While the cost of education may force students to head to church and pray to the financial gods, some are beginning to realize that they may actually be able to use their faith to help pay tuition.

“The big problems today in education occurs before college,” said Ayman Fadel, secretary of Fadel Education Foundation, a private scholarship organization that helps fund higher education for Muslims. “Muslim needs in the U.S. are widespread and chronic, and so higher education and the system for education are not on the top list of people’s priorities.”

While students frequently apply for scholarships through their colleges, students often overlook centralized grants offered to students with unique qualities. Thus, specialized scholarships offered to religious individuals or those wishing to pursue a religious education often produce a lower applicant pool, scholarship officials said.

The Fadel Foundation, which offers grants to individuals who practice Islam, receives 25 applications on average per year, not including those from students interested in renewing their scholarships, said Fadel. Last year, the national foundation gave between 25 and 30 grants to new and reapplying students.

The Alisa Flatow Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is offered to individuals who desire to spend a full academic year studying Judaism in Israel, receives 300 to 400 applications internationally every year. The fund distributes eight scholarships and five more to alternates, said Wallace Greene, executive secretary of the fund.

But the low number of applications may be due to the fact that many religiously affiliated scholarships are privately offered or offered to individuals attending institutions of a specific denomination.

“The question I would ask is ‘Who would offer these [religious based] scholarships?'”, said Nathan Raybeck, graduate student. “Could the University offer a scholarship for, let’s say, one-half off of tuition? I think the answer is decidedly no.”

Raybeck said people often feel uncomfortable when public funds are used to advance religious needs, fearing they might violate the church vs. state separation line.

Other reasons why students may overlook these religious scholarship opportunities is because they fear that they are under-qualified, despite what reviewers of the grants are now saying.

“We aren’t looking for a person to be a mystic or walk on water,” Fadel said. “We want someone who has some honesty and decency and responsibility. We don’t expect an 18-year-old to have answers to life.”

Greene said reviewers of the applications look for individuals “who are altruistic in terms of volunteer involvement and financial need.”

Despite the lack of scholarships available, many agree action must be taken to ensure students are able to receive the education they desire.