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• How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

Published on October 11, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

A good scholarship essay demonstrates the scholarship organization’s values while directly addressing the prompt. If you plan ahead , you can save time by writing one essay for multiple prompts with similar questions.

Table of contents

Apply for a wide variety of scholarships, make a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, tailor your essay to the organization and the prompt, write a focused and relevant personal story, scholarship essay example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Scholarships are a type of student financial aid that don’t require repayment. They are awarded based on various factors, including academic merit, financial need, intended major, personal background, or activities and interests.

Like college applications, scholarship applications often require students to submit their grades, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and an essay.

A scholarship essay shares your values and qualities in the context of a specific question, such as “How does technology affect your daily life?” or “Who has had the greatest impact on your life?”

Be wary of scholarship scams

While some applications may not require an essay, be wary of scholarship scams that do the following:

• Guarantee you scholarship money for a fee
• Claim scholarship information is exclusive to their company
• Ask for your bank or credit card information to hold the scholarship

Some legitimate companies do charge for releasing comprehensive scholarship lists or creating a tailored list of scholarship opportunities based on your profile.

However, you can always discover scholarship opportunities for free through your school counselor, community network, or an online search.

Many students focus on well-known, large scholarship opportunities, which are usually very competitive. To maximize your chance of success, invest time in applying for a wide variety of scholarships: national and local, as well as big and small award amounts. There are also scholarships for international students .

In addition to charitable foundation and corporate scholarships, you should consider applying for institutional scholarships at your prospective universities, which can award money based on your application’s strength, your financial situation, and your demonstrated interest in the school.

Check with your guidance counselor, local organizations, community network, or prospective schools’ financial aid offices for scholarship opportunities. It’s a good idea to start applying as early as your junior year and continue throughout your senior year.

Choose the right scholarships for you

Choose scholarships with missions and essay topics that match your background, experiences, and interests. If the scholarship topic is meaningful to you, it will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay.

Don’t shy away from applying for local scholarships with small dollar amounts. Even a few hundred dollars can help you pay for books.

Local scholarships may be more tailored to your community, background, and activities, so they’re likely more relevant to you. Fewer students apply for these scholarships, so you have less competition and a higher chance of success.

Some places to look for local scholarships include

• Civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc.
• Your church, mosque, synagogue, or place of worship
• Community groups, such as the YMCA
• Ethnicity-based organizations
• Your local library or local small businesses
• Organizations related to your intended major
• Your city or town
• Your school district
• Unions, such as SEIU, the Teamsters, CWA, etc.
• Your employer or your parents’ employers
• Banks, credit unions, and local financial institutions

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

While researching scholarship opportunities, create a scholarship tracker spreadsheet to keep track of the following:

• Scholarship amounts
• Required application materials

You can use our free Google Sheets template to track your scholarship applications.

Scholarship application tracker template

You can also include scholarship essay prompts in your college essay tracker sheet . By grouping or color-code overlapping essay prompts, you can plan to write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can also reuse or adapt your main college essay .

Even if you’re adapting another essay, it’s important to make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, stays within the word count limit , and demonstrates the organization’s values. The scholarship committee will be able to tell if you reuse an essay that doesn’t quite respond to the prompt, so be sure to tailor it to the questions asked.

Research each organization

Before writing, research the scholarship organization’s mission and reason for awarding the scholarship. Learning more about the organization can help you select an appropriate topic and relevant story.

While you should tailor your essay to the organization’s values, maintain your authentic voice. Never use false or exaggerated stories. If the organization’s values don’t align with yours or you can’t brainstorm a relevant story for the scholarship, continue searching for other scholarship opportunities to find a more appropriate one for you.

After researching the organization, identify a specific personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies why you will be a successful student.

Choose a story with the following criteria:

• Responds to the prompt
• Demonstrates the organization’s values
• Includes an authentic story
• Focuses on you and your experience, not someone else’s

A good scholarship essay is not

• A resume of your achievements
• A lengthy opinion piece about the essay topic
• An essay featuring a negative tone that puts down others

If appropriate, you can briefly address how the scholarship money will help you achieve your educational goals. You should also end with a brief thank-you.

Take a look at the full essay example below. Hover over the underlined parts to read explanations of why they work.

Prompt: Describe how working for Chelsea’s Chicken restaurant has developed leadership skills that will help you succeed in college. Give specific examples of leadership characteristics that you have exhibited during your employment with us.

As a nervous 16-year-old, I walked into Chelsea’s Chicken for my first day of work determined to make enough money to put gas in my car and buy pizza on the weekends. My only previous job was mowing my neighbors’ lawns when they were on vacation, so I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit intimidated by my new responsibilities, especially handling money and helping disgruntled customers.

However, it didn’t take me long to learn my way around the cash register and successfully address customer complaints. One day, Roger, the store manager, asked me if I wanted to join Chelsea’s Chicken Leadership Training Initiative. He said he saw leadership potential in me because of my attitude with the customers and my enthusiasm for learning new job responsibilities. It surprised me because I had never thought of myself as a leader, but I quickly agreed, and Roger handed me a three-ring binder that was thicker than my math and science textbooks put together! He told me to take it home and read over it during the following week.

In that binder, I discovered that being a leader means taking the initiative, especially when the job is undesirable. One week later, I got to practice that idea when a little kid threw up in the bathroom and missed the toilet. It smelled terrible, but I stepped forward and told Roger that I would clean it up. My coworkers thought I was crazy, but I started to believe in my leadership potential.

That night as we closed the store, Roger pulled me aside in the parking lot and told me that he could tell that I had been studying the manual. He wanted to give me more responsibility, along with a dollar-per-hour pay raise. I was surprised because I had been working there for only a couple of months, but his encouragement helped me make a connection: good leadership helps other people, and it often is rewarded. I was determined to experience more of both.

Within a month, I was ready to take the Team Leader exam, which mattered because I would receive a promotion and a much bigger raise if I passed. But, when I got to work, two of the scheduled team members had called in sick. We were noticeably short-handed, and our customers weren’t happy about it.

I walked back to the lockers, put on my vest and hat, and took my place behind an open register. Customers immediately moved into my line to place their orders. Roger looked at me with surprise and asked, “Did you forget that you’re testing tonight?” I responded, “No, sir—but what’s the use of taking a leadership test if you aren’t going to lead in real life?” Roger smiled at me and nodded.

He stayed late that night after we closed so that I could leave early and still take the test. I noticed that Roger was always staying late, helping employees learn new skills. His example taught me that leaders take the initiative to develop other leaders. He gave me a clear picture of what shared leadership looks like, making room for others to grow and excel. When I asked him where he learned to do that, he said, “From the same leadership manual I gave you!”

Chelsea’s Chicken has offered me so much more than a paycheck. Because of Roger’s example, I have learned to take the initiative to care for my family and friends, such as being the first to do the dishes without my mom asking or volunteering to pick up my friend for our SAT prep course. Now, as I prepare to enter college, I have confidence in my leadership ability. I know I’m signing up for a challenging major—Biology, Pre-Med—yet I also know that Chelsea’s Chicken has helped me to develop the perseverance required to complete my studies successfully.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

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Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

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Writing is an extremely important part of success in high school, college, and life in general. For some students, writing is also an intricate part of who they are and how they express themselves. If you are someone who loves English class and is genuinely excited about a new creative writing assignment, then you should keep reading! Writing scholarships, creative writing scholarships, and essay scholarships are great ways to put your talent to use.

Whether you are planning on attending community college, a four-year program, or graduate school, we’ve got opportunities for you. Keep on reading to learn about the top scholarships for writers and creative writers including eligibility, award amounts, and deadlines!

