In the middle of this semester’s crunch time take a break to apply for free money! Although we’re almost halfway through the semester, there’s still plenty of opportunities to win scholarships. There are scholarship opportunities at NIU, if you know where to look.

The Department of Communication is offering scholarships to journalism majors and minors that are due Friday, March 1, along with the Transfer Merit scholarships.

Other scholarships are available through MyScholarships on the myNIU homepage. Once logged in, there is a general application students need to fill out. Based on the information the student provides, they will be matched with scholarships that best fit the specific major, year in school and background.

In general scholarships usually only require a brief summary explaining why the applicant would be a qualified recipient of the scholarship and a name of reference. In some cases a letter of recommendation is also needed for specific scholarships, according to a May 29, 2015 Unigo article.

Scholarships are typically based on a major in school, but there are also opportunities to apply based on other qualifications. For example, if a student is from Rockford, a part of the Huskie marching band, conducting genetics-related research, participant of the forensics team or uses NIU childcare, there are scholarships out there for that student.

Scholarships are due in the next few days through the end of August. Take time over break to make an investment in your future.