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Scholarships
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Top college student scholarships for you
Find scholarships for college students that can help you pay for college.
Here’s a scholarship you can apply for in minutes.
What are college student scholarships?
College student scholarships are financial aid for college created specifically for college students. College student scholarships can help students attain higher education opportunities that otherwise may be out of reach due to financial reasons. All scholarships are free money for college that you don’t have to pay back.
Eligibility requirements for college student scholarships
Before you apply for college student scholarships, make sure you check the eligibility requirements. Some common eligibility requirements may include your GPA, community service, citizenship, plan to attend an accredited program, leadership potential, and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Scholarship eligibility requirements vary, so don’t assume you won’t qualify. Check them out!
Are college student scholarships worth my time?
Some scholarships are quick and easy to apply for. Others require time and effort. Typically, fewer students apply to scholarships that require work which means you could have better odds of winning.
Pro tip: Don’t skip over scholarships for college students with smaller award amounts ($). There’s typically less competition for them—and they add up!
How do I find college student scholarships?
There are many resources to help you find scholarships for college students.
Scholarship resources
- The financial aid office at a college or career school
- Organizations (such as professional associations) related to your field of interest
- Federal agencies
- Free scholarship search engine tools like Scholly Scholarships
- Local libraries, businesses, or associations
Your high school guidance office is a great place to start when looking for local scholarships. You could also try doing a search for your city’s name and “community foundation,” or the county you live in and “foundation.”
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Find scholarships that are right for you
Easily search through thousands of college scholarships based on your background, major, state you live in, and more.
Hot tip! Smaller scholarships may have less competition, increasing your odds of winning.
College student scholarships
Alfred E. and Irma T. Jones Pharmacy Scholarship Fund
Due: 9/30/25
No essay
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Alfred E. and Irma T. Jones Pharmacy Scholarship Fund was established for a student in the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. Preference will be given to students from Upstate New York (west of Syracuse, NY). Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York for more information.
AUM Achievement Scholarship
Due: 6/1/25
No essay
No Recommendations Required
$20,000
The AUM Achievement Scholarship is available to first-time, full-time freshmen entering AUM in the Fall directly from high school. Freshman Academic Scholarships are non-competitive and automatically awarded and are for face-to-face programs only. This scholarship is renewable for up to four years. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Cedar Crest Scholarship
Due: 2/15/26
No min. GPA Required
$44,334
The Cedar Crest Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship awarded to one first-year traditional student who is the winner of the annual Scholarship Competition. Additional scholarship money is awarded to finalists. The scholarship covers full-time tuition minus any additional grants or outside scholarships and supersedes any other Cedar Crest money. To participate in the competition, the student must be admitted to Cedar Crest and have been awarded a Presidential, Trustee, or Founder's Scholarship.
Chatham University Presidential Scholarship for First-Year Students
Due: May 31, 2025
No essay
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Chatham University Presidential Scholarship for First-Year Students is awarded to those with a 3.8 cumulative GPA who attended Scholarship Interview Day. Presidential Scholarship Application required before attendance at Scholarship Interview Day. All undergraduate scholarships require full-time enrollment, are renewable for up to four years (or 120 credits) of study at Chatham University, and have a minimum GPA requirement that must be met each year.
Daniel Fromm Memorial Scholarship
Due: 6/1/25
No essay
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Daniel Fromm Memorial Scholarship awards junior or senior students enrolled in Poultry Science (Science or Technology subplan) or Graduate Studentss in Poultry Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Preference is given to students demonstrating financial need.
Steve Graham Scholarship
Due: May 31, 2025
No essay
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Steve Graham Scholarship is for full-time second-year students majoring in accounting. Recipients are selected by the Business Division. Students must file their FAFSA each year by the state deadline.
Atto Gardner Memorial Scholarship
Due: May 31, 2025
No essay
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Atto Gardner Memorial Scholarship is open to students who are Nursing majors. A freshman award recipient must have a 3.0 GPA or better. A second-year student must have a 2.8 GPA at VU or better. The student's scholastic record is a primary consideration and financial need is a significant consideration. Students must file their FAFSA each year by the state deadline.
