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Scholarships and Financial Aid for Exercise Science Students

Key Takeaways

  • Scholarships and grants help reduce debt from exercise science education.
  • Start by checking your school’s financial aid office for scholarship opportunities.
  • Look into professional exercise science and sports organizations for more scholarship options.
  • Submit strong applications with great essays and excellent recommendation letters.

There is no doubt that an education in exercise science can open up many exciting career opportunities. At the same time, there is also no doubt that pursuing this type of education is incredibly expensive, and racking up significant student debt to complete this type of education isn’t appealing for a variety of reasons. If you are in the middle of working toward a degree in exercise science and are feeling overwhelmed by the financial ramifications of your schooling, help might be available.

This page will look at various exercise science scholarships and other financial aid possibilities that could help you get through school with minimal debt while keeping your career aspirations on track. There is sure to be plenty of competition for this kind of financial support, but if you explore all of your options and give yourself as many opportunities as possible, there is a good chance that at least some of them will come through.

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Overview of Financial Aid Options

If you have never before pursued financial aid, or you have previously but it’s been a while, this section will provide a quick refresher on the options that are available to you. First, financial aid for exercise science students often comes in the form of scholarships, which are given based on merit and do not need to be paid back. There are many different ways to get scholarships, including by applying for some that are offered by the school you are attending, in addition to independent scholarships that can be used at any of a number of different schools.

Often, scholarships will be given based on academic achievement, but not always. There are other types of scholarships, such as athletic scholarships, that can also help to offset the cost of school. You’ll also find that there are grants for exercise science majors that you might be able to qualify for, but those are a little different – we’ll talk more about grants later on this page.

It’s also worth mentioning here that sometimes student loans will be discussed in the area of financial aid. While this is “aid” in the sense that it allows you to pay for school now without having the money on hand, you will have to pay that money back plus interest. So, while student loans are a viable option to deal with the cost of your education, and you might need to use a blend of loans and scholarships or grants to make the financial side of your exercise science studies work out.

How to Find Exercise Science Scholarships

It’s not exactly a secret that scholarships are a great way to make school more affordable. And, there are definitely plenty of scholarships out there to apply for – but where do you start? It’s easy to lose yourself in the wilderness that is the internet, and you can end up wasting more time searching than you spend actually filling out applications.

The first place to look for scholarship options is within the financial aid office at the school that you are attending. Not only will the financial aid office be able to help you with the programs and opportunities that are available through the school, but they might also have knowledge of outside scholarships that will apply to your program. Funding opportunities for exercise science are commonly needed for students to make it all the way to graduation, so you won’t be the first person to head to the office to ask for assistance – they will be happy to help.

In your search for exercise science tuition assistance, you can also look to professional organizations in and around the area of exercise science. Plenty of organizations and businesses offer scholarships to support the industry and grow their profile at the same time. A couple of options for this path include the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Finally, take a moment to browse the web for scholarship databases and other resources that make it easy to search for financial support in your area of study. Fastweb and Scholarships.com are just two great sites that might be able to help.

The Basics of Scholarship Applications

You are sure to face at least some competition for any scholarship that you apply for – and the higher the dollar value attached to the scholarship, the more competition that is going to exist. So, given the need to stand out from the pack in order to win an award, you need to master the fundamentals of submitting a good application. Even a great application is no guarantee of success, but if you repeat the process over and over again with many applications, you should land your fair share.

When you find scholarship programs for exercise science that you want to pursue, keep these two tips in mind –

  • Write a great essay. You might not be excited about the possibility of having to write an essay as part of your scholarship application, but this is a common part of the process. Take your time on this step, don’t just copy and paste one essay for each application, and customize what you write to match the goals and stated mission of the scholarship program.
  • Secure excellent letters. Along with your essay, strong letters of recommendation from people in your life like employers, coaches, teachers, or professors, will go a long way. Start this step early to give those people as much time as possible to get back to you.

Are Grants the Same Thing as Scholarships?

If you come across grants that might apply to your situation, or if you see exercise science student bursaries offered, you might have a bit of confusion regarding what those terms mean and how they are different than a scholarship. Generally speaking, grants and bursaries are given on the basis of financial need – helping students pay for school who wouldn’t be able to pay for it on their own. This is different than a scholarship, which is a merit-based rather than a need-based award.

Of course, it’s worth applying for any kind of financial aid that you might qualify to receive, no matter what it is called. When you come across something that may be available to you, carefully review the qualifications so you don’t waste time and effort pursuing something that you don’t have a chance of receiving in the end.

Getting Help from the School or the State

Independent grants and scholarships are just one way to secure financial help to offset the costs of your schooling. It’s also possible to get support from school-specific financial aid offers, as well as state and federal aid programs that may apply to your exercise science education. As with scholarships, these opportunities are unlikely to come find you, so being proactive and taking the steps needed to get financial aid is going to be your responsibility.

The key process with regard to getting federal help is known as FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Be sure to submit this right away so you can see what may be available to you and how you can go about securing those helpful dollars. College aid for exercise science majors can come from many different directions, and any federal dollars you are able to capture will only help make things easier.

Like so many other parts of your education, you are going to need to take control of this situation rather than sitting back and hoping it works out. As a good starting point, get in touch with the financial aid office at your school to ask about options and seek out as many relevant scholarship applications as possible to complete and return on time.

Tracking down financial aid can feel like a major burden in addition to keeping up with schoolwork, but it’s all part of the deal as you work toward your exercise science degree. Great financial resources for exercise science students are out there to be found, so get started now, and good luck!