The Best Journalism Scholarships in 2024

Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Peter Parker. Besides the phonetic alliteration, they're all characters in superhero universes who work as journalists and reporters. There's a reason superhero or vigilante stories are so often tied to investigative journalism— it's never enough to just defeat the bad guy. You've gotta uncover the truth, too.

That's why journalists are so important. Reporters help lend a voice to the average person by telling our stories to a wider audience. Bringing the bad guy to justice might be glamorous, but what we really depend on reporters for is transparency. Journalists do the research and fact-checking so that we, the general public, can easily keep track of our local, national, and international communities. Things like regional politics, overseas market shortages, and more can have a big impact on our day to day lives.

Whether you're writing about high-profile crimes or updating your city on local elections and construction projects, journalists have an important job to do. Journalism scholarships can help aspiring journalists pay for college, where they can hone their craft, make connections, and start researching for big projects ahead.

Get started on finding funding to support your dreams of becoming a journalist. Apply to scholarships easily by making a free Bold.org account today! You'll have access to regularly updated scholarships, with more financial aid opportunities added each day. Bold.org also provides other debt relief resources and general wellness tips for students from all corners of academia.

Best Journalism Scholarships

Journalism is a specific field of writing, so there aren't as many scholarships specific to journalism students. However, journalism students will still qualify for hundreds of scholarships, both in the journalism field and in other general academic fields like writing and English.

Among the most popular journalism scholarships are grants for writers and high-achievers. These financial aid opportunities can help students afford journalism school.

Writing Scholarships for Journalists

Merit-Based Scholarships

Essay Scholarships for Gifted Writers

High school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate students can find scholarships in this list. There's no right or wrong time to apply for journalism scholarships, though starting earlier may give you more time to plan out your education and finances.

Journalism Adjacent Scholarships

Journalism majors often choose to study other fields as well to round out their degree. English, history, and criminal justice are all popular choices for journalism majors looking for a double major or minor. These areas can help aspiring journalists hone their writing skills and understand the societal contexts they live in, both of which contribute to telling more engaging and truthful stories.

Scholarships for English Majors

History Major Scholarships

Criminal Justice Scholarships

History may not seem like the most obvious choice for journalists, but it can actually be a rather practical addition to a reporter's education. Even for those who aren't working directly in political fields, history can be helpful. Understanding the backstories of why certain decisions were made in your community or country will allow you to add context to the modern stories you tell.

For those intent on exposing wrongdoing by focusing on the investigative side, criminal justice can be a great second major. If you're investigating potential lawbreakers, you need to be familiar with the ins and outs of both state and national legislation.

Scholarships for Uplifting Minority Journalists

There's a reason why so many franchises— Star Wars, Bridgerton, and Marvel, to name a few— are focusing more on diversity. Telling stories from different backgrounds and voices is incredibly important in today's day and age.

Diversity provides visibility. When younger generations read stories and watch TV, they pick up cues on what society is supposed to look like and how they themselves are supposed to act. That's why it's important that we make characters and people of all backgrounds visible to all audiences.

Scholarships for Black Aspiring Journalists

First Generation Scholarships for Journalists

LGBTQ+ Student Scholarships

Need-Based Scholarships

Journalists can help with furthering our efforts to make mainstream media more diverse. Reporters who come from minority communities can share a different perspective with the world, and in so doing, their stories have the power to make their audiences feel more accepted.

In addition, journalists who represent smaller demographics may be more inclined to write about social issues important to those groups. These issues might be overlooked by mainstream news and information services, but individual stories and articles can help bring such problems to light.

Scholarships for Women in Journalism

Female journalists may face certain challenges in the industry. People are less likely to respect women in journalism, and despite the overwhelming number of female journalism graduates, newsrooms have yet to reflect these proportions.

Scholarships for Women in Journalism

Scholarships for Black Women

Women seeking a career in journalism have varying obstacles that most men do not. In order to help women succeed in the journalism field, scholarships are designed specifically for women in journalism. Take a look at some excellent scholarships for women studying journalism.

Journalism Scholarships for High School Students

The earlier you start applying for scholarships for journalism, the more opportunities you will have to fund your education. In fact, the Federal Student Aid Office even recommends that students begin applying for scholarships the summer before they become high school seniors.

Scholarships for High School Students

Gap Year Scholarships

High school seniors are at a crucial transition point. There is so much change happening around this time, and because going from high school to college is such a big shift, many scholarships are geared specifically for high school seniors.

High school seniors may also be considering gap years before college. This could be so that they have time to make some money or get real-world experience in the workforce. Either way, gap year scholarship can help high school students plan ahead for college.

Many high school journalists planning to attend school for news and reporting have experience working on their school's yearbooks or other publications. Whether you have experience with this or not, there are scholarships for high school students that can help prepare you for your transition to college.

As you look ahead to college expenses, take into consideration that you have chances during your senior year to reduce future student loan debt.

Journalism Scholarships for College Students

By the time you're a college student, you've already chosen journalism as a major and familiarized yourself with the college experience. That means you are also now keenly aware of all of the prices involved in paying for journalism education.

Don't let up on your scholarship search in college: take this opportunity to apply for scholarships for undergraduate students and graduate students alike.

Undergraduate Scholarships for Journalism

Graduate Scholarships for Journalism

Grants for Paying Off Student Loans

Journalism students pursuing additional education through graduate school have chosen to seek out more knowledge while simultaneously incurring more of a financial burden. By the time you join the ranks of graduate students, you may have already taken out private student loans or federal student loans to pay for your undergraduate degree.

Finances can be stressful, so look into opportunities for graduate students that can help limit your financial stress. On the flip side, students attending graduate school may have better prospects as professional journalists: graduate school offers the chance to network and gain more experience.