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The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:

• The scholarship requires a fee to apply
• The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
• The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
• Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
• The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
• The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
• The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
• There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
• The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
• There is no available contact information

If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!

* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system. ** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements. ***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.

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Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Contest

Offered by Regions Bank

Are you a Black, college-bound high school senior or current college student who will be enrolled in an accredited university for this upcoming academic year?… Show More

Are you a Black, college-bound high school senior or current college student who will be enrolled in an accredited university for this upcoming academic year? If so, you may be eligible for the Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Contest! Each quarter, the contest awards $8,000 to the top four (4) applicants who submit an essay (500 words or less) or a video (3 minutes or less) about how someone they know has (1) inspired them and (2) given them the confidence to achieve their goals. The scholarship is offered four times a year, with deadlines every March, June, September, and December. Bear in mind that applicants must also reside in a state with Regions Bank full-service branches to apply. To find out whether or not your state is eligible, keep on reading. If it is, we encourage you to apply! Show Less

Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship

Offered by Unigo

Are you a big fan of The Walking Dead, or maybe Z Nation? Ever thought about what you would do in the case of a… Show More

Are you a big fan of The Walking Dead, or maybe Z Nation? Ever thought about what you would do in the case of a zombie apocalypse? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you: the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship! Each year, this scholarship awards $2,000 to the applicant who, in 250 words or less, best describes their escape plan if there were a zombie outbreak at their school. The scholarship is offered by Unigo in hopes of helping some creative, zombie-obsessed students pay off some of their postsecondary education. If you’ve been inspired by the zombie shows and movies from the past few decades and have come up with a plan of your own, we encourage you to apply to the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship! It’s due exactly when you’d expect: on Halloween. Show Less

JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest

Offered by John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Are you a U.S. high school student with a love for U.S. history? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you: the JFK… Show More

Are you a U.S. high school student with a love for U.S. history? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you: the JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest! Each year, the contest awards up to $10,000 to winning applicants who submit a 700 - 1,000-word essay following the year’s prompt. Each year's prompt relates to U.S. history, with this year’s being: “Describe an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born. Include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the act. ” The scholarship is offered by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. If you love U.S. history and want to put your writing skills and history knowledge to the test, we encourage you to apply! Show Less

Top 10 essay scholarships in 2024

Our editors hand-picked the following 10 essay scholarships with an eye for large awards, prestigious organizations, and scholarships that are open to a wide variety of students. Apply with confidence to the following essay scholarships:

• Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship – For high school seniors with financial need, worth up to $55,000 per year
• Questbridge College Match – For high school seniors with financial need, offers a full ride to college
• The Gates Scholarship – For low-income minority high school seniors, offers a full ride to college
• Tylenol Future Care Scholarship – For students enrolling in medical, nursing, or pharmacy school, worth $5,000-$10,000
• Regeneron Science Talent Search – For high school seniors interested in pursuing an individual STEM research project. Worth anywhere between $2,000 and $250,000
• Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship – For high school seniors pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems, or a business field. Worth up to $20,000
• Horatio Alger Undergraduate Scholarships – For high school students with high financial need, worth up to $49,000
• Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship – For high school seniors with high financial need who plan to study computer science in college. Worth $10,000 per year
• Ron Brown Scholarship – For Black high school seniors who plan to study global entrepreneurship and/or community engagement. Worth $10,000 per year
• Dream.US Opportunity Scholarship – For undocumented high school seniors and college freshmen with high financial need living in a state where public colleges do not offer in-state tuition to undocumented students. Worth $20,000 per year

Creative writing scholarships

Are you a writer who loves fiction, poetry, and screenplays? If so, you can put those talents to use by applying for creative writing scholarships.

Creative writing scholarships are a subset of writing scholarships that support students who enjoy writing poetry, fictional stories, plays, and generally using their imagination to guide their writing.

Here are the top creative writing college scholarships that you can apply for:

HelpTeaching.com Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who submit a educational short story or informational article (400-800 words) for young students
• Amount : $1,000
• Deadline: June 1st of every year

Cancer Unwrapped Teen Writing Contest

• Eligibility: Teens aged 9-12 who write about their own cancer journey or a family member in a maximum of 1,500 words.
• Deadline: Late March

YouthPLAYS New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Playwrights

• Eligibility: Students 19 years old or younger who submit an original one-act play between 10-40 minutes in length (10-page minimum). Multiple winners may receive up to $250 and publication by YouthPLAYS.
• Amount: $250 and publication by YouthPLAYS
• Deadline: Early May

National High School Poetry Contest

•   Eligibility:  U.S. high school students who submit a poem 20 lines or less that is unpublished, the sole work of the entrant, and not entered in any other concurrent contest.
• Amount: Up to $500.
• Deadline:  Rolling

The Narrative Prize

• Eligibility: Students who submit a short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction.
• Amount: $4,000
• Deadline:  Mid-June

Also see:  Top writing summer programs for high school students

College-specific creative writing scholarships

Some colleges and universities may also offer specific scholarships and financial aid to students with a talent in creative writing! Check with the colleges on your list for these college-specific creative writing opportunities!

Note that some of these scholarships may have requirements for winning students that stipulate that they take a certain number of creative writing classes when enrolled in the college.

Kenyon Writing Award

High school seniors can apply for this scholarship program at Kenyon College which offers up to $15,000 per year of merit based aid. It is based off of your portfolio and does not take into account financial need, high school GPA , or other factors. Submissions typically have to be in by January of your senior year.

Related:  How to answer scholarship essay questions about your career goals

Barbara Caras Memorial Scholarship for Film Students

The scholarship is open to students in Sarasota or Manatee County, Florida who have completed at least one full year at an accredited Florida College and are majoring in Film, Computer Animation, Creative Writing, Motion Design, or Illustration. Five recipients will earn a $2,000 award. The application deadline is July 31st of the current year.

Lycoming College Creative Writing Scholarship

The scholarship is open to students majoring in Creative Writing at Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA and must submit five poems and/or a short story not to exceed ten pages. Six recipients will be selected and can earn up to $3,000. The scholarship deadline for the Fall 2023 Class is March 1, 2023.  

Arkansas Tech University Gwaltney Scholarship

The scholarship is open to ATU students who submit individual works of fiction to the Department of English. Recipients earn a one-time cash award every year. The deadline to submit your entry is 2 weeks before the end of the spring semester.

Lake Forest College Carnegie English Essay Contest

The contest is open to first-year students of Lake Forest College who plan to study English either through the literature or creative writing track and submit an essay, between 500 and 1,000 words answering a designated prompt. Four winners will be awarded $2,500 annually. Submission deadline is March 1, 2023.

Austin Peay State University Creative Writing Scholarships

The scholarships are open to undergraduate and incoming APSU students who email a 10-20 page manuscript of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction, to Lakota Withrow at [email protected] . Awards are for $600 or $1,200. The deadline to apply is March 18th.

Scholarship essay resources

When it comes to writing and essay scholarships, your writing skills will be put to the test. You’ll have to adapt your writing to specific styles in order to effectively and succinctly communicate your ambitions and potential. We have a host of resources to help you perform well in this arena and stand out from the crowd.

• How to start your scholarship essay (with examples)
• How to write a “why do you deserve this scholarship?” essay
• What’s the best scholarship essay format?
• How to write a 250 word essay
• How to write a 500 word essay
• How to write an essay about yourself

Frequently asked questions about writing scholarships

Do i have to major in english to earn a writing or essay scholarship, where can i get help proofreading my scholarship essays, how much should i write if there is no word limit on the application, can i use ai on my scholarship applications, is there a penalty for using chatgpt on a scholarship essay, explore these other scholarship categories:.

