There’s a massive obstacle standing in the way of your desire to attend college. There is a huge price tag looming over you. Do you incur debt as a result of your student loans? Are you changing schools?
The greatest way to take on that enormous task may be through scholarships. The top scholarship opportunities are included in this post along with some helpful advice.
Well, let’s get started!
4 Things To Consider Before Applying for Scholarships
Eligibility
Many scholarships include prerequisites for eligibility, such as a GPA, community service, financial need, ethnicity, or personality type. Before you apply, familiarize yourself with your background, objectives, and self to determine what scholarships you qualify for.
Application Requirements
Tests, essays, online applications, academic projects, and more are prerequisites for some grants. Make sure you investigate so you are aware of what it involves. It could take you up to two or three years to complete all the criteria before you apply to colleges.
Deadlines
There will be deadlines for each scholarship that you must fulfill. To make things easier to manage, a lot of them will coincide with your college application season at the start of your senior year of high school. There are those, though, whose deadlines are significantly sooner. Don’t forget to double-check.
Financial Aid
A portion of scholarship funds are awarded once, while other funds are renewable. Certain opportunities are one-time only, while others allow applications each academic year. If you are selected for the award, carefully read the fine print to find out what you will receive and when. And keep in mind that there will never be a fee associated with applying for an approved scholarship.
Best College and College Application Scholarships
Trustee, Presidential, & Dean’s Scholarships at USC Dornsife
Amount: 50% for Presidential tuition, 25% for Dean’s tuition, and 100% for Trustee tuition
All US and foreign students are eligible to apply for the University of Southern California’s (USC) fantastic scholarship program. All you have to do to be automatically considered is apply to USC by December 1st of the application year. When granting the scholarships, the institution considers three factors: leadership, community service, and academic achievement.
Nancy Susan Reynolds Scholarships at Wake Forest University
Total: tuition and stipend in full
Creative leaders, bright academics, and students who care about society would all benefit greatly from this scholarship.
Students who meet the eligibility requirements display:
- Do well academically
- Place first among colleagues.
- Exhibit leadership in extracurricular activities.
- Have been acknowledged for their efforts at the local, state, or federal levels.
- For Wake Forest undergraduate admission, applicants need only submit their college application by November 15 of the application year.
Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina
Total: all activities and tuition paid
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides far more than just a fully paid college education for students seeking something greater. Through financing experiences in extracurricular study, life-altering summer enrichment, and enduring ties to a community of Morehead-Cain scholars, it unleashes your potential.
Students from the US or other countries may apply, but they need:
- Lead with integrity, and enthusiasm on the physical level, and display strength of character.
- Become a nominee through their high school
- Send applications for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship and UNC-Chapel Hill simultaneously.
College Board BigFuture Scholarships
Between $500 and $40,000.
BigFuture is from the company The College Board, which produces the SAT. For high school students searching for scholarships, BigFuture is a crucial digital resource. All College Board-eligible students enrolled in US high schools are eligible to apply for BigFuture scholarships.
To be automatically entered into drawings for several $500 and $40,000 scholarships, all you have to do is complete certain tasks on BigFuture. You should already be finishing the necessary tasks as part of your college applications, such as creating a college list, getting ready for the SAT, and filing the FAFSA.
Additionally, BigFuture allows you to apply for several scholarships at once.
Best Scholarships for Academic Excellence and Leadership
National Merit Scholarship
Total: $2,500
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has given scholarships to more than 8,500 deserving students in the past, totaling around $39 million. Juniors who have demonstrated a strong academic record in school and achieved extraordinary results on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) are eligible to apply.
After qualifying, NMSC finalists are selected according to their:
- SAT ratings
- Record of academic achievement
- Curriculum in schools
- Instructor suggestions
- Student-led initiatives
- Personal statement
Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship
$10,000, $20,000, and $50,000 are the amounts.
Do you truly know a lot about philosophy, music, literature, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? Have you produced work that has significance and the ability to advance society? The Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship may be a suitable option for you.
Each category has distinct qualifications, so the application process is lengthy, but the rewards are also varied. This may be your best chance to discover your area of expertise within your subject of study and, ideally, earn college credits in the process.
GE Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program
Sum: $10,000 (renewable annually up to $40,000 per beneficiary)
The GE Reagan Foundation Scholarship is one of the top student leadership scholarships available. It is intended for undergraduate students who plan to attend college and who show excellent leadership, motivation, moral character, and civic engagement in their community, career, and grades.
If you intend to enroll in a full-time undergraduate program leading to a bachelor’s degree, you must be a US citizen, a senior in high school at the moment, and qualify. Scholars get support for leadership development throughout their academic careers in addition to the yearly $10,000 gift, and they can apply for a unique rewards program.
Best Low-Income Scholarships
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans National Scholarship
Total: $25,000.
The Horatio Alger National Scholarship is a fantastic chance for junior US citizens who have surmounted obstacles to become accomplished leaders and who show a vital need for financial aid ($55,000 or less per household).
To be eligible for this kind of grant, applicants must possess integrity, tenacity, and a sense of community. With the same connection, there are further chances such as:
- State Bursaries ($10,000 maximum)
- Awards for Career and Technical Education (up to $2,500)
- Up to $50,000 in university-specific targeted scholarships
Ron Brown Scholarship
Sum: $10,000 per year (up to $40,000).
