Supporting "Today's Students": 11 Ways to Make Meaningful Impact
When society talks about "college students," what images are typically reinforced? The 18-year-old moving into a dorm with a mini-fridge and shower caddy? Young adults lounging on a quad between classes? Movies, media, and marketing materials often perpetuate these narrow stereotypes of the college experience.
As a scholarship provider, you connect with current and potential college students all the time. You see firsthand how diverse today's student population truly is. Yet many providers are operating programs designed years ago—programs inherited rather than created—that were built with that traditional 18-21-year-old four-year residential student in mind.
This isn't anyone's fault. It's simply the result of working within systems established when higher education looked different. But now there’s an opportunity to evolve these programs to better support the students who actually enroll in higher education—not just the ones pictured in university brochures.
Understanding Today's Students in YOUR Community
Before making any program changes, it's essential to understand the specific demographics and needs of students in your target population. This foundational step should drive updates to your scholarship program.
According to research from Lumina Foundation's "Today's Students" initiative (2023), the national student population is far more diverse than traditional stereotypes suggest:
37% are 25 or older, so not just recent high school graduates.
64% work while in college, with 40% working full-time, balancing both employment and education.
24% are parents, juggling childcare, family responsibilities, and coursework.
49% are financially independent, managing their own finances and college costs without parental support.
31% come from low-income backgrounds, facing significant financial barriers. (Of course, this figure only represents those who make it to college; many more low-income students never enroll due to unaffordability.)
42% are students of color, bringing diverse perspectives to campus.
44% attend community colleges, starting their journey at two-year institutions.
37% attend part-time, taking longer paths to completion.
11 Ways to Better Support Today's Students
Your scholarship programs don't need a complete overhaul to better serve today's diverse student population. Often, it's about making thoughtful adjustments to existing frameworks—evolving what you've inherited to meet current realities. Here are practical approaches organized from strategic foundations to day-to-day program elements:
1. Collect and Use Better Data
Understanding who your applicants and recipients actually are is critical and should inform all other program changes.
Tactical Steps:
Grab our Program Purpose worksheet to clearly define your ideal recipient population if you haven't already done so.
Survey current and past applicants about their life circumstances.
Host a focus group with education and workforce-related organizations to learn about current trends.
Work with your partner institutions to obtain anonymized demographic data.
Track application and award patterns across different student populations.
Identify gaps between your ideal population and who you're actually reaching.
Present this data to donors and board members to make the case for program evolution.
2. Amplify Student Voices through Formal Structures
Include current or former scholarship recipients in your decision-making processes from the beginning.
Tactical Steps:
Create an advisory board with designated positions for diverse student representatives.
Establish paid student consultant positions to provide feedback on program design.
Implement regular feedback mechanisms for current scholarship recipients.
Host focus groups with students from specific demographics (student parents, part-time students, etc.).
Plan a donor event at your local community college and include a guided tour and Q&A panel with students and administrators.
Intentionally bring together students who represent different age groups, enrollment statuses, family situations, and career stages.
3. Expand Eligibility Criteria
Traditional scholarships often target "traditional" students. Consider broadening your criteria to include part-time students, adult learners, student parents, or those pursuing technical certificates rather than just bachelor's degrees.
Tactical Steps:
Use your demographic data to identify groups consistently underrepresented among your award recipients, such as those mentioned above.
Draft revised eligibility criteria that better reflect today's students.
Present research and recommendations to your board and/or donors.
Create a phased implementation plan that respects donor intent while evolving criteria.
Consider creating new scholarship categories alongside existing ones as a transition strategy.
4. Value Diverse Experiences through Inclusive Processes
Explicitly recognize that caregiving, working, community involvement, and other "non-traditional" activities develop valuable skills and perspectives by revamping application questions and the selection process to move beyond standard "leadership" and "extracurricular activities" criteria that often favor traditional students.
Tactical Steps:
Update your application to explicitly ask about these experiences.
Add specific questions about skills gained through work, caregiving, or other responsibilities.
Replace "List your extracurricular activities" with "Describe your commitments outside the classroom, including work, family responsibilities, and community involvement".