• Scholarships for English majors
• Easy scholarships
• Top scholarships for high school seniors
• Top creative writing scholarships
• Top scholarships for journalism students
• Top short story scholarships

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Easy Scholarships

These days, it seems like applying for a scholarship is almost as hard as applying to college itself. With all of the required essays, transcripts and letters of recommendation, completing a scholarship application can take hours. The worst part? You may not even win. That's why many students resort to easy scholarships that don’t require much time and effort. But before you throw away all your other scholarship applications, there’s a lot you should learn about easy scholarships. Keep reading to understand exactly what easy scholarships mean, where to find them - and if they’re even worth applying for.

What is an easy scholarship?

There's no standard definition of an easy scholarship. For some people, a scholarship that requires a video might seem pretty hard, but for others it’s a piece of cake. Some students find that writing an essay is straightforward, while others see it as a huge undertaking. It depends in part on what you're good at and what you struggle with.

Even well-known scholarships that seem easy can actually require dozens of hours of work. For example, the Stuck at Prom Scholarship awards those who create prom dresses and tuxes out of Duck-brand duct tape. Again, this might seem like a fun scholarship, but creating a scholarship-winning dress or tuxedo is far from easy.

You have to design the outfit, buy all the necessary materials, make it and then submit your application. And while you may be able to reuse a scholarship essay for another application, you can’t reuse your tape dress.

Where to find easy scholarships

One of the best places to find easy scholarships is through your college. When you complete your regular admission application, you are often automatically considered for several scholarships.

Many schools do not require that students submit extra materials to be considered for their internal awards. But this isn’t always the case.

If you're not sure what you need to provide, contact the financial aid department and ask them what you must submit to win those institutional scholarships and grants.

Many schools have specific financial aid deadlines that you must meet to be considered for these scholarships, as well as for other grants and types of financial aid. If you miss the deadline, then you may be out of luck.

You can also find the majority of easy scholarships at Scholarships.com.

How to apply for easy scholarships

Many scholarships, especially those from specific colleges and universities, will require you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . You’ll also need to submit the FAFSA to be eligible for federal student loans, grants and work-study.

Many students don’t submit the FAFSA because they assume it’s only helpful if you qualify for need-based aid. But every student should submit the FAFSA, no matter what their financial situation is.

It's usually best to submit the FAFSA as soon as possible, because some awards are only given on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you submit the FAFSA too late, you may miss your chance to receive scholarships that you could have won.

Most easy scholarships only require a simple application form, which will ask for your full legal name, birthday, address and contact information. If you're already enrolled in college, then you may have to provide the name of the school you attend.

Types of Easy Scholarships

Sweepstakes.

The most common type of easy scholarship is known as a sweepstakes. Basically, when you enter your information, you will be put into a pool with all of the other eligible contestants.

The scholarship committee will then choose a name at random. Think of it like playing the lottery, but you're playing for a college scholarship instead of a million-dollar prize.

These sweepstakes scholarships often have very basic applications that only take a few minutes to complete.

State Grants

Many state grants do not have the same kind of detailed applications that traditional scholarships do. For example, you may not have to write an essay or include a letter of recommendation. Instead, these applications may just ask for your high school or college transcript to verify your information.

You often have to submit the FAFSA to be eligible for state grants. Also, many state grants are only given to local students who attend college in-state.

Easy Scholarship FAQs

Is it easy to win an easy scholarship.

It might sound contradictory, but easy scholarships may not be so easy to actually win. The “easy” descriptor refers more to the application process, not your chances of winning.

In fact, winning an easy scholarship is usually much harder than winning a regular scholarship that asks for one or more essays and several letters of recommendation.

Should I only apply to easy scholarships?

These days, high school students are often juggling homework, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, and more. It can be tempting to only apply to scholarships that don't require much from you.

However, you shouldn't only apply for easy scholarships. It's like winning the lottery. The easier a scholarship application is, the greater the number of applicants. On the other hand, the harder a scholarship is to apply for, the fewer number of applicants.

If you only apply to easy scholarships, you should brace yourself that you might not win many - or even any. Remember, there are millions of students applying to college every year. When you compete against such a wide pool, you’re not giving yourself a fighting chance.

Instead, you should try to apply for scholarships given to students who match your academic major , interests, skills, hobbies, and background. For example, if you're a female student looking to major in engineering, look for engineering scholarships exclusively available for women .

While you may have to write an essay and find people to ask for letters of recommendation, you’ll also likely have a better chance of actually winning.

Are community college students eligible for easy scholarships?

If you’re attending a two-year school, or even a vocational or trade school, you may still be eligible for easy scholarships.

However, your school usually still has to be accredited to qualify for scholarships and other kinds of financial aid, like federal student loans, Pell Grants, and work-study. Verify that your school is eligible before you apply.

Can graduate students apply for easy scholarships?

High school and undergraduate college students aren't the only ones who can apply for and win easy scholarships. There are also tons of easy awards that graduate students can win.

For example, the Niche $2,000 No Essay Scholarship is available for graduate students, as well as undergraduate and high school students. Students must be U.S. citizens or have a U.S. passport.

When should I apply for easy scholarships?

Just like with other types of scholarships, there is no season for easy scholarships. They are available throughout the year - and many easy scholarships even offer applicants a chance to win every month.

If you feel like you’ve missed the boat on scholarships, it’s not too late to apply. In fact, you can still be eligible for scholarships, even if you’re a Ph.D. candidate.

Are easy scholarships available more than once a year?

There are many easy scholarships that are available throughout the year, instead of just annually.

For example, the BigFuture Scholarship is open every month. Unlike other types of easy scholarships, this award has some interesting requirements. You must complete a series of action items to receive one entry into the scholarship drawing. You can earn an entry by creating your college dream list, submitting the FAFSA, applying to college, and more.

You can set a reminder in your calendar to apply for these scholarships every month or as often as they come up.

Is there a need-based component for easy scholarships?

If you have demonstrated financial need , you may find it easier to qualify for scholarships, especially if you also have a stellar GPA or good standardized test scores. Having financial need can help you stand out, even with easy scholarships.

While many easy scholarships don’t focus on financial need, there are some that will give it extra weight. For example, the BigFuture award provides more entries for students who have a household income of $60,000 or less, qualify for a fee waiver with a CollegeBoard standardized test, or attend a high school that has 75% free or reduced lunch. You will receive twice the number of normal entries if you meet one of those criteria.

What is the typical GPA requirement for an easy scholarship?

Every scholarship, even the easiest scholarships, has its own GPA parameters. Basically, a rule of thumb says that you should generally have a 3.0 GPA if you want to apply for a scholarship.

However, some scholarships may have a lower requirement, such as a 2.0 or 2.5 GPA. It all depends on the scholarship you’re applying for.

Is applying to an easy scholarship a waste of time?

If you're a time-crunched high school senior or college student, then you want to maximize every waking minute. And that means only applying for scholarships if you think there’s a decent shot of winning.

Easy scholarships are hard to win, despite what they sound like. However, the application process is usually fairly straightforward and can be done in about the same amount of time you spend scrolling TikTok.

You should still apply to more challenging scholarships. However, it doesn't hurt to sprinkle in a few easy scholarships here and there. Think of these easy scholarships as junk food - you don’t want to fill up on them but they’re OK to have every once in a while.

How much can I win from an easy scholarship?

There's no specific range for how much you might receive if you actually win an easy scholarship.

Easy scholarships can range from meager - like the BigFuture $500 award - to exceedingly generous, like the BigFuture $40,000 award.

There are also plenty of awards in the middle, like the $2,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship . This award, like other easy scholarships, is given out once a month. Students don’t have to write an essay or even create an account.

Can I get an easy scholarship for multiple years?

