Many policy and decisions makers, and some of the country's most influential people, got their start by studying political science. If you plan to major in poli sci in college you better hit the campaign trail early if you're interested in receiving political science scholarships.
Most colleges offer political science scholarships through their political science departments. These grants, fellowships and awards are often given in honor of alumni or local community leaders.
The big political science scholarship bucks, however, lie with national organizations, many of which fall into the public policy center/institute/endowment arena. This is a double edged sword. On one hand, there are lots of institutes with lots of scholarship dollars to pass out. On the other, most of the scholarships pull applicants from across the nation so there is plenty of competition.
A good place to start looking for political science scholarships is the APSA. The American Political Science Association is a professional organization with 15,000 members in 80 countries. One of the group's many undertakings is a scholarship program.
There are other groups, like The Brookings Institute and National Endowment for Democracy that offer scholarships. Television network C-SPAN even offers scholarships for political science students.
Many of these awards are named after or inspired by the people you will study as a political science major. Expect to see names like Truman, Kennedy and Wilson pop up in your search. Also look at internationally minded organizations, like Rotary. They often offer political science scholarships as part of their efforts to encourage broad world views.
To get political science scholarships make sure you have done your share of community service work. Many of the awarding bodies are interested in saluting active students that are doing their part to give back. On the application don't be shy about your community service and involvement. If you don't have much service work on your resume start today.Service, not power or fame, is the true path of political scientists.
In your quest to become a well-educated civil servant allow others to give you a hand first. Keep a wide, worldly view when looking for political science scholarships and you should see good returns.