Each year more than 20,000 scholarships to various colleges and universities are not used. This makes almost anyone's chances of getting one pretty good.

The awarding of scholarships is based not only on high grades, but also on a steady record of good character, leadership, and financial need. Often students not in the top ten per cent of their class receive scholarships. A student wanting to go to college who does not have exceptionally high grades should apply for a scholarship. Only about five per cent of scholarship awards are based on grades, and more and more emphasis is being placed on financial need, making it the prime requirement for acceptance in many cases.

Some scholarships have been designed for special purposes and, therefore, have special requirements. A student who doesn't receive an ordinary scholarship might be able to get one of these special kinds. Some scholarships require that the student study in a certain field, and some ask that the student return to his own community to work after graduation. Others are limited to those students living in a certain area, and still others are offered only to ,those of a particular ancestry.

Scholarships vary from as little as $50 to full tuition and expenses for four years of college. Some are for only one year and others can be renewed at the end of each year if grade averages are kept above a certain level.

Many large companies have educational awards for employees and their children. They may also offer awards to the residents of localities in which the companies have plants or offices. Still others are offered on a national scale.

Three‑quarters of the states have some type of scholarship aid. Most religious groups have a scholarship fund for deserving students of the same faith, and many professional publications carry information about scholarships for study in those particular fields.

Details about special army, navy, air force, and ROTC programs, under which students receive full educational costs, are available from the specific services at Washington 25, D.C.