How to Find Scholarships for College Students in 2024

Updated: July 24, 2024
8 min read
Award$25,000
Deadline11 days left to apply
Create Free Bold.org Account

Due to the high cost of higher education institutions, many young people are trying to find scholarships for college students to reduce the cost of college.

College expenses at higher education institutions vary immensely, but on average, college students attending universities can pay anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 for a year of school. Some college students can save by attending a degree program at in-state public institutions, which have an average tuition cost of $9,970, in contrast to out-of-state institutions, with an average tuition of $25,620, and private colleges, with an average tuition of $34,740. These numbers do not reflect the total living cost for the year for college students, including the cost of room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses.

These larger-than-life numbers seem completely out of reach for many college students. When facing college costs, many undergraduate students turn to loans. Nationwide in 2022, 43.4 million individuals will have federal student loan debt; the average federal debt balance is $37,014.

While trying to reduce student debt, many college students search for scholarship opportunities. However, sifting through the many available scholarships to find legitimate ones is time-consuming for already busy college students. This article gives college students resources on how to find scholarships and provides a list of scholarship opportunities on Bold.org.

Create a Bold.org profile and use the scholarship search feature to access hundreds of exclusive scholarships.

college and graduate students financial aid

How to Find Scholarships for College Students

The best place for current college students to find college scholarships is Bold.org. Bold's scholarship search engine is an excellent platform for finding college scholarships. On Bold.org, the scholarship search engine is refined and aimed at helping students find college scholarships that are relevant to them.

You can search scholarships by keyword and sort to see the newest vs. oldest scholarships, nearest vs. farthest deadline and lowest vs. highest amount. If you aren't sure of what to search for, you can also view the most popular searches.

Get Matched to Thousands of Scholarships

Create your Bold.org profile to access thousands of exclusive scholarships, available only on Bold.org.

Create Free Profile

Further, you can use various filters on Bold.org's scholarship search engine to further narrow down your search. You can set the results to only see no essay scholarships, filter by education level, and filter by a number of preset categories such as arts, social issues, or family.

Bold.org also provides a number of articles on our scholarship blog to help students find scholarships relevant to them. Examples of these articles include Scholarships for Women, Math Scholarships, and New Hampshire Scholarships.

Explore the scholarship blog for other articles that divide scholarships by category.

Top Scholarships for College Students in 2023

There are many exclusive scholarship opportunities providing financial aid on Bold.org for students. This list offers just a few examples of the great college scholarships available on Bold.org. More scholarships can be found using Bold.org's scholarship finder.

Exclusive Scholarships to Apply For in 2023

Chris Jackson Computer Science Education Scholarship

This memorial fund for Chris Jackson will support students who want to pursue a Computer Science degree to make the world a better place.

Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship

To honor the life of Dashanna K. McNeil, this scholarship encourages those who share her commitment to healing to continue in their Nursing studies.

Financial Literacy Importance Scholarship

This scholarship will support a student who works to be smart with their finances.

The Most Anticipated 2023 Scholarships

These are a few of Bold.org's selections for the Best Scholarships for College Students in 2023.

Jacques Borges Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will support one student of Haitian descent who is pursuing a civil engineering degree and who has large ambitions for the future of their community.

Smart Service Scholarship

This scholarship aims to support students who are pursuing higher education in the skilled trades.

Students Impacted by Incarceration Scholarship

This scholarship will support a student who has been impacted by incarceration.

scholarships

Scholarships for Students with Illnesses or Disabilities

Numerous scholarships for college exist for college students with illnesses or disabilities. Below are a few opportunities that exist here at Bold.org:

Dylan's Journey Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will support one student in high school, undergraduate, or graduate school student who has Neurofibromatosis (NF) and/or a learning disability of any variety.

Strength in Neurodiversity Scholarship

This scholarship will support neurodiverse high school seniors seeking higher education.

She Rose Initiative's "More Than a Conquerer" Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support African American female students who have autoimmune diseases and are pursuing higher education.

College Scholarships by Major

Bold.org has thousands of exclusive scholarships for college students that are aimed toward a specific major or department. This list showcases just a few of the majors Bold.org provides scholarships for.

Great Scholarships for future nurses

Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship

To honor the life of Dashanna K. McNeil, this scholarship encourages those who share her commitment to healing to continue in their Nursing studies.

Philippe Forton Scholarship

The Philippe Forton Scholarship aims to honor Philippe by supporting high school seniors pursuing nursing in post-secondary education.

Scholarships for Medical school students in 2023

Analtha Parr Pell Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship aims to honor Analtha Parr Pell's life by supporting students pursuing medical careers.

Emma Jane Hastie Scholarship

The Emma Jane Hastie Scholarship aims to support an undergraduate junior or senior with a devotion to serving those around them.

Best art scholarships to apply for in 2023

Jose Montanez Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will support high school seniors in the foster care system as they pursue undergraduate or trade school.

Mohamed Magdi Taha Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to honor the life of Mohamed Magdi Taha by supporting students who possess similar qualities and are also 'up-standers' in their communities.

Scholarships for Women

There are many scholarships for college exclusively available to women on Bold.org. Read on for some examples.

Maggie's Way - International Women's Scholarship

This scholarship aims to honor Maggie's life by supporting female students who have moved to the U.S. for their education.

Jeannine Schroeder Women in Public Service Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will support a woman who is passionate about public service and making a difference.

Luisa de Vera Buena Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to honor the life of Luisa de Vera Buena by supporting Filipino-American women who are furthering their education.

undergraduate students at accredited university

College Scholarships for Black Students

A variety of scholarships exist for black students on Bold.org. These are examples of a few opportunities available to black college students.