Many scholarships offer multi-year renewal options for eligible students. To qualify for a scholarship renewal, you usually have to maintain a certain GPA or take a certain number of credit hours to get the scholarship for multiple years.

Unfortunately, easy scholarships usually aren’t renewable for multiple years. Once you win and receive the money, that’s it. This is another reason why it's hard to count on easy scholarships to provide the bulk of your financial aid.

How can I make my easy scholarship application stand out?

For the most part, the application process for an easy scholarship doesn't leave much room to sell yourself. Most of the time, winners are chosen at random. It's like asking someone, how do I improve my odds of winning the lottery?

The best way to increase your chance of winning any scholarship is to pick the ones that you are best qualified for. Instead of looking for scholarships that take less than 10 minutes to apply, look for scholarships that are in your wheelhouse.

For example, if you're a Hispanic student interested in engineering, look for STEM scholarships for Hispanic students. While these applications will take more time and effort to apply for, you will also have much better odds of actually winning.

Applying for a scholarship is like applying for anything else. It's all about quality, not necessarily quantity. If you fill out 10 scholarship applications for awards that you're uniquely suited for, you're probably more likely to win at least one than if you only apply for 10 easy scholarships that take you less than an hour to complete in total.

In general, the return on investment for completing a regular scholarship application is going to be much higher than for an easy scholarship.

Sallie Mae will award $2,000 each month to eligible entrants. No essay or account sign-ups, just a simple scholarship for those seeking help in paying for school . ENTER HERE

College Scholarship Tip: Earn Points for College Cash

Feb 5, 2023

This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated a tiny bit if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. The  Savor Summer College Scholarship  winners thank you!

College Scholarship Tip:

Earn Points for College Cash

Wondering about contests such as ScholarshipPoints by Edvisors ?

Can students actually win college cash with these points-earning scholarship programs ?

These scholarships have students earn points for visiting certain online sites, completing surveys, and/or filling out other scholarship applications.

What attracts students to scholarship contests is the fact that for seemingly little work, they can win thousands of dollars for college:   COLLEGE CASH !

Are these types of scholarships even worth your time? Aren’t they nothing more than random scholarship drawings?

While I would not advise students to commit 100% of their time to trying to win these types of scholarships, I do think that spending a few minutes a day earning points does not hurt.

Many of the winners of these scholarships share that they only entered points a few times and were shocked to be selected as winners .

Since winners are randomly selected, students with a few points could possibly win scholarship money without spending hours trying to earn as many points as possible. One such site is ScholarshipPoints by Edvisors. 

These points can then be used to enter monthly $1000 scholarship drawings and bigger drawings of $2500 several times a year.

Here is what most people don’t realize:   Students can earn FREE (no survey required) points each week by copying the codes that Edvisors share on Twitter and Facebook (100 points). They can also get 50 per day just for logging in.

What I love about this is that parents can easily grab these free points for their students!  

One of my own sons won a $1000 scholarship from ScholarshipPoints ! Are they legit? ABSOLUTELY!

2022 Update :  Another one of my boys won a $1000 scholarship from ScholarshipPoints!!!

One important task that students and parents need to do before filling out online surveys or signing up for sites like ScholarshipPoints , is to create an email address used exclusively for this type of scholarship.

Unfortunately, lots of spam emails will be sent as a result of signing up, so be prepared and make it easier to delete unwanted emails by having a separate inbox.

Related:   Create a New Email

Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors ! APPLY NOW HERE

While I do think that spending a few minutes a day earning points to win cash for college is OK, it should never be a student’s sole method of trying to win scholarship money. 

There are thousands of scholarships available that are based on GPA, community service/volunteering/leadership, ACT/SAT scores , club membership, talents and more.

Spending hours trying to earn points and filling out surveys isn’t true scholarship applying, and that time is much better used to apply in the traditional way.

Bottom Line :   Earning points to win scholarships is an additional way for students and their parents to do all they can to try and win as much money as possible for college, but it should never be the ONLY way . Be sure to read my other scholarship tips to learn how to apply for more scholarships in the least amount of time possible.

So, how do you sign up to earn scholarship points?

Right here:, $2,500 scholarship, no essay or minimum gpa.

Before applying for any scholarships , learn the methods this student used to win over $100,000 in scholarships and graduate from college debt-free right here >>

Save PIN IT!

Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships . She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.

Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.

Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.

Quick & Easy Scholarships

$2500 Scholarship, no essay or minimum GPA

$1000 Easy Money Scholarship

$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship

$1000 A Portrait of You Scholarship

$2500 Christian College Scholarship

16 Comments

Wow I had no idea this type of scholarship even existed – how interesting! I can see the appeal, but I agree with you that it does not sound sensible to put too much hope into doing it this way.

Exactly! I’ve known students who tell their parents that they are applying for scholarships all of the time, but in reality they are just doing surveys and trying to take the easy way out. Not smart!

Good tip, have fun with it but realize that this is not your only source of scholarships.

I totally agree, Jennifer! Spending hours doing surveys to earn points is not a good use of scholarship time, but a few minutes a day is actually fun.

Definitely giving this a try!

Wonderful! Don’t forget to get your 300 free points each week, Mandi. 🙂

I remember doing these sorts of things for cash in college. Many times they ended up requiring you to pay in to cash out, and it made me so nervous so I never made more than one or two dollars. I’m sure with scholarships it’s probably not as sketchy, right?

Right and you bring up a very good point. Students should NEVER have to pay to apply for a college scholarship.

For getting that money from ScholarshipPoints, how many entries did you put down when it says: 1 point = 1 entry. How many entries would you like for this scholarship drawing?”

Hi Vanessa, my son just spread out his points to apply for each of the scholarships every month. If he had 100 points, he would put 25 each into the three monthly $1000 awards and 25 into the $10,000 quarterly one. I hope that helps! 🙂

Are these typically just for seniors? How early can you start?

Hi, Christy! Students can begin working on college scholarships now because there are awards open to all levels of students. Are you a parent or a student?

How many points would you recommend to use for each draw for ScholarshipPoints? Is Edvisors still giving code that we can use for getting 100 points? I do not see that on Facebook.

Hi, Kashuen! You can find the weekly free points on the Facebook page for ScholarshipPoints right here . As far as how many points for each drawing, I would stick to one monthly scholarship and have your student put most of their points into it. It only takes one point to win, so you never know though! 🙂

Help! It prompted me to create a parent account – can I sign up my kid for these scholarships or does it need to be them? Or can we both do it? Thanks!

If there is a parent account option, then you are fine, Millie. Scholarship Points is going through some changes right now. They will now be called Edvisors. I would not do both. Either have a parent account and use it for your kids or have them create their own accounts. 🙂

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Scholarships •

March 24, 2022

17 easy scholarships for free college money

Not all scholarships ask you to write a long, thoughtful essay. Check out these easy scholarships that take just minutes to apply for.

Jessica Ancajas

Financial Aid Analyst

Students have a lot to juggle. Any time you can save is incredibly valuable—especially when it comes to financial aid.

Lucky for you, there are tons of easy scholarships that don’t ask for a scholarship essay or other long piece of writing! 

Some might want quick answers to 1 or 2 questions. Others require as little as your name, email address, and year in school.

The great thing about easy scholarships like these is that you could apply to dozens of them in just a day—you just need to be able to find them! To help you in your scholarship search, we made a list of some of the easiest scholarships to apply for.

The top 17 easy scholarships

Scholarships are a form of  financial aid  you don’t have to pay back. It’s free money if you can win it.

But many of them ask you to write essays about all kinds of topics.

If you don’t want to invest as much time into more rigorous scholarships, try some of these easy opportunities. You can likely apply to every single one of them within an hour or so.

