Elks National Foundation’s Legacy Awards Scholarship

Award amount: $4,000.

Scholarship Deadline: February 5.

Details: $4,000 four-year scholarships are given to children and grandchildren of Elks in good standing. The parent or grandparent must have been an Elk for at least two years and remain a member in good standing. You must be a high school senior and apply through the associated member’s Elks Lodge.

Americanism Essay Scholarship

Award Amount: $100 to $1,200.

Scholarship Deadline: First Friday of February.

Details: The Americanism Essay Scholarship is open to Illinois high school students and requires an essay on American values and good citizenship.

AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness: College Scholarship

Award amount: $5,000.

Scholarship Deadline: February 15.

Details: AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness The College Scholarship Essay Contest is an annual competition for college-bound youngsters. Applicants must write a 1,200 to 1,500-word essay about the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on themselves, their families, or their communities, as well as what they have learned from dealing with the brain disorder.

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholarship

Award amount: up to $5,000.

Scholarship Deadline: February 14.

Details: Merit-based awards for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, eligible non-citizens, or DACA students of Hispanic heritage who intend to enroll full-time in an accredited four-year university in the upcoming academic year.

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship

Award amount: $10,000.

Scholarship Deadline: February 20.

Details: Three scholarships (one $10,000 and two $5,000) will be offered to graduating US high school students who have promoted vegetarianism (including veganism) in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, fish, or poultry. Applicants will be selected based on their strong dedication to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet and lifestyle.

Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship

Award amount: $1,500.

Scholarship Deadline: February 28.

Details: P.L.A.Y understands that there are many young brains out there who are passionate about assisting animals in need. To inspire students and promote this cause, P.L.A.Y. will present a $1,500 scholarship to a graduating high school student who best exemplifies their fundamental values.

The Engebretson Foundation Scholarship

Award Amount: $5,000 per semester.

Scholarship Deadline: March 1.

Details: This need-based scholarship is rather straightforward: it is given to one student each year who exhibits not only financial need but also outstanding academic performance and leadership skills.

Horatio Alger National Scholarship

Award amount: is $25,000.

Scholarship Deadline: March 8.

Details: The Horatio Alger National Scholarship Program is one of the nation’s largest scholarship programs, assisting high school students who have experienced and overcome significant challenges in their young lives. Open to US high school students in dire financial need. The minimum GPA is 2.0.

Executive Women’s International Scholarship Program

Award amount:  varies.

Scholarship Deadline: March 26.

Details: To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be recommended by his or her school counselor or administration. Students apply and compete at the local Chapter for scholarships worth up to $10,000. The first-place winner from each Chapter will be submitted to the Corporate level for a chance to earn the Corporate Scholarship.

Bridge the Dream Scholarship Program

Award amount: $10,000.

Scholarship Deadline: March 27.

Details: The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and The Sallie Mae Fund are pleased to provide financial aid to talented students. Twenty-five (25) students who complete a two-year, four-year, or trade/vocational certificate/certification program will be chosen to receive a scholarship of up to $10,000.

The Fountainhead Essay Contest

Award Amount: $500 to $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: April 29.

Details: The Fountainhead Essay Contest is open to high school juniors and seniors and offers three essay question options.

E-Waste Scholarships

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: April 30.

Details: The E-Waste Scholarship, offered by Digital Responsibility, encourages students to learn about the effects of e-waste and how to reduce it.

Scholarship offered by RealtyHop

Award Amount: $2,000.

Scholarship deadlines: April 30 and August 31.

Details: The RealtyHop Scholarship provides up to $2,000 each year to qualifying college students and high school seniors pursuing a bachelor’s and/or associate’s degree program in the United States who exhibit the ambition, diligence, leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit that are important to our company culture.

The Rover Scholarship Contest

Award Amount: $2,500.

Scholarship Deadline: May 1.

Details: Higher education is that magical moment when schedules and budgets are tight. Rover would like to support your education. Simply write a 400-500-word essay for a chance to win $2,500!

Visionary Scholarship

Award Amount: $1,000 to $5,000.

Scholarship Deadline: May 1.

Details: The American College Foundation (ACF) sponsors the annual Visionary Scholarship program to help students in all grades of high school.