Instead of "Describe your leadership experience," ask "Tell us about a time you took initiative or responsibility in any area of your life".
Add questions like: "What strategies have you developed to balance your various responsibilities?" or "How have your life experiences prepared you for success in your field of study?".
Remember that updating your application requires corresponding updates to your selection rubric and committee training.
5. Offer Flexible Funding Options
Consider how your scholarship funds can be applied beyond just tuition.
Tactical Steps:
Survey students about their most pressing financial needs.
Work with financial aid offices to understand institutional constraints.
Create a proposal for your board that outlines expanded eligible expenses.
Shift decision-making about covered expenses from donors to scholarship program staff.
Consider implementing a tiered approach with core and flexible funding components.
6. Address Fundamental Financial Barriers
Use your financial resources creatively to remove obstacles that prevent today's students from succeeding.
Tactical Steps:
Adapt your policy to fund Cost of Attendance, not just tuition and fees.
Create childcare stipends or partner with on- or near-campus childcare facilities.
Establish technology funds for laptops, internet access, or specialized software.
Develop transportation support through gas cards or public transit passes.
Partner with campus housing to subsidize deposits or provide housing grants.
Create food security programs or partner with existing campus food pantries.
Fund professional attire for interviews or required uniforms for clinical placements.
7. Connect Scholarships to Career Development
Today's students are career-focused, seeking education that leads to sustainable livelihoods.
Tactical Steps:
Allocate funding specifically for career-related activities like conferences and certification exams.
Create internship stipends to supplement unpaid or underpaid learning opportunities.
Establish a mentorship program connecting scholarship recipients with professionals.
Fund professional organization memberships and networking events.
Sponsor industry-specific skills workshops or bootcamps.
Support entrepreneurial ventures with small business grants for student entrepreneurs.
8. Reduce Administrative Burdens
Simplify application processes and paperwork requirements for time-constrained students.
Tactical Steps:
Audit your current application for unnecessary questions or documentation.
Create mobile-friendly application options.
Implement a "save and continue" feature for applications.
Establish simplified renewal processes for continuing students.
Consider accepting video responses as alternatives to written essays.
Provide clear, specific instructions with examples for all requirements.
9. Extend Disbursement Timelines
Allow students to use scholarship funds over a longer period, accommodating those who attend part-time or need to take breaks.
Tactical Steps:
Review your current disbursement policies and identify constraints.
Model different scenarios for extended timelines and their budgetary impact.
Create clear policies for maintaining eligibility during stop-outs.
Work with financial aid officers to ensure compliance with institutional policies.
Communicate timeline flexibility clearly in your scholarship policy and award letters.
10. Create Micro-Scholarships and Emergency Funds
Sometimes smaller, targeted awards can make a critical difference in student persistence.
Tactical Steps:
Set aside a percentage of your scholarship budget for micro-awards (under $1,000).
Develop streamlined application processes for these smaller funds.
Partner with financial aid offices for rapid deployment when needed.
Create clear guidelines for what constitutes eligible emergencies.
Reference our post on emergency fund design and implementation for detailed steps.
Consider technology platforms that can help administer smaller awards efficiently.
11. Support Transfer Pathways
With nearly half of today's students starting at community colleges, design scholarships that follow students through their educational journey.
Tactical Steps:
Create formal agreements with common transfer institutions.
Establish clear processes for scholarship portability.
Design specific scholarships for transfer students facing new challenges.
Provide guidance resources for navigating transfer processes.
Partner with community colleges to identify promising scholarship candidates early.
Making It Real
The beauty of working in scholarship programs is that you already have relationships with students. You're not starting from zero—you're building on existing foundations and connections. When scholarship providers acknowledge the reality of today's students and make even modest adjustments to their inherited programs, remarkable things happen.
The parent balancing childcare and chemistry labs, the veteran transitioning to civilian life through education—these aren't exceptions to the rule. They are the rule. They are today's students. And they need your support.
Ready to take action? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation call with our team to discuss how you can create strategy and (re-)design program elements to respond to today's students. We'll help you translate these ideas into actionable plans tailored to your organization's specific context and constraints.