1. Cappex’s Easy Money Scholarship

Cappex is a college research and comparison tool. On top of helping you pick a college to attend, Cappex offers an easy scholarship.

The Cappex Easy Money Scholarship is $1,000 and has no GPA or essay requirements. 

All you have to do is fill out information regarding your name, gender, ethnicity, and date of birth, as well as some academic stuff like your current school (or prospective schools if in high school).

There are only two steps to the application, so you could knock it out in about a minute.

You can apply for  Cappex’s scholarship here.

2. Niche.com’s “No Essay” College Scholarship

Niche.com—a site that helps students and their families find good colleges and universities—offers $2,000 through its “No Essay” College Scholarship.

To apply, just create a Niche.com account and quickly fill out their short application.

Niche.com picks the winner by random draw. They’ll contact you if you win and announce you in their newsletter.

The best part? It’s monthly. If you aren’t selected, just wait a month and try again. Do it just once a month while you’re in college, and each time you apply, you’ll be entered to win $2,000!

You can apply for  Niche’s scholarship here.

3. AFSA High School Scholarship

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) gives out free money in the form of easy college scholarships to high school students. They give out around 10 of these every year!

It’s also worth noting the AFSA offers 5 $1,000 2nd Chance Scholarships every year as well. Depending on your eligibility, you may be able to enter both scholarship drawings and maximize your potential free money. 

You can apply for  AFSA’s scholarship here.

4. The Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway

The Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway takes a bit longer to apply for than the other “easy” scholarships. To apply, you have to write a brief statement  and  film a short video about how winning will impact your academic and professional life.

However, Dr. Pepper doesn’t provide super strict rules beyond being passionate.

The prizes larger than other scholarships, though: 

5 $100,000 grand prize giveaways

5 $25,000 runner-up prizes

10 $2,500 consolation prizes

There’s one caveat: from your application, you’re selected to throw a football at a college football game for the prize. You have to make this throw to win.

You can apply for  Dr. Pepper’s giveaway here.

5. Tallo’s “The Nature of Work” Scholarship

Tallo’s “The Nature of Work” Scholarship offers $1,000 to a lucky winner. 

It’s pretty easy to apply for this scholarship. First, you’ll need to sign up for the platform by making a free account.

Once you’ve done so, you’ll follow a few simple steps to enter your name into the drawing. 

You can set up your  Tallo account and apply here .

6. Cedar Education Lending’s Because College is Expensive Scholarship

Cedar Education Lending’s aptly-named Because College is Expensive Scholarship offers a $500 prize to a lucky student every quarter. 

This may be one of the smaller scholarships, but the application asks for nothing but your name, email address, physical address, cell phone number, and grade/class rank.

Anyone who is a US citizen and a high school junior up to a grad student can enter, as long as they plan on enrolling in higher education within 24 months. 

Yes, that means you could lock in some easy college scholarship money barely past the halfway point of high school.

You can apply For  Cedar Education Lending’s scholarship here.

7. CollegeXpress’s $2,000 Monthly Scholarship

All you do for the CollegeExpress monthly scholarship program, aside from filling in basic information, is answer one easy question with just one sentence.

This one’s great because the questions are fun as well.

For example, October 2021’s CollegeXpress scholarship question (titled the “Scaredy Cat Scholarship”) was, “What scares you most about the college admission process?”

CollegeXpress also automatically enters you into their separate $10,000 scholarship drawing as well. Pretty good deal!

You can apply for  CollegeXpress’s scholarship here .

8. ScholarshipPoints’ $10,000 Scholarship

Yep, $10,000 is a good chunk of change for a scholarship. This one doesn’t ask for any essays or test scores—you just have to enter some basic personal information, provide your grade, and create a password.

Students as young as 13 can enter this one, too.

Alongside this big $10,000 drawing, ScholarshipPoints hands out 3 $1,000 scholarships every month as well. That means you have at least 36 chances every year to win some free cash!

You can apply for  ScholarshipPoints’ scholarship here .

9. Bold.org’s “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

Bold.org makes it easy for individuals and organizations to start scholarships for others. The platform also has its own—the “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship, which they award once per year.

This year, the scholarship sits at $25,102!

Bold.org says this scholarship has rolling admissions, though. According to their site, earlier applicants have a higher chance of winning.

Also, they pick the winner partly based on who has the  boldest  profile. Basically, if your Bold.org profile is the most moving or inspiring, you could boost your winning chances.

You can apply for  Bold.org’s scholarship here.

10. ScholarshipOwl’s You Deserve It Scholarship

There are plenty of simple scholarships on this list, but this one might take the cake.

ScholarshipOwl asks for nothing more than your first and last name, phone number, and email address. In exchange, they’ll enter you into their giveaway to potentially win $2,222. 

If you win, you’ll also earn 1 month of free access to ScholarshipOwl’s services.

Unfortunately, people from Michigan and Rhode Island are currently ineligible for this scholarship.

You can apply for  ScholarshipOwl’s scholarship here.

11. AccessScholarships’ Too Cool to Pay For School Scholarship

Feel too cool to pay for school? AccessScholarships might agree with you, so they give out $1,000 to 4 lucky winners at the end of every quarter.

Anyone in high school, college, or grad school can enter, as long as they intend to enroll in a higher education institution within 24 months if not already enrolled. 

It looks like you can enter once every quarter. That said, they’ll hand you an extra entry if you follow them on Instagram by using the button on the application page. 

You can apply for  AccessScholarships’ scholarship here.

12. Scholarships360’s $1,000 No-Essay Scholarship

Scholarships360 might help people find scholarships, but it also offers one of its own: the $1,000 No-Essay Scholarship.

Simply sign up by providing the website with a few pieces of information to enter the drawing.

This one’s open to basically any students who make an account. This scholarship is given away periodically based on signups. 

You can apply for  Scholarships360’s scholarship here.

13. Ascent’s Shining Stars Scholarship

Ascent helps students of underserved backgrounds afford college through a variety of means. One of them is the monthly $1,000 Shining Stars Scholarship.

Exact tasks on the application differ each month, but they’re always pretty easy. In general, you first have to read a short Ascent blog post. 

Then, you’ll follow Ascent on Instagram, like a specific post, and leave a comment on that post about something you learned from the blog with a hashtag that Ascent specifies.

Finally, you’ll fill out the scholarship form on the website to enter.

You can start applying for  Ascent’s scholarship here.

14. Sallie Mae’s $1,000 Sweepstakes

Consumer banking giant Sallie Mae helps match high school and college students to thousands of scholarships on its website. To help you start out, they’ll automatically enter you for their own $1,000 giveaway when you sign up.

Sallie Mae will just ask for your name, email, and grade. You’ll then create a username and password to finish creating your account.

From there, you’re entered into their $1,000 giveaway!

You can sign up for  Sallie Mae here.

15. Cirkled In’s “No Sweat” Scholarship

Every quarter, Cirkled In hands $2,500 to a lucky student to use on anything educational. 

You can enter as long as you’re 13, in 8–12th grade, and are a resident of a US state or Washington, DC.

To enter, just create a free account on Cirkled In’s website and complete your profile. Winners are determined based on their profile’s completeness and how many points they have. You can earn points by :

Inviting teachers and friends to the platform

Asking for recommendations from teachers, coaches, and mentors through the platform

Applying for other scholarships on Cirkled In

You can apply for  Cirkled In’s scholarship here.

16. Course Hero’s $4,000 College Giveaway

Course Hero lets students upload notes and documents to help other students around the world study for their own classes.

And now, they’ll hand you $4,000 in scholarships for doing it.

Unlike many scholarships, you can enter this scholarship as many times as you want. Every time you upload 10 study docs, you earn 1 new entry. If you have tons of notes and study guides, it could pay off big time!

