research and time.

one trick to doing this efficiently is to research past local scholarships and winners.

Contact the school's guidance office and ask to be emailed the senior awards night program from the previous year. You can get a list in advance of all of the local companies and organizations that are giving away money. Then the next question is who won last year, why did they win and who decides?

Once a student identifies last year's local businesses that may be offering college scholarships, she says it's time to determine who selects the scholarship winner – whether a school staff member or company employee – and reach out to that decision-maker.

 Existing Community Connections

Places of worship, the local chamber of commerce and local businesses are examples of where a student might start in their search for community-based scholarships.

By tapping into organizations and business where students already have connections, experts say, students may increase their chances of getting a scholarship. A parent's employer, for example, may offer an annual college scholarship.

Apply for Local Scholarships Strategically

Students should start with the most-local scholarships – like those open only to students attending a specific high school or in a certain club – before slowly expanding the search and widening the net.

Most public schools have scholarships from booster clubs, sports teams, alums, etc,. Then to look in their immediate local community (Rotary Clubs, Chamber of Commerce, Women's Club), slowly expanding the boundaries, surrounding communities, county, state, etc. The more local the scholarship, the better the percentages are to 'win' the scholarship because there are less students who qualify, and most qualifiers do not apply.

While some experts emphasize local scholarships, they say applying for a mixture of national and local scholarships is the best strategy.

We also tend to tell students to check for scholarships at large national retail chains or other known businesses, but it might make more sense to apply for local businesses (in addition), such as mom and pop restaurants, locally owned auto services or bookstores, local churches and other places or clubs where students have a local connection.