22 Easy Scholarships to Apply for in Every Month of 2023 (2023)

FAQs

What is the easiest type of scholarship to get? ›

Some colleges, especially private schools, automatically consider each applicant for a merit-based scholarship, which is awarded during the acceptance process. These types of scholarships are often the easiest to obtain, since they do not require a separate application.

Is it too late to apply to scholarships? No! There are SO many scholarships out there available to students of all ages, years in school, major, and more! It's never too late to find money for college, so consistently searching for scholarships is key.

So, Where Do You Find Unclaimed Scholarships? One good place to look for scholarships is on the Financial Aid Finder Scholarship Announcement Blog. Every Friday, the site lists several scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines.

Common types of scholarships for college are merit-based scholarships, need-based scholarships, and athletic scholarships.

What's a full-ride scholarship? It's a financial award, like any other scholarship, but with a difference—it covers all your college expenses. And not just tuition—a full-ride scholarship also covers your housing, meals, books, lab fees, and sometimes even living costs.

Yes, no essay scholarships are a real thing! Some might ask you to volunteer or fill out a survey or make a short video -- others may just ask for your name. The important thing is that you don't have to push out a million different essays to qualify for financial aid.

Unless you've graduated college and started a career with no intention of returning to school, you're never too late to apply for scholarships.

What year is best to apply for scholarships? ›

Springtime actually tends to be one of the more popular seasons for scholarship deadlines, and they can happen anywhere between January and May. Spring break also presents students with the perfect opportunity to complete quite a few applications.

The federal student aid office recommends students begin applying to scholarships at least the summer break before their final academic year of high school, but applying even earlier can make you eligible for many scholarships.

For those that want solid numbers, on average, many of the students I work with are applying for anywhere between 3-7+ scholarships, each, per week. Some weeks those numbers are much higher, and other weeks students are preparing or taking the week off to recharge mentally.

Scholarships can be a tremendous help when it comes to how families pay for a child's college education, but according to a new survey conducted by Sallie Mae, nearly half of families didn't use any scholarships in 2021.

Many times if the student has not enrolled in classes during those 12 months, it expires. In almost all cases, scholarships are put directly towards your college's tuition and expenses, rather than a check sent to you. If you choose not to go to school, it will not be put in a savings account for later use.

As the latest scholarship statistics reflect, entering a four-year private nonprofit institution gives students the highest chance of being awarded a scholarship. At 62%, students from private for-profit institutions are the most likely to receive grants from the federal government (Hanson, 2021).

Odds of Receiving a Scholarship

What is this? 7% or 1 in 8 students are likely to receive a scholarship. Only 0.2% of students receive upwards of $25,000 in scholarships. 5% of students in bachelor programs got enough of scholarships to cover 100% of costs.

The mission of the 5 Strong Scholarship Foundation is to increase the retention and graduation rates at partnering Historically Black Colleges and Universities by assisting in the enrollment and success of academically promising student leaders until graduation.

PRESENTED BY: Founded in 2006 by Ron Sachs of Sachs Media, the Best & Brightest Awards is designed to recognize and honor Leon County's excelling high school seniors. Unlike most scholarship programs, awards are not based solely on GPA.

The average institutional scholarship award is $6,335. About four in 10 scholarship recipients received funds from their state, with an average award of over $2,362.

Can you keep all of your scholarship money? ›

What happens to leftover scholarship money. If you earned scholarships and grants that add up to more than your total cost of attendance, your school may send you a refund of the leftover scholarship money. Keep in mind, you may have to pay taxes on that amount.

These can include athletic or artistic abilities, high test scores, or excellent grades. Merit aid scholarships can be a way for colleges and universities to attract top talent to their campuses, rewarding students for their hard work and skills.

Leadership and academic scholarships are the two most common types of scholarships awarded by colleges.

If an application asks for money, walk away. Don't give out bank or credit card information. Any financial data you provide should come from IRS or FAFSA data. Legitimate providers do not ask for bank information.

Don't use words like “finally”, “in sum” or “in conclusion”. Don't repeat or sum up in any way. Don't start too many sentences with the word “I”. Don't tell the reader explicitly, “I am a unique and interesting person.” Instead, let the reader glean this from your unique and interesting essay.

The $2,000 No Essay Scholarship is an easy scholarship with no essay required! The scholarship can be used to cover tuition, housing, books, or any education-related expenses.

Fellowships generally offer more money than scholarships.

Students use all sorts of financial aid to pay for college, including grants, scholarships, loans, and fellowships.

Some scholarship committees only consider applicants whose GPA meets a certain threshold. Minimum requirements range from around 2.0 on the lower end to 3.75 or higher for competitive academic scholarships. Generally speaking, a 3.0 GPA or higher will give you a decent shot at qualifying for a variety of scholarships.