You can apply for  Course Hero’s scholarship here .

17. Niche.com’s Review Your School $1,000 Scholarship

Rounding out our list is another Niche.com scholarship that lets you help others  and  potentially earn some cash.

To do so, you’ll review your school.

For this scholarship opportunity, you’ll rate your overall experience at your school out of 5 stars with a quick written review. You’ll then rate several other aspects out of 5 stars and record your year in school or how you’re connected (freshman, parent, etc.).

If selected, you win $1,000.

Easy scholarship FAQs

Got some questions about easy scholarships? Check out our FAQ section below for some answers.

What makes an easy scholarship?

We can say that a scholarship is “easy” if it meets at least one of the following:

Lack of application activity: All you have to do is fill out some basic information about yourself. In some cases, you may have to write something short, such as a paragraph or two, but it’s still pretty easy.

Lack of academic requirements: The scholarship has no or low GPA/test score requirements.

Enjoyable: If there is something you have to do, it’ll be enjoyable for you. For example, if you love creative writing, a scholarship that makes you write a short story will be a breeze.

If a scholarship meets at least one of these attributes, you bet it’s going to be pretty easy.

What is the best strategy for applying for easy scholarships?

For easy scholarships alone, the best strategy is to simply send out as many applications as possible.

Here’s an idea: write down the same basic information, like your name and email address, in a Google doc, so you can just copy and paste that info and save a bit of time. 

However, don’t limit yourself to easy scholarships.

Apply to more traditional types that have written portions—they may have less competition, especially if in narrow subjects.

How can you improve your chances of winning easy scholarships?

Unfortunately, most of these scholarships don’t offer many ways to set yourself apart. That’s what makes them so easy—they’re less “competitions” and more “giveaways.”

You can’t do much unless there is a small written portion, creativity criteria, or place to put your GPA/test scores. 

That said, if the scholarship is available regularly—such as yearly or monthly—keep applying! It’s only a minute or so each time for the chance at free money.

Do easy scholarships have any drawbacks?

With an easier application comes competition. 

You’ll likely be up against plenty of applicants, regardless of how  niche the scholarship  is. This lowers your chances, but at least you can apply to more of these with less effort.

Should I only go for easy scholarships?

Easy scholarships are good, but you shouldn’t rely just on them.

Don’t only depend on scholarships in general, either.

Try to exhaust all financial aid opportunities—scholarships, grants, work-study, military aid (if applicable), and  student loans . 

Make sure to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) to see what federal aid you’re eligible for. 

With all this in mind, prioritize aid you don’t have to pay back to lower your debt. That means you should try and use scholarships and grants first, followed by loans.

Are there easy scholarship scams?

There are thousands of 100% legit easy scholarships. 

But whenever easy money’s involved, there will likely be scammers trying to take advantage. 

Here are a few signs of scams:

Being selected for something you never applied for

Being asked to pay fees or “prepaid taxes” before sending your application

Being asked to deposit a check and send some of the funds back to the payer. This is known as a fake check scam.

Asking for sensitive personal or financial info, like your Social Security number or bank account number

You should do some online research for any scholarships you’re suspicious of. You can also seek help from high school or college counselors or your school’s financial aid office.

How do I find more easy scholarships?

There are plenty of places online you could check out. In fact, you’re already on one of them— Mos can help you  find more straightforward sources of scholarship aid.

Get some quick college money with easy scholarships

Yes, an easier application means more competition. But it also means you can apply to way more of these scholarships in less time.

So send out applications to all of these, but don’t just stick with easy scholarships. Go for some of the essay-based ones where there’s lower competition. You have more ways to set yourself apart from the smaller pool of applicants and potentially win, even if there’s more work involved.

To learn more about scholarships and other forms of financial aid,  check out our blog .

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Is Niche Legit? And 7 More of Your Scholarship Questions Answered

If applying for scholarships feels like a super daunting task right now, that’s probably because you’re in the early stages of the process. Combing through college resources, filling out forms, penning essays, and shooting videos. It sounds like one giant headache, doesn’t it?

At this stage, you probably have all sorts of questions, like where do you look for college scholarships ? What kind of scholarships are out there? What is a need-based scholarship and how is it different than a merit-based scholarship? 

Take a deep breath! To help you save a bunch of time and frustration, we’re diving into all your most-pressing scholarship questions.

1. So, Is Niche Legit or Not?

While searching for college scholarships, you may have stumbled upon a website called Niche. Formerly known as College Prowler, Niche gives away $2,000 in scholarships each month— no essay required.  

IKR? Your cramped hands could positively weep with joy at the idea of not having to type up another scholarship essay. Well, good news! Niche is 100 percent legit and people really do win each month. While you definitely should be on the lookout for scholarship fraud (better safe than sorry), rest assured that Niche scholarships are the real deal.  

2. When Should I Start Applying for Scholarships?

The sooner the better! Although colleges generally have similar deadlines for accepting scholarship applications, this isn’t necessarily true for all of them. You can apply for scholarships year-round. The key to winning more scholarships is simple: apply early and often. Don’t let up—not even after you get into your dream college.

Apply for Tallo Easy Scholarship Here

3. What Kinds of Scholarships Are Available?

Literally, so many! You’re probably most familiar with the idea of merit-based scholarships, which are scholarships given to students based on their academic achievements (i.e., having amazing grades). The second most-popular type of scholarship is a need-based scholarship, which is awarded to students based on their financial needs.  

Other types of scholarships include creative, sports, major-related, first-generation—the list is endless. Don’t know where to begin your search? Start local. You’ll have a higher chance of winning because the scholarship has a smaller pool of applicants.

4. What Should I Submit with My Application?

The short answer: anything that makes you look good or stand out. Include details that will make funders want to choose you over another applicant. Do you have unique interests that are related to your studies? Add them in there. Remember: This is your chance to shine! 

Don’t forget to read the application instructions carefully and include necessary documents such as transcripts, a resume, a personal statement, letters of recommendation, etc. You may also want to keep SAT and ACT scores handy if you can’t remember your scores.

5. Got Any Tip for Writing a Killer Scholarship Essay?

How much time you got? If you’re serious about crafting a killer essay, pay attention to your writing. Don’t repeat the essay prompt in your essay. Avoiding saying “I am” on repeat. Proofread your stuff. Don’t skimp on the details, especially when it comes to your leadership activities. Or, you know—you could just apply to Tallo’s no essay scholarships (we offer two each month!) and skip the essay writing altogether. You can find ‘em  under the opportunities tab in your Tallo profile. What are you waiting for? We promise, it’s super easy!

6. This Is Tedious AF—How Do I Make It Go by Faster?

Many organizations and colleges tend to ask similar essay questions. To save yourself some time, you can use your previous scholarship essays as a starting point. Don’t copy it word for word . Even though scholarship essays are similar, they usually have a few important differences. Be sure to tailor your previous essay to meet the specific requirements for the new one. 

7. I WON! What Do I Do Now?

Go to Disneyland! Just kidding. But in all seriousness, the first thing you should do after being awarded funding is to sit down and write a scholarship thank you note. Not only is it a courteous thing to do, it also makes the donor feel good — and when donors feel good, they continue giving their support.

If you’re raking in the donor-funded scholarships, avoid using the same letter for multiple donors. Take the time to write a thoughtful note to each one. If you have good handwriting, a handwritten note is a nice gesture. Just make sure it’s legible!

Don’t Give Up

When it comes to applying for scholarships, keep in mind that it might take a while to see the fruits of your labor. Be patient! You’re not guaranteed to win. But one thing is certain: You’ll never win unless you apply! 

Have you got any tips about scholarships or places you apply? Share with the Tallo Community!  The Tallo Community is a place where students and professionals can come together to talk about all different topics, from scholarships to colleges and careers. Check it out!

