It’s a busy time of year, especially with all the campus visits, college research and endless applications. Along with researching, choosing and applying to colleges comes the same process for scholarships. Scholarships are a great way to receive money to put toward your tuition because there are thousands out there from all sorts of companies and communities, and, best of all, they don’t need to be repaid!
Though some scholarship due dates have already come and gone, there are still some left to apply for! Here are a few scholarships to consider applying for now:
1. Cappex #1 Fan Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 31, 2013
Cappex.com, a program that helps high school students gather information about colleges and scholarships, is looking for their website’s “#1 fan,” who will receive $1,000. Cappex.com will look at applicants’ online profiles and choose a winner based on extracurricular involvement, leadership and volunteer activities.
2. CollegeWeekLive Monthly Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: The last day of each month
CollegeWeekLive is a free online college fair that features several hundred colleges worldwide. Their goal is to connect students, parents and counselors with colleges and universities and encourage students to interact with and apply to universities. That’s why they’re offering a $1,000 scholarship to students on a monthly basis. All you need to do is log in to CollegeWeekLive and visit three colleges’ “booths” on the site. CollegeWeekLive will choose one potential winner around the 10th day of the next month and notify him or her by email.
3. Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Amount: One winner will receive $10,000 (a $5,000 cash award and $5,000 towards a college savings plan), one second place winner will receive $1,000 and up to five finalists will receive $500.
Deadline: January 6, 2014
If you’re a writer, this is the scholarship for you. The Profile in Courage Essay Contest challenges students to write an essay on a U.S. official who has chosen to do what is right rather than what is easy. The essay is expected to be a carefully researched account of a story of how an official risked his or her career to stand up for the needs of the public.
4. ScholarshipPoints December 2013 Scholarship
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: 11:59 EST on December 15, 2013
ScholarshipPoints gives away $10,000 every three months, and all you have to do is be a registered member of the website! Your chance of receiving the award is increased when you take surveys, read blogs and basically just participate on ScholarshipPoints.com. The winner will be chosen and announced on December 16th.
5. College Prowler’s “No Essay” Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: 11 p.m. EST on the last day of each month
If you don’t consider yourself a writer, think about applying for this scholarship. College Prowler, a site that provides college reviews written by current students, is giving randomly selected students $2,000 – and all that’s required is registering for a free account on their website. The scholarship is open to all students who plan on enrolling in school within 12 months.
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6. The Dell Scholars Program
Amount: $20,000
Deadline: January 15, 2014
The Dell Scholars Program, sponsored by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, aims to help high school seniors who have financial need and plan to enroll in a bachelor’s degree program. They look at each applicant’s individuality, unique experiences in and out of the classroom, financial need, work ethic and goals they wish to pursue.
7. Most Valuable Student Competition
Amount: Multiple winners; prizes range from $4,000 to $50,000
Deadline: December 6, 2013
The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships to the best student applicants who are planning to pursue a four-year degree at an American college or university on a full-time basis. The application calls for test scores, a transcript and an essay. Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership and financial need. The Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation will announce the 500 national winners and notify them in writing by late April 2014.
8. Cappex GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Last day of each month
Cappex.com is offering another scholarship for high school or college students whose strongest suits aren’t their GPAs. Winners will be based off their profile on Cappex.com, which displays their extracurricular and volunteer activities, as well as a short explanation regarding why they deserve the scholarship.
9. Carnegie Communications’ Community Service Scholarship for Multicultural Students
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: April 1, 2014
This scholarship is available to an applicant from a multicultural background who plans to be a college freshman in the fall. The application includes a 1,000-word (or fewer) essay, and recipients are chosen based on their academic merit (as reflected in transcript, class rank and GPA) as well as their community service involvement.
10. College Xpress Refer a Friend Monthly Scholarship
Amount: $500
Deadline: Last day of each month
This scholarship is perfect for all you social media junkies! College Xpress is rewarding applicants for spreading the word about their program. Applicants will receive a URL on their College Xpress application that they must share with their friends through their favorite social media site or email. For every friend who registers with College Xpress, the applicant gets a chance to win a $500 scholarship awarded on a monthly basis.
These are just 10 scholarships to get you started! There are tons more out there based off of personal qualifications like interest, major, college, background, etc. Check out more personalized scholarship options on websites such as Fastweb or College Board and ask your school’s guidance counselor for more information.