Being a twin is a unique and rare experience. One of the challenges for twins and their families is college. Namely, how to afford it. Putting one kid at a time through college is a massive challenge for most families. Having two enter college at the same time even more so.
The good news is, there are some special scholarships and discounts available just to twins and sometimes triplets! In most cases, however, this will require the twins to attend the same school. They don’t have to live in the same room. In most cases they aren’t restricted to a specific major (though sometimes specific majors are preferred). There aren’t a lot of scholarships like this, but the ones that do exist can be quite significant, with several offering half price tuition for one or both siblings.
There are also scholarships that don’t amount to quite as much but can still be a significant amount of money off your bill over the course of four years. Unfortunately, most of the scholarships offered, especially the substantial ones, are specific to individual colleges and universities.
This means your choice of college or university is somewhat limited if you want to take advantage of these benefits. However, they are available, and we thought it was important to help generate awareness of these options. Even if you don’t wish to attend any of the colleges and universities that offer scholarships for twins and multiples, don’t despair.
There are other financial resources that can help you to better afford college. We’ll talk about some of that in the FAQ at the end of the article. So make sure you check it out before you make any assumptions about whether or not college will be affordable for you.
1. Sterling College Twin Award
Sterling College is a Christian college located in Sterling Kansas. The twin award is available to students who are twins and attend the college together. Each twin pays only half tuition. It’s important to note the discount does not appear to apply to room and board. However, having half your tuition covered at any private college amounts to a significant sum of money.
Scholarship Amount: Half-tuition
Scholarship Deadline: Varies
2. Lake Erie College Twins Scholarship
Lake Erie College started as a women’s college in the late 19th century. Since then the school has evolved. It’s grown into a coeducational institution focused on developing strong partnerships in their region. At the same time it makes sure students have all the support they need to reach their goals. The twin scholarship at Lake Erie College covers half of each twin’s tuition provided they attend the school together. The scholarship replaces a merit scholarship, so if one or both twins qualify for a better merit scholarship they’ll be awarded that instead of the twin award.
Scholarship Amount: 50% of Tuition
Scholarship Deadline: Varies
3. Wilson College Twins and Triplets Awards
The twins and triplets award is for 45% of each student’s total tuition. The scholarship is offered to one set of twins and one set of triplets every year. The scholarship is applicable for up to four years as long as students continue attending the college and meeting the scholarship requirements. This scholarship cannot be combined with other merit based scholarships.
Scholarship Amount: 45% of Tuition
Scholarship Deadline: varies
4. George Washington University
George Washington University offers one twin out of every pair a 50% discount. The other pays full tuition. However, they can still receive plenty of other aid to cover their schooling as the discount takes the place of potential merit scholarships. If the twins wish, they can privately work out a way to split the discount. This would amount to each receiving a 25% discount on their tuition.
Scholarship Amount: 50% off one twin’s tuition
Scholarship Deadline: Enrollment
5. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Twin or Triplet Dorm Fee Waiver
Twins and triplets who attend Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College together can receive a dorm fee waiver. The students are not required to occupy the same room in order to receive the waiver. This waiver does not cover food but does cover the cost of the room. While this may not technically be a scholarship it can still represent a significant savings. Room and board costs are often combined. So to determine the exact value of this waiver students will need to contact the admissions office.
Scholarship Amount: Free Housing
Scholarship Deadline: Enrolled by July 1
6. Johnson and Wales University Family Scholarship
Johnson and Wales offers $2,000 per year to each simultaneously enrolled sibling. This means each twin can knock $8,000 off their bill over the course of four years. Of course this scholarship isn’t limited to twins. Triplets and other sets of multiples can also take full advantage. And you don’t have to be multiples either. Any siblings can qualify as long as they are enrolled simultaneously.
Scholarship Amount: $2,000
Scholarship Deadline: Automatically considered when admitted
7. Quinnipiac University Multiple Sibling Award
While this scholarship isn’t exclusive to twins, it is available to students with siblings enrolled at Quinnipiac at the same time. Obviously this is easiest for twins who wish to attend the same school and allows both of them to receive this scholarship every year they are at the university. The scholarship awards $2,000 per year to each eligible sibling and is renewable each year both siblings are in attendance..
Scholarship Amount: $2,000
Scholarship Deadline:
8. Eastern Michigan University Furlotte Twins Endowed Scholarship
The Furlotte Twins Endowed Scholarship is available to twins attending Eastern Michigan University as education majors in their junior or senior year. The amount of the scholarship is not specified, so interested students should contact the financial aid office for more details. Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA.