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Top 20 No Essay Scholarships to Apply for in 2024

Introduction: No essay scholarships

Let's talk about no-essay scholarships. Whether you've been applying to scholarships for a while or you're completely new to the scholarship process, chances are, at some point you've felt tired, frustrated, or even fully on fed-up with writing all of those essays. Finding financial aid can be a lot of work - I feel you!

A smart strategy when applying for scholarships is to mix up the types of scholarships you're applying for. But what does this actually mean?

Well, if you're familiar with the world of scholarships, you've probably discovered that there are scholarships out there of all sorts, shapes, and sizes.

Some scholarships are for small amounts (think: anywhere from $100 to a few thousand dollars) while others go for larger amounts (sometimes even full-tuition!). Some scholarships have long lists of application requirements, while others only ask you to write a sentence, upload your transcript, or fill out a form.

So, when I say "mix up the types of scholarships you're applying for", I'm saying that it's important to consider things such as scholarship type (is there an essay required?), amount (generally, scholarships with  bigger awards  are harder to earn), and category (how specific does the scholarship get in terms of matching your unique profile?).

This post covers one specific type of scholarship that I'm sure you'll enjoy incorporating into your scholarship strategy: a no-essay scholarship!

Most of these no essay scholarships are open to high school , college , and  graduate  school students, be sure to get those easy applications in, and keep your toes crossed while you get to work on some of those other more labor-intensive opportunities.

*Pro-tip - While some of these no essay scholarships currently have specific deadlines, keep them bookmarked because they often renew monthly, quarterly, or yearly!

20 No essay scholarships to apply for ASAP!

Too cool to pay for school no essay scholarship.

Award Amount:  $1,000

Scholarship Deadline:  Quarterly (last day of the month in September, December, March, and June)

PS - this is one of no essay scholarships awarded by Access Scholarships (that's us!). It's open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students studying in the United States, and is an easy way to win $1,000. 

Niche $10,000 No Essay Scholarship

Award Amount:  $10,000

Scholarship Deadline:  Rolling

ScholarshipPoints No Essay $2,500 Monthly Scholarship

Amount : $2,500 

Deadline : Expires on the last day of each month

Eligibility: The ScholarshipPoints Scholarship is a monthly no essay scholarship open to all high school and college students ages 16 and older, who are US residents!

Smart Owl No Essay $1,000 Scholarship

Amount : $1,000 (4 awards per month!)

Deadline : Expires on the 28th or 29th of each month

Eligibility: The Smart Owl Scholarship is a monthly no essay scholarship open to all high school and college students ages 16 and older, who are US residents!

Sallie Mae College Scholarship

Award Amount : $2,000

Scholarship Deadline : Monthly

Eligibility- Open to high school juniors & seniors and all college students

CollegeVine No Essay $2,000 Scholarship

Award Amount:  $2,000

Scholarship Deadline:  December 31

Open to high school students of all years (must be a US resident).

Scholarships360 $10,000 Scholarship

Scholarship Deadline:  Rolling 

Open to high school sophomores, juniors & seniors in the US. 

Bold $25,000 Scholarship

Amount:  $25,000

Deadline:  Continuous

CollegExpress Monthly Scholarship

Award Amount:  $2,500

Scholarship Deadline:  Last day of each month

Niche No Essay Scholarship

Appily easy money scholarship, around the corner from college scholarship.

Award Amount : $1,000

Scholarship Deadline : December 31, June 30

Open to all high school students, including students with DACA status and international students who are planning on attending a higher education institution in the US! 

Be Bold No-Essay Scholarship

Award Amount:  $25,000

Scholarship Deadline: Rolling

Christian Connector Scholarship

Eligibility:  Open to high school juniors and high school seniors who are interested in or planning to enroll in a Christian college or university.

Direct Textbook Photo Essay Scholarship

Award Amount:  $500

Discover Student Loans Scholarship Contest

Scholarship Deadline:  January 4

Lounge Lizard Web Design Scholarship

Scholarship Deadline:  February 27 and October 10

Create A Greeting Card Scholarship

Scholarship Deadline:  March 9

Frame My Future Scholarship

Award Amount:  $2,000 each (5 awards)

Scholarship Deadline: March 15

ULoop Dorm Survey Scholarship

Scholarship Deadline:  June 30

Frequently asked questions about no essay scholarships

Are no essay scholarships legit.

No essay scholarships are 100% legit!

No essay scholarships are created to be more like contests or sweepstakes. Generally, all you have to do to be considered is enter some information on an application page and you're good to go. This is in contrast with other more labor-intensive scholarships, that require a greater amount of work and time commitment (think: essays, letters of recommendation, videos, interviews).

The fact that no essay scholarships don't require a whole lot of effort (they're definitely the easiest opportunities out there!) doesn't mean that they aren't just as real as other scholarships that do have more detailed eligibility and application requirements to apply. In fact, no essay scholarships can sometimes be just as competitive as full-ride scholarships , given the fact that so many students apply for these opportunities.

At the end of the day, each and every scholarship we feature in our database and in our blog posts aims to guide students in the direction of legitimate opportunities to help you navigate the journey of paying for college.

What are some common qualities of a no essay scholarship?

The most identifiable quality of a no essay scholarship is the fact that it doesn't require an essay! Rather than asking students to upload an essay on the application page, these scholarships generally will ask for the completion of a form, or for students to upload a photo, video, or other unique type of submission. The fact that these scholarships can often be completed much more quickly and easily than other scholarships is what makes them so great.

You'll also find that the majority of no essay scholarships are open to a wide variety of students, and they usually won't have any specific eligibility requirements such as only being open to students in certain majors or with a certain minimum GPA.

Who is eligible to apply for no essay scholarships?

When it comes to eligiblity, as I mentioned just above, no essay scholarships are usually open to a wide range of students. For example, a no essay scholarship might be open to students ages 13 and older in the US, or maybe it's open to all high school students in the US. These eligibility criteria are very generous and intended to give all (or nearly all) students who want to apply an opportunity to do so.

How difficult is it to win a no essay scholarship?

Because no essay scholarships are usually open to so many different types of students, along with the fact that they often require very little effort on the part of the student (and run more like sweepstakes than real in-depth scholarships), means that they are difficult to win, and the process is unpredictable.

Luckily, because these scholarships require so little time commitment to apply, not winning one of these types of scholarships doesn't necessarily indicate that you've wasted your time applying, since it likely didn't take that much time in the first place!

How can I increase my chances of winning no essay scholarships?

No essay scholarships are open to such a wide variety of students in terms of eligible areas of study, state residency, and year in school. This, in combination with the fact that the winners for these scholarships are generally always selected at random, means that increasing your chances of winning one of these scholarships is very, very difficult.

In the spirit of full-transparency: the only way that you can actually increase your chances of winning no essay scholarships is by applying for all of them and not missing any deadlines.

For example, take Tallo's monthly no essay scholarships . They pick at least 12 winners each year, usually at the end of each month. If you want to maximize your chances of winning one of Tallo's no essay scholarships, you should set a reminder to make sure that you apply for them every month, so that you don't miss out on an opportunity to win.

Most of the no essay scholarships I've come across are for small amounts, such as $1,000. Why is this the case?

Most no-essay scholarships are for small amounts (think: $500 - $2,000) because, in comparison to other scholarships that have lots of application requirements, no-essay scholarships tend to run more like contests.

Organizations love to give back to students in any and all ways possible, and they also like to try to make student's lives easier by offering easy scholarship opportunities.

However, from the perspective of private organizations, many of them would rather save their scholarships of higher amounts to be distributed through competitive opportunities where they can select students on the basis of merit, leadership, and other qualities. That's why you'll probably never come across a full-ride scholarship that doesn't require an essay or extra submission of some sort!