Theresa Lord Future Leader Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support an African American student or a student of Caribbean descent so they can fulfill their destiny.

"I Matter" Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support minority students and students with financial needs so they can afford to pursue higher education.

Hearts On Sleeves, Minds In College Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support BIPOC students with big dreams for the future so they can afford to pursue higher education.

Scholarships for Graduate Students

Bold.org does not only provide scholarships for college to graduating high school seniors and undergraduate students, but they also provide college scholarships to graduate students.

Book Lover Scholarship

This scholarship aims to support students who love reading books and believe in the power of reading to transform their lives and become good people in the world.

SmartSolar Sustainability Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support motivated students who actively fight against climate change and have goals for how to combat it in the future.

"A Bold Mind" Psychology No-essay Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support students who are passionate about psychology so they can afford to pursue their education.

graduating high school seniors

Scholarships for Graduating High School Seniors

Bold.org also has hundreds of opportunities to win college scholarships for graduating high school seniors who are about to start their journey as college students.

RAD Scholarship

This scholarship will support students who are pursuing a career that looks to improve overall road safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Grace Lynn Ross Memorial Scholarship

The Grace Lynn Ross Memorial Scholarship aims to honor Grace by supporting students pursuing a career in criminal justice or child psychology/grief counseling.

Lieba's Legacy Scholarship

This scholarship will support college students looking to better the social-emotional well-being of gifted children.

How to Win Scholarships as a College Student

Due to the high number of students who are searching for and applying for scholarships, winning a scholarship can be an extremely competitive process. Some students may even feel frustrated that they apply for many scholarships but never or rarely win them. In order to win scholarships, there are some strategies that students should be aware of.

The narrower the scholarship requirements, the more likely you are to win the scholarship. Additionally, the more scholarships you apply to, the better your chances of winning. There is no limit to how many scholarships you can win on Bold.org.

Put real effort into your essays, and make sure they answer the prompt you are given. Think about what you are going to write, and proofread when you’re done. Make yourself stand out by following Bold.org’s tips for essay writing: grab the reader from the first sentence, stay focused on the essay prompt, write your essay in multiple, separate paragraphs, and use correct grammar.

undergraduate and graduate students

Frequently Asked Questions About College Scholarship Websites

What is the best site to find scholarships?

Bold.org is a website that is aimed at helping students through the process of their scholarship search. Bold.org's mission is to help provide scholarship money and financial aid to students and recent graduates in order to reduce the prevalence of student loans.

Bold.org's scholarship search engines are the perfect way to find new scholarships that provide college funding to students. All of Bold.org's scholarships provide free money to the winners, and there is no limit to the number of scholarships you can apply to on Bold.org.

Among scholarship sites, Bold.org stands out as a website with a clear mission, excellent filtering features in its scholarship search tool, and a scholarship blog that provides valuable information to students.

The most popular scholarships are always the scholarships that are easy to apply to. Bold.org has many easy application scholarships and no essay scholarships that don't require you to write scholarship essays to apply. With scholarships like these, it is easy to apply to dozens at a time; however, this is also what makes them popular with so many students.

Another very popular type of scholarship is one that awards large amounts of money, as these seem very attractive to students. Both oscholarshipsscholarships can be hard for students to win due to their popularity.

What GPA is needed for scholarship applications?

GPA requirements for applying to and winning scholarships vary, as each scholarship will have its own requirements. Check eligibility criteria for scholarships carefully before applying.

Merit scholarships often have GPA requirements, especially if they are based on academics. However, there are many types of scholarships available that do not have any GPA requirements.

How many scholarships can you use for college?

There are no limits to how many scholarships a student can apply to and win or how much award money a student can win. However, scholarship money may become taxable if the total amount of scholarship awards you win exceeds your qualified educational expenses. Contact your school's financial aid office for more information about what this looks like at your individual school.

Use the filters on Bold.org's scholarship search engines to find scholarships that apply to your interests, hobbies, future major, and future career. Some scholarships are state and even city-specific.

Create a Bold.org profile and use the scholarship search feature to access hundreds of exclusive scholarships. The process is easy, and hundreds of scholarships are available to help aid students like yourself. There are scholarships on Bold.org available for many different majors and need-based and merit-based scholarships, among many other categories. You can also read the Bold.org blog for more articles like this one.

Adren Setian
Student Finance and College Prep Researcher

About Adren

Adren has always loved writing both fiction and nonfiction, always with the intention to help other people. At Bold.org, she loves being a specialist who works to help students reduce their student debt and make financially wise decisions about the future of their education. 

Past experience that informs Adren’s expertise includes working with the Education and Employment Team of Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services. Being a research assistant analyzing data for research projects at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Several years as the Assistant Manager of an Equine Education program where responsibilities included creating and developing curriculums. Time spent volunteering as the Vice President and Senior Graphic Designer for the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Psychology Club and Psi Chi Honor Society chapter with the goal of furthering students’ professional skills and knowledge of the field of Psychology and building a sense of community.

Adren would like to end her introduction with a land acknowledgement relevant to Anchorage, Alaska, her hometown and place of residence: “Dena'inaq ełnen'aq' gheshtnu ch'q'u yeshdu. (Dena'ina)” [I live and work on the land of the Dena’ina. (English)] — Translated by Joel Isaak and Sondra Stuart

Adren is no longer with the Bold.org Writing Team, but we continue to value and appreciate her contributions.

Check out our Editorial Policy
Help Fight Student Debt
Share this article with your friends