Scholarship Amount: Varies
Scholarship Deadline: Varies
9. Indiana University Kelley School of Business Layton Frazier McKinley Scholarship
This scholarship is technically open to all students in the Kelley School of Business but has a strong preference for twins and even stronger preference for identical twins. Any business school student may qualify, but the scholarship prefers accounting majors. A 3.3 GPA is required to qualify for the scholarship. The application period for this scholarship is during the spring, and can be completed online.
Scholarship Amount: Varies
Scholarship Deadline: Spring
10. Southern California Mothers of Multiples Club Scholarships
This scholarship is available to multiple birth siblings living in Southern California or Clark County Nevada. There are several organizations for parents of multiple birth siblings across the country and this is just one example. So if you haven’t already, check out your region and you may find scholarships available for multiple birth siblings near you!
Scholarship Amount: $250-$1,500
Scholarship Deadline: Feb. 11
Frequently Asked Questions
What other tips, tricks, and advice do you have for twins about affording college?
Well, the good news is, even without scholarships like the ones above, there are significant benefits available through federal financial aid for households with more than one child in college at the same time. Having two children in college significantly cuts down the expected family financial contribution used to determine the amount of financial aid the student gets. So you should be able to get better federal financial aid. It’s also important to note that FAFSA money is not unlimited. It is doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. This means it’s important to submit your FAFSA application as early as possible. This increases the likelihood you will benefit from the maximum possible amount of federal financial aid.
Most colleges and universities work the same way. Scholarships are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, their financial aid resources are even more limited, so getting your application in as early in the application season as possible is a good strategy. If the colleges you are interested in have an early application period, then make sure you take advantage of that. However, it’s important to note that some early application periods are based on a commitment to attend if accepted. So just be careful not to submit an early application to more than one school with this requirement.
Much of the cost of school comes down to which school you choose to attend. There are several strategies for minimizing the cost of higher education. We’ll talk about these in the final question of this FAQ.
Do you have any advice about pursuing third party scholarships?
Yes! First, take full advantage of articles like this one. There are several on this website featuring scholarships for different majors. Usually we don’t include scholarships that are tied to just one specific university. This article is different because of the nature of scholarships available to twins and multiple birth siblings. There are several strategies that you can use to help ease the financial burden of college with third-party scholarships.
One often overlooked strategy is to check with local:
- community organizations
- places of worship
- social clubs
Often, many of these offer scholarships:
- Rotary or Lions clubs
- 4-H
- Boy Scouts
- Girl Scouts
- sports programs
- after-school programs
Other organizations often offer scholarships for local students, including:
- State fairs
- rodeos
- local businesses
- trade organizations
One good resource for this should be your high-school guidance counselor, who may know of several local and regional scholarships.
Any thoughts on how I can start preparing for my future now?
It all comes down to your goals. If you have a solid idea of what you’d like to major in, then consider trying to get a job or find somewhere to volunteer that is related to what you’d like to do. If you’re interested in education, get involved with:
- mentorship programs
- summer day camp,
- an after-school program
These are a great ways to get used to being in a position of authority and working with kids.
Do you like working with animals? Try to find a job, or a volunteer or internship position, working with and caring for animals. If you want to go into medicine, you could try to volunteer with a local clinic or look for an internship, or even a job, with a local medical establishment.
If you want to go into a STEM field, there are tons of programs, competitions, and such you can do as extracurricular activities. Talk to your guidance counselor about these. Things like this look great on a college application and provide you experiences that can be useful for college application essays, and even your profession in the long run.
Do you have any advice if my high-school grades aren’t good enough to get most third party scholarships?
Hey, it happens. Not everybody gets the best grades in high school. Don’t let it get you down. There are plenty of options for you when it comes to affording college without relying as much on merit-based scholarships. First, there are often scholarships for activities. You may be eligible for scholarships from a number of schools if you:
- play a sport
- are in the marching band
- are a member of a drama or glee club
School selection is also important. If your parents can afford to continue supporting you with a place to live while you attend college, consider a local community college. In a community college, you can likely knock out the first two years of college for next to nothing, because they are so cheap for local residents.
In many cases, one or two federal grants will cover the cost of classes at a community college. Getting good grades in community college can allow you to transfer into a four-year university to complete your bachelor’s degree. Scholarships available to you when you transfer will be based on your community college grades, not your high-school grades. If you’re about to be a junior or senior in high school, and high school just isn’t your thing, many community colleges offer early admittance programs.
These programs allow juniors and seniors to complete high school at the community college, while earning college credit. This essentially giving you a one or two year head start on college. Community colleges also often have great resources for struggling students. Do you need tutoring in a subject? Maybe you need help with your writing, or any number of other things. Community colleges can be better than high school when it comes to providing these additional resources.
GCD Staff
February 2022
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