General and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: July 31.

Details: The Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship is a merit-based program that helps students pursue their higher education goals. To apply, students simply respond to one of three essay questions (“Feel free to re-use an essay that you wrote in class, for college admission, or another scholarship competition.”)

The Alex Austin Overcoming Adversity Scholarship

Award Amount: $500 to $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: September 1.

Details: Open to all high school and college students in the United States, including DACA recipients. Students who identify as a minority or will be first-generation college students are urged to apply.

The Cameron Impact Scholarship

Award amount: full-ride!

Scholarship Deadline: September 10

Details: The Cameron Impact Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition, merit-based undergraduate scholarship awarded each year to 10-15 outstanding high school students who have excelled in academics, extracurricular activities, leadership, and community service.

Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.7.

The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

Award Amount: $40,000 annually

Scholarship Deadline: November 18.

Details: The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program for high-achieving high school graduates with financial need who want to attend and graduate from the nation’s top four-year institutions and universities. The minimum GPA is 3.5.

The Heisman High School Scholarship

Award Amount: $1,000 to $10,000.

Scholarship Deadline: October 19.

Details: Open to high-achieving high school seniors in the United States who have at least a 3.0 GPA and participate in a variety of sports, school, and community activities.

Imagine America’s High School Scholarship

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: December 1.

Details: The Imagine America Foundation (IAF) sponsors Imagine America, a $1,000 career education scholarship for recent high school graduates pursuing postsecondary education at participating career colleges across the United States.

10x Scholarship for Digital Marketing

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: December 1.

Details: Each year, 10x Digital gives a $2,000 scholarship to one bright student (twice a year) who is majoring in (or intends to major in) a digital marketing-related subject.

Undocumented and international students studying in the United States are entitled to apply.

Ronald Brown Scholars Program

Award Amount: $40,000.

Scholarship Deadline: December 1.

Details: The RBSP competitively provides 45 – 50 four-year $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 per year) to the most outstanding and economically disadvantaged high school seniors who display a strong interest in public service, community engagement, business entrepreneurship, and global citizenship.

Applicants to the Ron Brown Scholarship must be Black/African American, US citizens or permanent residents, and current high school seniors at the time of application.

The National Honor Society Scholarship Program

Award amount: varies.

Scholarship Deadline: December 1.

Details: The National Honor Society is dedicated to assisting students in achieving their secondary education goals, and we offer the following tools to students and their families to assist in the planning process. Every year, 600 scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who are NHS members.

Amazon’s Future Engineer Scholarship Program

Award Amount: $40,000.

Scholarship deadline: December 15.

Details: A significant two-for-one scholarship for high school students interested in computer science. Win $40,000 for college plus a paid programming internship at Amazon.

Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their academic performance, computer science experience, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience, short answer responses, unusual personal or family circumstances, financial need, racial/ethnic/gender diversity, and an educator appraisal, which should be completed by a computer science teacher.

Burger King Scholar’s Program

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship deadline: December 15.

Details: Open to high school seniors from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The Equitable Excellence Scholarship

Award Amount: Up to $20,000 over four years.

Scholarship Deadline: December 17.

Details: Open to current high school seniors who intend to enroll full-time in an authorized two- or four-year college or institution in the United States for the forthcoming academic year.

Around the Corner from the College Scholarship

Award amount: $1,000.

Scholarship Deadline: December 31, (and June 30)

Details: This grant is an Access grant opportunity just for high school students! Open to high school seniors, as well as kids in grades 9 through 11. DACA/undocumented and international students are also welcome to apply.

The Cirkledin No Sweat Scholarship

Award Amount: $2,500.

Scholarship deadline: December 31.

Details: Apply in four easy steps: Visit www.cirkledin.com, establish a free Cirkledin account, click the “Apply Now” button, and tell us, “What is one thing in the Olympics that you would win gold in?”

Careers Through Culinary Arts Program Cooking Contest for Scholarships

Award amount: varies (up to full tuition).

Scholarship Deadline: Varies

Details: Applicants must be seniors at a C-CAP partner high school in Arizona, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Tidewater, Virginia, or the cities of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC. Applicants must be admitted into the cooking competition to be eligible for scholarships. Check the CCAP website for contact information for your local coordinator.