Journalism Scholarships for International Students

International students studying journalism in the United States are less common since there are fewer international students than local students. However, there are still scholarships international students in journalism can apply for to help cover the cost of their degree.

International Student Scholarships

International students can bring a unique perspective to reporting and domestic affairs in America. Don't discount their ability to tell compelling stories that contribute to both local and international communities!

How Journalism School Makes the World a Better Place

Journalists are tasked with the important job of informing the public. They have the responsibility to report truthfully and provide important content.

In the age of the internet and social media, anyone can share their thoughts and opinions with the world. This isn't always a good thing, making journalists' work that much more important. The public relies on journalists to provide facts in a world of opinions.

Journalism students are taught to follow an ethical code that helps shape the way they gather and share information. The Society for Professional Journalists outlines the code's four primary components: journalists must seek truth and report it, work to minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent. This code of ethics sets journalists apart from the average person sharing one version of the truth online and in print.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the median annual income for journalists in 2023 at $57,500. Predictions like that from credible sources can help you get an idea of what life will be like, logistically, should you pursue journalism.

Though the overall employment for news analysts, reporters, and journalists is expected to decline 3% from 2022 to 2032, there are still new openings for journalists.

About 6,000 new openings for media reporting jobs are posted each year, on average. There's still an enduring need for fresh voices in the industry.

Journalism is a broad field that encompasses many different elements. The news reported by journalists can be split into two general categories: hard news and soft news. Hard news refers to traditional news stories, breaking news, and current events. Within the realm of hard news, there is investigative reporting, broadcast journalism, business and financial journalism, and a variety of other such categories.

Soft news encompasses art and entertainment reporting, celebrity news, sports journalism, and more. These stories may offer more room for creative freedom as you write and can also allow you to showcase your personal writing voice.

Whether you are an undergraduate journalism student, graduate student, or high school student aspiring to become a journalist, there are scholarships that can help reduce your student debt. Journalism students have plenty of opportunities available if they take the time to look.

How Do I Find Journalism Scholarships?

On Bold.org, there are many excellent opportunities that you can utilize when looking for journalism scholarships. Take a look at the scholarship search page and use the category filters to find scholarships that match your major, grade level, personal interests, and more.

You can also find scholarships through your school's journalism department. Many scholarships are offered yearly, giving students the chance to apply for their school's scholarship opportunities several times.

Additional organizations exist to help aspiring journalists. For example, you can visit the Overseas Press Club Foundation to apply for Press Club Foundation Scholarships. These are unique opportunities aimed at journalism students interested in becoming foreign correspondents.

How to Apply for Journalism Scholarships

To apply for journalism scholarships on Bold.org, create your free account today. Once you've joined Bold.org and filled in your profile, you can begin applying for any of the exclusive scholarships offered to journalism students.

After finding the best journalism scholarships for you, it's time to apply. Bold.org works to make the application process as easy as possible by offering simple, no-essay scholarships along with scholarships that require essays.

General Steps for Applying to Scholarships

1. Identify relevant scholarship opportunities.
2. Gather necessary application materials— depending on scholarship requirements, could be transcripts, recommendation letters, and more.
3. Write an essay that demonstrates your passion and talent (some scholarships may not require this)
4. Keep track of deadlines and submit materials on time.
5. Continue to apply for new scholarships as you find more opportunities.

Tips for Applying to Journalism Scholarships

One of the most important things to keep in mind with scholarships is that they're all different, so you should tailor your application to fit the given requirements. Identify the type of scholarship you're applying for, such as merit-based or major-based, and make sure to emphasize why you deserve to win that particular scholarship.

Journalism scholarships are usually given based on either financial need or merit. Merit-based journalism scholarships look for students who have demonstrated excellent work in their chosen focus area. For example, broadcast journalism students may be awarded based on their broadcast reporting work or broader journalism majors may be selected due to their work with their school's newspaper or various mediums.

The personal statement or essay is often the piece in your application that will tell the donor the most about who you are as a person. It's wise to spend some more time there to make sure you're submitting the best possible essay. For more help on writing the scholarship essay, check out this guide on how to write a personal statement for a scholarship.

Undergraduate students have the best chance of being selected for scholarships based on their reporting skills because, by the time they've enrolled in their accredited college, they will have gotten experience and demonstrated their skills. Students interested in pursuing a career in journalism can help fund their education through journalism scholarships.

Additional Resources for Journalism Students

Journalism school can get you 90% of the way there. But like any industry, the news and media field is constantly changing as current events and technology reshape society. It's important to continuously brush up on your skills to stay ahead of the game. Be a lifelong learner and take advantage of these free resources to become one of the best journalists in your field.

The Society of Professional Journalists

The Society of Professional Journalists offers a helpful toolbox for aspiring reporters. It's filled with articles on navigating the world for new journalists and contains actionable resources like guides on how to effectively use AI for reporting.

BBC

The BBC also has an excellent webpage on learning essential skills for reporters. Read about how to prepare for interviews, write engaging hooks, and improve your audio storytelling skills. This free resource contains advice from well-established journalists and news anchors like Fiona Bruce, Jim Fitzpatrick, and more.

The News Guild of New York

Similarly, the New York News Guild offers practical tips for the modern reporter. Guides on using smartphones for photography, the best apps for journalists, and more are included in this webpage. As journalism and writing techniques continue to be shaped by technological advancement, this page can help you stay on top of modern practices in the news industry.

Create your free account with Bold.org today! Enjoy access to hundreds of exclusive scholarships and free resources in our scholarship blog. Bold.org is committed to supporting all types of students as they pursue their dreams and impactful professions like journalism.