Earning a high GPA can often help increase your likelihood of receiving a robust scholarship. Students who hold a GPA between 3.5 to 4.0 may distinguish themselves to institutions awarding academic scholarships.

Is there an age limit for receiving federal student aid? No, there's no age limit. Almost everyone is eligible for some type of federal student aid. The adult student still needs to complete the FAFSA form, and make sure not to miss any deadlines, just like any other student.

What year do scholarships look at? ›

Federal Student Aid recommends that students start researching for scholarships the summer after your junior year of high school. If you have time and energy, you should even start before that. Every scholarship has different rules and different deadlines. Some even require submissions a year prior to starting college.

Many scholarships do not have age restrictions. One of the ways to maximize your scholarship chances is to go for those with specific demographic descriptions that you fall under. For instance, if you're an adult learner above 30 years, you may want to apply to as many adult learner scholarships as possible.

May 1 is usually the scholarship deadline date for many colleges and universities. You should start determining the colleges and university financial aid packages you will accept. (see chapter 28 in Winning Scholarships for College – “Making Choices – You've Been Awarded …Now What Do You Do?”)

Most scholarship application deadlines will occur during the regular academic year, typically September through May. While this does give you some time to apply for scholarships, it still is a good idea to start searching for scholarships early.

In general, grants are given based on financial-need, while scholarships are merit-based and awarded to students based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, field of study, and more.

The short answer is that you should apply to as many as you can, as early as you can. This means that you need to be looking early, and finding out when deadlines are. But remember, you don't want to make a career out of scholarship searching and application.

Since scholarships are meant to help you pay for school, you can almost always use the money on tuition. In fact, many scholarship organizations send the award directly to your college's financial aid office so the school can apply it to your bill.

There is no limit to the number of scholarships you can apply for, and you actually should apply to many. Scholarship awards can vary greatly, so you might apply for a few scholarships with huge awards, and you might also apply for some that are only worth a few hundred dollars.

How much money can I expect from scholarships? ›

Typically in the range of $50 to $500, they could cover a semester's worth of textbooks or lab fees. Many times, a smaller scholarship will have fewer requirements and be less competitive.

Eligibility Changes

If you spend the scholarship on something other than what the scholarship is for, you could lost it. GPA – If the scholarship required a minimum grade point average to qualify or to maintain the scholarship and you fall below, you could lose the scholarship.

Too Many Scholarships Affect Financial Aid

You're required to report any sort of outside scholarships or financial aid to your college, so your institutional aid can be adjusted accordingly. Basically, the more outside scholarship money you get, the less money the school itself will give you.

The diversity of reasoning that goes into giving money away creates a confusing network of opportunities for students to sift through on the internet. Furthermore, the many inconsistent algorithmic interpretations of language on internet search engines and databases make this process even harder.

Do you have to pay back a scholarship if you lose it? Usually, the answer is no. Scholarships are a form of nonrepayable gift aid, much like many federal grants. Student loans, unlike grants and scholarships, are borrowed money that must be paid back with interest.

Report Highlights. Over 1.7 million scholarships are awarded annually. However, only 7% of college students will receive a scholarship.

While some scholarships are based on a student's GPA, most scholarship aren't only about a student's GPA. Rather, providers use grade point averages as a piece of scholarship qualification criteria (For example, the details may note, “Students must have a 3.0 GPA or above to apply.”)

Since the minimum GPA for a full-ride scholarship is usually set at 3.5, a 4.0 is sure to always be above and beyond what's required. Keep in mind that while a strong GPA does help, it's not the only deciding factor.

A 3.4 GPA will make you eligible for many different scholarships. You may find some that require a 3.5 or higher, but those should be few and far between. Check out our extensive scholarship database to find scholarships!

How high does your GPA have to be to get a full scholarship to Harvard? ›

Recipients are chosen on the basis of financial need and academic merit. Scholarship applicants must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.33 or higher. See important information about enrollment status for Special Students in Enrollment Considerations.

Odds of Winning a Scholarship

Only about 1 in 8 college students wins a scholarship, and the average amount used to pay for college is about $4,200 a year. Very few students win $25,000 or more in scholarships each year (only about 0.1%). Among the students who win scholarships, 97% win $2,500 or less.

7% of students are likely to receive a scholarship. Only 1.5% of students will receive a full scholarship. $8.8 billion was awarded in need-based scholarships. White students have a 14.2% chance of getting a scholarship, while minority students have 11.2%.

Individuals with a 3.0 GPA can explore various options to help fund their college studies. There are scholarships, grants, student loans, and work-study programs. All these opportunities can help you pay for college, but they all have their own requirements and restrictions.

To be eligible for federal student aid and college financial aid, a student must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This generally consists of maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (i.e., at least a C average) and passing enough classes with progress toward a degree.