Even though outside scholarships rarely decrease the amount that your family is expected to pay out of pocket, it's still very worthwhile to pursue them.
Why? Simply put, they expand your options for where you can go to  college. At some colleges, the first things taken away from a full-need package to make room for an outside scholarship are loans. Since that reduces the total amount you will have to pay back later, it makes that college more affordable. (Colleges vary in their policies on how they adjust packages for outside  scholarships;
you should call or e-mail the financial aid offices at the colleges you're consid­ ering to learn about their policies.)

There are also colleges that can't afford to offer every admitted student a financial aid package that meets the student's full need. If, for example, your need is $25,000 at a particu lar university, and the university's aid office can only offer you a combined total of $23,000 in grants, scholarships, work-study and subsidized federal loans, then there is a $2,000 "gap" in your aid package.

Outside scholarships can help fill that gap. Finally, there may be colleges where you don't have any financial need.
For example, if your family's expected contribution to your college costs is
$10,000, a state university that costs $10,000 a year to attend couldn't offer you any need-based aid. An outside merit scholarship, in this case, could decrease what your  family pays below their expected contribution