Weird College Grants

Perhaps you are need financial assistance to attend college or another post-secondary institution but can't seem to find any grants or scholarships that can award you a significant amount of money. Searching for funding can be frustrating, especially if you have poor academic standing or aren't able to qualify as a minority or low-income student. However, if you know where to look, you can find some weird but helpful college grant opportunities for which, based on particular talents or situations, you may be able to qualify.

For example, one of the most interesting grants available today is for an individual with the "best milk mustache." The Sammy Award is sponsored by the "Got Milk?" campaign in conjunction with USA Today and awards $7,500 to an individual with notable leadership qualities and an amazing milk mustache.

Another interesting scholarship recently awarded was for the Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. You and a date can win money for college by wearing duct tape to the prom in the fashion of a suit and dress out of duct tape.

There are other less well-known weird grant opportunities available. Luckily, there is usually less competition for these than there is for larger, more common need- and merit-based grants and scholarships. Do a little digging to find a weird college grant option for which you are eligible to see if you can win some money for school!

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.