If you don’t meet the deadline, you won’t qualify.

Simple as that – deadlines are one of the most important requirements of scholarships. Certainly, there are other requirements you will have to meet but the deadline is critical.

Scholarships are the best kind of aid. There may be certain requirements (such as maintaining a specific grade point average) that you have to meet when receiving a scholarship, but scholarships are typically the type of aid that doesn’t have to be repaid. It could be some important funding to help you pay for your education.

Here are three tips to help you meet those important deadlines:

• Mark all deadlines on your electronic calendar and set it up to give you reminders. If you are using your calendar on your phone, it’s a great way to get notifications about a deadline a week or a day in advance.
• Give yourself a deadline earlier than the actual deadline. Yes, you will know that you actually have more time, but by targeting a date earlier than the actual deadline, you give yourself some breathing room in case of any problems.
• Create a list of scholarships you plan to seek. Check the list once a week to see which deadlines are coming up. Check what other steps you still need to take to submit the final application.
• Plan your application preparation. What do you need to have done by what date? If you need letters of reference, when do you need to ask for those? When do the letter writers need to have them to the organization? Developing a plan will help you take step-by-step action and you won’t have to scramble at the last minute to get everything together.

It’s really unfortunate when a student meets all the requirements for a scholarship but they become ineligible because their application wasn’t submitted in time.

Don’t let a missed deadline be the only reason you don’t qualify for a scholarship.