With the cost of education becoming steadily more expensive as the academic years go on, many students and parents are resorting to taking out multiple student loans to pay the hefty price tag. According to American Student Assistance, more than 60 percent of the 20 million Americans who attend a post-secondary institution each year borrow money to cover the rising tuition rates and cost of living on a college campus. While this opens the door up for many Americans who could not otherwise afford advanced schooling, it has resulted in 57 percent of college graduates struggling with insurmountable mountains of debt, averaging $26,600 apiece.

Luckily, there are a number of exceptional scholarships being created each day to help college-bound students cover part or sometimes all of the costs associated with a college education. Since scholarships are sums of money that are granted to students as awards or gifts, they do not accrue interest or need to be reimbursed later on like student loans do. Although some scholarships are a one-time check, others are renewable and will provide funding for students each semester or academic year of their education.

In addition to providing financial support to lessen the burden of tuition rates, scholarships also provide students with recognition for their accomplishments and a means to distinguish their achievements to land a spot at a selective university or dream job later on. Although having more scholarships available is beneficial to students nationwide, it does make searching for scholarships and finding the right ones increasingly challenging. In order to ease the somewhat overwhelming process of applying to countless scholarships, we have compiled a database full of the best scholarships available for college students to place critical scholarship information right at your fingertips.

All scholarships today are not just geared towards a specific set of individuals from a certain race and major with a 4.0 GPA. There are thousands of different scholarships that are created to meet the financial needs of a wide population of college students from diverse backgrounds. Whether you are an African American, Hispanic, disabled, a single mom, an international student studying in the U.S., military veteran, or more, it is guaranteed that there are scholarships designed just for you. Read on to explore through the following listing of millions of dollars worth of the best merit and need-based scholarships available by various student demographics or characteristics.

Scholarships By Student Demographic