10 Open-Eligibility Scholarships for High School Students
Come one, come all — these scholarships are open for fall!
Picture this: You’ve spent hours researching the most promising scholarship options, only to realize the eligibility requirements are ridiculously specific — live in Delaware, own a turtle, and be more than 7 feet tall. Who’s even applying for these types of scholarships? Clearly not you.
Finding and winning a college scholarship is hard enough without a laundry list of requirements, so if you don’t meet the niche criteria, find ones with broad eligibility rules. Then, craft the perfect scholarship essay and hit submit. It’s as easy as that.
To get you started, we put together a list of 10 great scholarships that accept applications from a broad range of applicants. All of these scholarships are open to high school students and are accepting applications this fall, so give them a look!
No. 1: Niche “No Essay” College Scholarship
Award: $2,000
Deadline: End of every month
How to apply: Create an account here
Eligibility: High school and college students
Do you want to win a scholarship just by creating an account? Niche, a review site for schools, companies, and neighborhoods, will enter every student who creates an account into a monthly drawing for $2,000. The scholarship is open to high school and college students, as well as anyone planning to enroll in undergraduate or graduate courses. Find a better way to get paid for doing the bare minimum. We dare you.
No. 2: Courage to Grow Scholarship
Award: $500
Deadline: End of every month
How to apply: Submit an application here
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors with a 2.5 GPA
Twelve lucky students will receive a $500 Courage to Grow Scholarship annually. To enter, students have to explain why they deserve the scholarship in less than 250 words. Keep it short and sweet and you could be the next monthly winner.
No. 3: Stevens & McMillan Education Scholarship
Award: $1,500
Deadline: November 15, 2019
How to apply: Submit an essay here
Eligibility: High school seniors or undergraduate students in good academic standing
Everyone has the right to an education. Stevens & McMillan law firm supports this cause by providing a $1,500 scholarship open to any student in good academic standing. To apply, students need to submit a 1,000-word essay. The topic, unsurprisingly, is about laws that have helped employees in the workplace.
No. 4: Fountain Law Firm Scholarship
Award: $1,000
Deadline: November 22, 2019
How to apply: Submit an application here
Eligibility: High school seniors or undergraduate students
Do you have a knack for inventing? The Fountain Law Firm offers an annual scholarship to the student with the best idea for a new vehicle safety feature. During inclement weather, roads can become dangerous for drivers, but certain measures can and should be taken to prevent accidents. Your idea to help with this problem can win you $1,000.
No. 5: AED Superstore College Scholarship
Award: $1,000
Deadline: November 30, 2019
How to apply: Submit an essay or video here
Eligibility: High school seniors or undergraduate students
Did you know that sudden cardiac arrest affects about 16 people under the age of 18 every day? AED Superstore, which distributes CPR and AED devices, is on a mission to increase awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. But they need your help. In order to win a scholarship, students need to write an essay and create a video to show how they contributed to spreading awareness in their community about one of six little-known cardiac arrest facts.
No. 6: Bachus & Schanker, LLC Scholarship
Award: $2,000
Deadline: November 30, 2019
How to apply: Submit an essay here
Eligibility: High school seniors or undergraduate students with a 3.0 GPA
Students interested in winning a scholarship from these Denver car accident attorneys need to write an essay about the 7th amendment. Quick tip: The 7th amendment distinguishes civil claims tried by a jury from claims and issues heard by a judge. Put on your critical thinking hat and write about how this law affects your life.
No. 7: Discover Student Loans Scholarship Award
Award: $5,000
Deadline: January 31, 2020
How to apply: Submit a registration form here
Eligibility: High school seniors or undergraduate students
Visit the Discover website and fill out a registration form with your email address to be considered for a scholarship sweepstakes. That’s it! Throughout the sweepstakes, entrants will receive emails with helpful tips and resources about college. Twelve eligible students or parents will be randomly selected to each receive a $5,000 scholarship to be put towards college expenses.
No. 8: College Board Opportunity Scholarships and Recognition Program
Award: $40,000
Deadline: February 29, 2020
How to apply: Start the college journey here
Eligibility: High school juniors as of December 5, 2018; current high school seniors
Applying to college is a complicated process. Luckily, the College Board created a program to guide students through the process with a huge bonus: the chance to win a scholarship. There are a total of seven scholarships to win (one at each step), but the grand prize of $40,000 is only available to students who complete the entire process.
Steps include:
- Building a college list
- Practicing for the SAT
- Improving the SAT score
- Strengthening a college list
- Completing the FAFSA
- Applying to colleges
- Completing steps 1-6
No. 9: Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship
Award: $10,000
Deadline: March 2, 2020
How to apply: Submit an original greeting card here
Eligibility: Students 14 years of age and older
Feeling creative? The Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship encourages students from all backgrounds to create an original work of art or photography in order to win a substantial $10,000 prize. The final day for submissions is March 2, 2020, and voting closes on April 10, 2020, so the earlier you apply, the better.
No. 10: American Fire Sprinkler Association High School Senior College Scholarship
Award: $2,000
Deadline: April 1, 2020
How to apply: Submit an application here
Eligibility: High school seniors
The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) wants to help students pay for college. Good news for you! AFSA offers two scholarship periods, the first worth $2,000 for 10 recipients lasts from September 1, 2019 to April 1, 2020. If you don’t win the first time, then apply to the Second Chance College Scholarship Contest to win $1,000, which opens April 1, 2020 and ends August 31, 2020.
Do you know of any open eligibility scholarships that we missed? Tell us on Twitter @OppUniversity.