All scholarships have specific eligibility criteria. The criteria is set by the sponsor of the scholarship. Criteria may be one's G.P.A., major in college, affiliation with a club or organization, etc. The criteria is usually clearly stated in the scholarship application.
All scholarships have deadline dates.
Applicants will not be considered if they fail to comply to the deadline. As a rule of practice, the earlier the better. The sooner students know where they plan to attend school, the sooner they can contact the school's admission's office to begin the application process. Schools generally begin to award money as early as February. Some schools have early admissions programs and can make tentative awards in the fall.