This scholarship seeks to promote higher education for community-minded, economically disadvantaged, and intellectually bright African Americans in remembrance of Ronald H. Brown, the first politician of African descent to serve as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Students who qualify are:
- American Black or African American
- Americans
- seniors in high school right now
- enthusiastic about business entrepreneurship, global citizenship, community involvement, and public service.
QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship
The entire expense of enrollment at a four-year college comes to an amount of over $200,000.
A route to prestigious universities like Amherst, Brown, Claremont McKenna, Grinnell, MIT, Tufts, USC, Wellesley, and others is provided by QuestBridge National College Match, which is intended for students from low-income households who perform academically.
A strong moral foundation and a strong desire to succeed despite financial difficulties are requirements for eligibility.
- Senior year in high school
- Citizens of the US
- Highest 5–10% of their graduating class
The Gates Scholarship
Total cost of attendance for a four-year college: more than $200,000
Each year, the Gates Scholarship is given to 300 student leaders to support them in reaching their full potential throughout college and beyond. Students must be African American, American Indian, Asian American, or Hispanic American, and be seniors in high school who qualify for Pell grants. They must also have the following characteristics.
- An exceptional academic history
- Demonstrated capacity for leadership
- Superb abilities for personal achievement
Best Scholarships for Working Students
Starbucks College Achievement Plan
Amount: Tuition in full
Full- or part-time Starbucks employees are eligible to apply for an online bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University and receive 100% of the cost of tuition. Students can work, study, and achieve success with over 100 majors available to them.
For eligibility, you have to:
- Have completed three months of work in a row totaling at least 240 hours at Starbucks
- Lack a bachelor’s degree already
- Finish the FAFSA.
Amazon Career Choice Program with Outlier
Sum: the whole cost of tuition
Employees at Amazon have access to Golden Gate University and Outlier.org, which provide opportunities for job advancement and college degrees. Via Amazon, students can obtain a career certificate in resume development and an associate degree through the Degrees+ Program.
You are able to get your degree at your own pace while working with Amazon. As every Degrees+ course is entirely online and asynchronous, you are free to choose when to devote yourself to learning. You may take all of your earned credits with you if you decide to pursue an advanced degree later on because they are all accredited and transferable.
Best Scholarships for Graduate Students
Fulbright Commission Post-Graduate Scholarship Awards
Total: living expenses + tuition
Building cultural understanding between the US and the UK is the goal of the US-UK Fulbright Program. Numerous scholarships are available for graduate students who want to study in the UK. Several university- and degree-specific awards are available in addition to the All Disciplines Award, which applies to any master’s or PhD program.
Students who qualify have to:
- Be US citizens (dual citizens of the US and the UK may apply).
- Living outside of the United Kingdom
- have completed their undergraduate studies.
- A worldwide network of over 300,000 accomplished academics is available to successful students.
Rhodes Trust Scholarship at Oxford University
Sum: the whole cost of tuition
For graduate students wishing to attend Oxford University, there is the Rhodes Trust Scholarship, one of the world’s oldest foreign scholarship programs, having been created in 1903. A bachelor’s degree must have been earned, and applicants must be US citizens.
Excellence in academics, honesty, bravery, loyalty to duty, kindness, selflessness, camaraderie, moral strength of character, and the innate ability to lead in the face of global adversity are additional requirements.
7 Scholarship Application Tips
- Commence early
It’s never too early to begin considering and getting ready for scholarships; you might even stumble into a passion project or pick up some new abilities in the process.
- Enhance your community service, academic performance, and leadership.
These are the foundation of numerous scholarships. Your chances of success will increase with the degree to which your applications can showcase these actions.
- Become structured
Create a list of criteria, put your deadlines on your calendars, and devise a plan. Organizing all of your scholarship (and college) applications will increase your chances of success significantly.
- Recognize the demands
Avoid applying for scholarships that you are not qualified for. Remember to include recommendations or writings. On an online form, don’t forget to fill in all the boxes. To ensure you know what’s expected of you, read through everything you can before beginning the application process.
- Don’t put all of your money in one unit.
Don’t forget to submit the FAFSA along with applications to several scholarships.
- Maintain personal touch
When writing application essays, be careful to highlight your unique qualities, and don’t forget to proofread.
- Maintain your optimism
If you try again and it doesn’t work, try something else. Keep your hope alive!
FAQs
Q. How can I raise the likelihood that I will be awarded a scholarship?
Ans. Investigate and maintain organization. Numerous scholarships are available, such as those for single mothers or spouses of military personnel. However, in your senior year of high school, you must make sure you have enough time to look for and apply for them.
If there are any special qualifying conditions, it is well worth your while to search for a few years before applying. Additionally, it’s worthwhile to continue exploring once you’ve entered college, as there are even more scholarship options available to them than to high school graduates.
Q. For what scholarship is it simplest to apply?
Ans. Nothing is certain. The scholarships that just need an application are the simplest to apply for. For instance, you’re already going through the process; why not apply in an orderly manner using College Board’s BigFuture or by USC’s December 1 deadline?
Another simple method for students to acquire funding to assist with their college expenses is to apply for grants. Each year, grants totaling millions of dollars are awarded, and frequently, anyone who applies can receive this funding.
Q. Are multiple scholarship applications accepted?
Ans. Without a doubt! It is understood by all universities and scholarship sponsors that you will explore various options for financing your education. The majority of students will combine work-study opportunities, scholarships, family contributions, and financial aid from the college.