College applications may be done, but many students still have scholarship applications to complete before their senioritis kicks in. For those who have yet to begin to apply for scholarships, here are a few tips to get started.

1. Research

Finding scholarship opportunities can be a tedious process, but you can make it easier for yourself by taking advantage of the school’s resources. The daily Wolf Call, for example, usually lists a couple of upcoming scholarships. Naviance has a more lengthy and detailed list; by simply logging on to your account and clicking the “Scholarship” tab, you can gain access to scholarship information like the deadlines, the maximum awards and whether the scholarship has an essay or service requirement. A “Scholarship Match” tool, which filters out a list of scholarships that might be a suitable match for you based on criteria like grade point average, gender or ethnicity, is also available.

2. Ask others for advice

While the school has several helpful resources to help you find scholarship opportunities, another way for you to find out about scholarships is through your friends, teachers and counselors. Some of these people may know about opportunities that would be a good fit for you. They have also probably been through the scholarship application stage themselves, and may be able to offer you tips and strategies for tackling the applications.

3. Know the difference between need-based and merit-based

Scholarships usually fall into one, or sometimes both, of these categories, so it is helpful to know the difference. Need-based scholarships are awarded to students whose families may struggle to pay a full college tuition. Merit-based scholarships, on the other hand, are a way for colleges or foundations to reward you for your achievements. A merit-based scholarship may recognize a student who is particularly talented, intelligent or who has made a positive impact in his or her community.

4. Make sure you are eligible to apply

Requirements to apply vary by scholarship, but may include qualifications such as race or ethnicity, gender, grade point average, state or country of residence, religion or you planned area of study. Before you invest a lot of time in working on an application, check to see whether you meet the eligibility standards—it would be a waste of time to find out after finishing an application that you are not even allowed to apply.

5. Do not wait until the last minute

Keep track of the deadlines and start early, so you do not run the risk of missing the submission date—a missed scholarship deadline is the loss of a chance to earn tuition money. While some applications may be easy to put together, others require resumes, transcripts, recommendation letters or essays. You may be a last-minute person, but your teachers or counselor will need ample time to craft a thoughtful and well-written recommendation letter, so give them at least a few weeks’ notice. You will also need to allow additional time to send any transcripts or test scores to make sure that the necessary documents a received before the deadline.