Where can I find more scholarships to apply for?

There are tons of resources and places out there that you can use to find "harder" scholarships to apply for to pair with your efforts in applying to the easy ones.

The first place I recommend you go is over to the Access Scholarship Search Engine or Blog, where you can find all types of scholarships based on criteria such as home state, area of study, ethnicity, and more.

After that, I recommend you also do some surfing of the web, as well as outreach to your guidance counselor or financial aid office to help you find local scholarships and even more nuanced opportunities.

Important tips and things to keep in mind with no essay scholarships

Tip #1: apply often..

Many of these scholarships run continuously on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Set a reminder for yourself to revisit these scholarships each month and reapply to give yourself the best chance at winning one!

Tip #2: Find ways to get a leg up.

Scholarships with no essays that have any sort of additional component (like an art or video submission) will tend to give you a "leg up" because they involve more than some luck.

Take full advantage of scholarships like these by putting your best foot forward with that extra submission!

Tip #3: Make no essay scholarships one piece of the puzzle.

Scholarships with no essays should be a key component of your scholarship application strategy because of how easy they are to apply for.

However, it's important to remember they should be balanced with other scholarships that have more specific and stringent requirements.

When you apply for essay-based scholarships, you're given the opportunity to tell the committee about you, who you are and why you should be selected for the opportunity. The winners for these scholarships, unlike their no-essay counterparts, are not chosen at random, so if you choose these scholarships carefully, apply for ones that are specific to your qualities, and write strong essays, you'll have the best chances of winning at the end of the day!

General tips for applying for all kinds of scholarships

Navigating the world of scholarships can be stressful and confusing to say the least. Follow these tips to make sure you’re covering all of your bases and giving yourself the greatest possible chance at success!

#1: Get yourself organized before you dive right in.

Just like with any other part of the college / financial aid process, organization is crucial to success when it comes to searching and applying for scholarships.

My top organization-related recommendation for students is to start by creating a readily-accessible folder on your computer where you can then create subfolders for your scholarship essays, transcripts, and other application materials. This is also the place where you’ll want to house your scholarship tracker , which will help you keep track of scholarships you find, upcoming deadlines, and your overall progress.

#2: Do your brainstorming.

You likely wouldn’t start an essay on the American Revolution without doing some initial brainstorming and planning first. The same rule should apply for when it’s time to search for scholarships.

Sit down with a pen and paper or a blank word document open, and start to bullet out a list of traits and things that you feel make up who you are as a person. These things should be both academic and personal. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s a sneak peek into what my own personal list might look like:

-I am from New Jersey

-I am a business student with an interest in marketing

-I like to play sports (tennis, basketball, etc)

-I hold leadership positions in my extracurriculars

-I identify as female

-I am a twin

-I am left-handed

-I enjoy doing crossword puzzles

-I go to college in Wisconsin

I could go on and on with this list, but I won’t bore you! What I’m trying to get at though is that creating a list like this to track your hobbies, academic pursuits, and other things that make up who you are can be incredibly helpful in allowing you to find scholarships that are highly specific to you.

PS - For some students, this may also fall under the initial organization step of the process, but ultimately it doesn’t matter when you do it as long as it gets done.

#3: Know where to look.

Knowing what types of scholarships you want to search for doesn’t really matter if you don’t know where to actually search for them! Here are a few ideas on where you can get started in searching for scholarships:

- Scholarship search engines like AccessScholarships.com, which allow you to search through thousands of scholarship opportunities all in one place

- Normal search engines , such as Google (the more specific you can be here, the better)

-Your school’s college prep, guidance, or financial aid page/website

- Social media (you can follow scholarship accounts and hashtags that might be relevant to help you discover local scholarships)

- Family, friends, teachers, coaches, and other people in your community who might know of local or community-based scholarships that you’re eligible for

#4: If a scholarship has an essay or additional type of submission, make sure you put your absolute best foot forward.

This is, in my opinion, the biggest key to help students see success in actually winning scholarships.

You can have a 4.0 GPA and solid letters of recommendation, but if you don’t also take the time to carefully craft, edit, and perfect the essay (or other additional submission), you’re missing out on giving the scholarship committee the opportunity to learn more about who you are as a person and why you’re a great fit to win the award.

#5: Keep those grades up.

Although this eligibility requirement can definitely vary, many scholarships require students to have at least a 2.5 or 3.0 GPA. Sometimes, the minimum requirement can be even higher, such as a 3.75/4.0.

While grades certainly aren’t the end-all-be-all, keeping your GPA up (as high as you possibly can!) will make sure that you are opening yourself up to as many opportunities as possible.

#6: Apply often.

Unfortunately, applying for scholarships is not a “one and done” process. To give yourself the highest chance at seeing success, you should apply for scholarships as often as you can, or whenever you come across an opportunity that you think is worth applying for.

Many students find it helpful to set specific goals in this area, like to apply for 3 scholarships each month. Ultimately, the goal you set should be one that is specific and realistic, based on all of the other things that you’re juggling!

#7: Ask for feedback along the way.

If you don't ever take the time to assess your weak spots, how can you possibly improve?

Asking for feedback throughout the scholarship process, whether it be from a committee, a teacher, or someone who is helping you along the way, is crucial to helping you grow and becoming a stronger applicant. 

Getting feedback is especially important when it comes to the scholarship essay piece of the puzzle. When we write and edit, we tend to overlook our own mistakes because we're so used to making them. Sometimes it takes an extra set of eyes on an essay to help lead you in the direction of success.

No-essay scholarships: To conclude...

To summarize, no-essay scholarships can be a great addition to any overall scholarship strategy for high school, college, and graduate students.

Since no-essay scholarships often operate on a monthly or quarterly basis, you can give yourself a better chance at winning these scholarships if you enter in every application period that you're eligible for.

Although no-essay scholarships usually aren't for large amounts, the process of entering to win is usually an easy one, so there's no harm in applying for these scholarships to round out your strategy and yes, give you a break from all those essays!

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Do people actually win those No Essay Scholarships?

I always get emails to apply for no essay scholarships but I wondered wether they’re actually worth it to apply for? Do people actually get the scholarship?

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The Best No-Essay Scholarships to Apply for in 2024

Apply below to No-Essay scholarships with upcoming deadlines. Exclusive Scholarships found only in Bold.org!

Sallie Mae No-Essay Scholarship

By: Sallie Mae

"Be Bold" No-Essay Scholarship

Anthony mcpherson memorial automotive scholarship, eligibility criteria:.

• Field of Interest : Automotive
• Education Level : High school or undergraduate student

Conscious Consumer Scholarship

Males in nursing scholarship.

• Education Level : Undergraduate student
• State : Florida
• School Name : FVI School of Nursing and Technology
• Field of Study : Nursing
• Gender : Male-identifying

Nursing Scholarship for Single Parents

• Background : Single parent with one or more child(ren)

Gravity Falls Fan Scholarship

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• Education Level : Must be a high school student

500 Bold Points No-Essay Scholarship

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Due to the ease of no-essay scholarships, they can seem too good to be true and you may worry about scholarship scams. Luckily, no-essay scholarships on Bold.org are all legit! Just make your free account and start funding your college tuition.

Although no-essay scholarships can be some of the easiest scholarships to apply for, it can feel impossible to make yourself stand out from the other students. To increase your chance of winning more scholarships, try applying for scholarships with limited eligibility, such as scholarships for high school juniors or scholarships with minimum GPA requirements.

There is no limit to the number of scholarships you can win on Bold.org. Since no-essay scholarships typically take just a few minutes to apply for, you can apply for many so you can win as much money as possible.