Stockton Promise
Due: May 31, 2025
No essay
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
The Stockton Promise is a last-dollar program that furthers Stockton University's ongoing commitment to helping students achieve their academic goals while reducing their need for student loans. The Stockton Promise covers 100 percent of the gap between federal, state, and institutional financial aid funds and the cost of tuition and fees for qualifying students who are in their first or second year of study (have 59 or fewer earned credits) toward their first bachelor's degree. Transfer students may apply. Students may submit letters of recommendation and an essay or writing sample for admission. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
Ames Education Fund
Due: 10/25/25
No essay
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
The Ames Education Fund is open to underGraduate Studentss with junior or senior status. Applicants must be pursuing teaching licensure and must be residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
What types of scholarships are available for students?
Need-based scholarships
These are scholarships for students who have demonstrated a financial need. There’s no universal number or set income level that tells you if you qualify. How each scholarship defines what financial need means varies. The federal government as well as specific organizations, corporations, and colleges/universities/schools offer need-based scholarships.
Merit scholarships
Merit scholarships are for students who have shown high academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievement over their high school careers. Not all schools/colleges offer merit-aid—highly selective schools typically don’t. The process for applying for merit scholarships varies. For merit scholarships offered through colleges and universities, you generally don’t have to do anything other than complete the application to the school itself. For some schools, you need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to be eligible.
Career-specific grants or scholarships
These are awarded to students who know they want a career in a specific industry. Maybe they know they want to be a teacher, a nurse, or an engineer. To be eligible for grants, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). To find career-specific scholarships, try searching for your major and “association.”
Community or nonprofit scholarships
Nonprofit and community organizations often receive funding from donors to create scholarship programs for students who need them.
Tips for successful scholarship applications
- Pull together everything you need for the application including transcripts, so you can submit a complete scholarship application.
- You may need a recommendation letter or letters for a scholarship. Ask a teacher, employer, or someone else who knows you to write one for you—and be sure to give them enough time to do it.
- If you’re writing a scholarship essay, follow the prompt, answer the essay question completely, and write from your experience. A few well-written essays that you can reuse for different scholarship applications can really pay off.
- Highlight your strengths and achievements in your application.
- Talk about your financial need and what you would use the scholarship money for if you won. How would it help?
- Have to interview for a scholarship? Dress to impress in a professional outfit. And do your research! Look into how/why the scholarship was created. Try to bring up why it’s meaningful to you. Also, don’t forget to send a thank-you note afterwards.
- Keep track of all the deadlines for the scholarships you’re applying to. If you miss one, they may not extend the due date.
- Apply for scholarships year after year, all through college. As you continue your studies, gain more experience, and try new extracurricular activities in college, you might be eligible for more scholarships you weren’t originally qualified for.
Here are more tips that can help you understand all there is to know about scholarships and up your chances of winning.
Frequently asked questions
These tips can help as you get ready to apply for college student scholarships.
When are scholarship application deadlines?
There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. Each scholarship has its own deadline, so be sure to keep track of dates and make sure you don’t miss any deadlines of scholarships that you want to apply to.
Do you need to know which college you’re attending?
You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. However, once you’re awarded scholarships, some of them may ask for eligibility verification—which can include proof of college enrollment.
Is there a limit on how many scholarships you can apply for?
Absolutely not, so apply for as many as you can to increase your chances of winning free money. Want to find more types of scholarships? There are so many, check them out!
Pro tip: Apply for scholarships each year you’re in college.
Does every scholarship application require an essay?
Not every scholarship will ask you to submit an essay—different scholarships have different requirements. If you’re applying for a scholarship with an essay and need help writing yours, get tips for writing scholarship essays.
Need more money for college?
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More resources to explore
Tips for writing scholarship essays
Get tips for writing scholarship essays. Learn what makes a good scholarship essay.
Find scholarship resources
Explore our scholarship resources, articles, and guide to get all the tips and tricks to help pay for college.
Fill out the FAFSA®
Learn when and how to apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to maximize your chances of getting federal student financial aid. Get tips now.
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