“Overwhelming”: A case study analyzing scholarship application experiences with high school seniors

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of high school seniors searching for scholarships to fund postsecondary educational plans and examine the roles their identities played in this process. Interviews were conducted with 16 students enrolled in a large, urban Midwest school district. Participants attended one of four high schools with varying racial diversity, socioeconomic statuses, and college readiness markers. Existing research focuses on a quantitative approach in which scholarships fund elements of the cost of attendance and documents disproportionate scholarship awarding by income levels and race or ethnicity, wherein higher-income and White students receive disproportionately greater awards compared to their lower-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) peers. This qualitative case study found students approached postsecondary scholarships in two distinct ways: funding for the cost of attendance versus the cost of experiences; and framing race or ethnicity as a deficit for White students and a benefit for BIPOC students. The researcher provides insights and recommendations for scholarship administrators, high school counselors or advisors, and students navigating scholarship application processes. Keywords: college funding, disproportionate awarding, financial aid, financial need, high school seniors, merit aid, scholarships, scholarship aid, scholarship applications, scholarship processes, systemic inequities