Learn More About Local Scholarships

When searching for the best financial aid opportunities, high school students and college students alike have a higher likelihood of being selected for local scholarships. Since they are not open for all students, local scholarships have fewer applicants, making it easier for students attending college to become scholarship recipients. Community organizations looking to create a scholarship fund often want to give back to students in their area. This is most commonly done for high school seniors who are preparing to enter their college freshman year.

Because of this, it is easiest for graduating high school seniors to find local scholarships. Ask guidance counselors at your school for recommendations of local scholarships. Oftentimes, there are opportunities right in your community that you didn't even know about. Depending on the size and economic status of your community, the number of local scholarships may vary. And yet, while scholarships are most available for graduating seniors, your high school senior year is not the only time to be searching for "local scholarships near me."

Local Scholarships in Your Area

There are local scholarships based on the state you live in and/or the state in which you attend school. These may be for specific educational levels, such as those specifically for the graduating high school senior class. At the same time, there are local scholarships for any education level, including current college students pursuing higher education. It's a matter of looking in the right places and using your resources to find which scholarship funds can be the most beneficial to your future. Ask around in your community, search the Internet, and talk to the financial aid office at your school to find local scholarship opportunities.

Local scholarships vary and provide different levels of support. Scholarships promoted or organized by a student's school are often a great place to start. On top of that, Bold.org provides pages dedicated to each state, so those planning to attend college can find opportunities specific to them. Click on a state below to visit the page dedicated to your state.

Scholarships in Texas

There are several local scholarships for students living in Texas, including the "A State of Mind" Texas Scholarship, which is for a wider range of students. The Christians in Texas Scholarship is more specific in that it is just for college students who are of the Christian faith and have philanthropic interests. The next two scholarships are both for seniors, but different types of seniors, with the Tyrell Terry "Challenge and Opportunity" Scholarship being available for high school seniors and the Texas Black Careers Cross The Stage Scholarship supporting undergraduate seniors.

Florida Scholarships

Students in Florida can discover scholarships just for them. For example, the Giovanni Vitrano Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a high school soccer player in Florida or Georgia who demonstrates the perseverance and dedication it takes to be truly great, not just as a player but as a person.

Georgia Scholarships

Georgia offers several local scholarships. Four of these are specifically for high school seniors. Of these, the Dark and Light Scholarship is open to all Georgia high school seniors. The Taylor Ibarrondo Memorial Scholarship is for high school seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0, the McCusker Family Scholarship is specifically geared toward seniors going into the social work field, and the Endeavor Scholarship will support a male, Black graduating senior at a Georgia high school. The Clairo "For Atlanta" Scholarship is more broad and does not have the same education requirement as the others. It is open to all students living in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alabama Scholarships

Students in Alabama have options when it comes to paying for higher education. One example is the Jerry Garrett and Starlinne Sullivan Memorial EMS Scholarship that aims to support students in Alabama who are pursuing careers as first responders or as nurses.

North Carolina Scholarships

North Carolina students can apply to local scholarships that are both broad and specific. Broad scholarships include the COVID-19 Perspective Scholarship, which is for any high school senior from North Carolina. The Jacob Daniel Dumas Memorial Scholarship has a narrower set of criteria, being limited only to STEM students who are in their senior year of high school or earning their undergraduate degree in the STEM field.

Michigan Scholarships

Michigan has local scholarships that include the Dynamic Edge Women in STEM Scholarship, which is geared toward female students in a STEM-related field, and the My Brother's Keeper Scholarship, which helps support low-income students living in Michigan. To find out more about scholarships in Michigan, check out our page on Michigan Scholarships.

Scholarship need by state

Students in all states can benefit from scholarship aid due to the high costs of tuition. However, need varies based on location, as shown by the student loans held by Bold.org users. The students with the highest average student loans are those in the American Samoa territory, owing an average of $4,152 each. 

The students with the next-highest average loans are those who reside in the District of Columbia, owing $2,031 each. The next states with the highest loans are Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, ranging from $1,790 to $1,840.

The state with the lowest average debt among Bold.org users is Utah, where students owe an average of $754. The states with the next-lowest debt averages are Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Alabama. In these states, average debt ranges from $805 to $916.

Scholarship interest by state

Scholarship interest also varies across states, with Texas Bold.org users per capita. Additional states with high interest include Utah, Maryland, Georgia, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Hawaii, Nebraska, and Idaho. 

By contrast, the states with the fewest Bold.org users based on population are Vermont, Maine, Oregon, Missouri, Alaska, Wisconsin, Tennessee, West Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky, and New Mexico. 

Scholarship applications by state

The number of Bold.org scholarship applications received from students in each state is closely related to how many users there are in each state. As a result, the states with the highest and lowest rate of applications are the states with the highest number of accounts per capita, as listed above. 

Scholarship winners by state

The states with the most Bold.org scholarship winners are California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. When adjusted for population, the District of Columbia has the highest rate of scholarship winners. The next states with high rates of winning are Rhode Island, Nebraska, Alaska, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Colorado. 

The states with the lowest rates of winning are Vermont, Wyoming, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, Wisconsin, Alabama, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Missouri. 

Desired level of education by state

The desired level of education among Bold.org users is consistent across states, with a bachelor's degree being the most common degree sought. The second-most desired degree across states is a master's degree, followed by a doctoral degree and an associate degree. The least-sought degree types are boot camp, high school, and trade school degrees.

In some states, including Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the Virgin Islands, users are equally interested in bachelor's and master's degrees. In these states, 35% of users are seeking each degree type. In the other states, around 35-45% of students desire bachelor's degrees while around 20-35% desire master's degrees. Puerto Rico is a notable exception where 37% of users are seeking a doctoral degree, making it the most desired degree type in the territory.