US Senate Youth Program

Award amount: $10,000.

Scholarship Deadline: varies per state.

Details: The United States Senate Youth Program awards scholarships to high school seniors (and juniors!) who hold elected student offices. Two students are chosen from each state.

Great Scholarships for High School Seniors: How to Find and Apply!

Look, finding and applying for scholarships for high school seniors isn’t always easy. However, the fact that you’ve gotten this far in the post and are taking the initiative to learn more about scholarships is an excellent start!

Here are some brief recommendations to aid you on your scholarship path…

1. Establish goals for yourself along the way

I was a high school senior not long ago, so I understand what it’s like to strike a balance between studies, extracurricular activities, college applications, and scholarships.

It is not always an easy task, which is why you should focus on defining goals for yourself and developing a scholarship strategy!

Your objectives should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and timely). Setting goals for things like how much money you want to earn from scholarships and when you plan to seek and apply will help you stay on track to reach your objectives.

2. Determine where to look

If you’re reading this, you already know where to look! The Access Scholarships Search Engine is an excellent resource for finding scholarships for graduating high school seniors. Beyond Access Scholarships, make sure you…

• Contact your school counselor to explore some of the area scholarships available for you to apply for.
• Visit your state’s financial assistance page to learn more about the awards and programs.

3. Apply frequently

Don’t think of the scholarship process as something you can participate in once every few months and be successful with.

The scholarship application process demands consistency and perseverance. If you want to have the best chances of receiving scholarships, you must be committed to the process (a healthy balance of largely essay scholarships and some no-essay scholarships is a good plan) and put forth the effort!

4. Be organized, thorough, and punctual

Many students find it beneficial to organize their scholarship application and search process using a spreadsheet (virtual or actual). These are highly useful for keeping track of critical dates, scholarship criteria, and so on.

TIP: Click here to view and get a copy of my scholarship tracker so you can start organizing your own!

5. Think outside of the box

I’ve included a slew of fantastic scholarships for high school seniors in this post.

In addition to this, don’t be scared to look for scholarships that are tailored to YOU in all respects! This entails reflecting critically on your hobbies, interests, and passions outside of academia.

It also entails considering what characteristics characterize you and how you may use them in your scholarship application. For example, are you about to be a first-generation college student? Or perhaps you intend to pursue a STEM degree? These are only two areas where you can look for scholarships.

What is a scholarship?

To put it simply, a scholarship is free money that you may use to pay for college.

Scholarships, unlike other sorts of financial aid (such as loans), do not need repayment, which is why they are so great.

I am a high school senior. Is it too late to start applying for scholarships?

No, not at all! In fact, you’re in a great position to apply for scholarships because you can not only apply for high school scholarships but also start preparing for college scholarships.

Starting the process as a senior in high school allows you to become fully acquainted and comfortable with what is involved, so when you arrive on campus in the fall, you will know exactly what you need to do to secure the bag!

Where can I discover scholarships to apply to?

In addition to Access Scholarships, there are numerous more websites and tools available to assist you with your scholarship search and application.

You should begin by visiting your state’s website(s), which describe state-based financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

Then, contact your school counselor (and conduct research on Google) to find about local scholarships that you can apply for.

Another innovative technique to locate potential scholarship possibilities tailored to you is to use social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and even Pinterest!). You can follow hashtags on Instagram, such as #TexasScholarships (if you reside in Texas), so that if an organization posts a relevant scholarship with that hashtag, you can find it and apply if you’re interested!

How can I make my application stand out?

Great question! One of the most important ways to stand out in your application is to present additional requirements.

Whether it’s an essay, a video, letters of recommendation, or other supplementary submissions, you’ll want to take the extra time and effort to ensure that what you’re bringing in is really YOU, unique, eye-catching, and unforgettable.

How can I manage scholarship applications while still doing academics and college applications?

As a senior, I understand you must have a lot on your plate that you are attempting to balance. My number one recommendation for getting everything done (and being as successful as possible in the process) is to create goals and keep organized – more on this in the tips area below the scholarships!