As you'll see by using the CollegeData Scholarship Finder, over 48 percent of scholarships specify a major as one requirement. For example, there are scholarships for such majors as "computer science," "art therapy," "marketing," "petroleum engineering," "journalism," "music education," "oceanography," and "acting."
Your Major Is One of Many Criteria
However, once you find a scholarship in your major, there may be other eligibility requirements. For example, you might be required attend Florida State University, but have your heart set on the University of Montana. Or the scholarship may specify that applicants come from a certain county. That's where you have to learn to compromise. If you don't find a scholarship for your intended major, find a scholarship for which you qualify in all other aspects. You would still be getting money for college.
Or you could apply for a scholarship in a major related to the major you really want. After a year or two of study with good grades, you could ask the scholarship sponsor to reconsider its criteria (assuming it is renewable).
Independent Study
Whether or not you have decided on a major, there are scholarships (and grants) that allow you to specify a field of study or a long-term research project. Some of these may require a faculty supervisor or mentor, and some are for study in the summer or in a foreign country and may have other restrictions, such as membership in a minority group. Sometimes, the colleges themselves award honors scholarships to promising students who have proven their academic excellence, no matter what their major is. However, these are often only for continuing college students, not incoming freshmen. Once you get to college, discuss this possibility with your department dean or someone in the financial aid office.
Considering Your Career
Some scholarships reward students pursuing certain careers, often health care or teaching. You are expected pursue studies related to the career throughout your time at college and sometimes even grad school. Examples include the Minority Teachers Scholarship, the Medical Education Scholarship, the Child Care Provider Scholarship, and the ITEACH Teacher Shortage Scholarship.
Your chances for finding a scholarship improve when you have a major or career in mind, so it's worth giving your choice of a major some serious thought. If you win a major-related scholarship and do well in that program, the scholarship will probably assist you throughout your time at college. And that's a very good deal.
