Best Essay Scholarships to Apply for in 2024

About essay scholarships 

Essay-based scholarships are the most common and traditional form of scholarships available to students pursuing higher education. Though essay scholarships may seem intimidating at first glance, this type of scholarship can be invaluable to students looking to earn money through scholarships. 

An essay scholarship is a financial aid opportunity that requires students to write a short statement in order to apply. No-essay scholarships, on the other hand, do not require written statements as part of the application process. 

Students tend to gravitate towards no-essay scholarships, as they are easier to apply to in regards to both time and effort. While no-essay scholarships are a great resource as well, students should consider applying to a mix of both no-essay and essay scholarships to have the best chances of winning. 

Since fewer students take the time to apply for essay scholarships, there is less competition for them. This means that students that do apply for essay scholarships will often have higher chances of winning money than students who exclusively apply for no-essay scholarships.

Though no-essay scholarships can save time in the application process, they typically attract a large number of applicants. Both college students and high school students will usually face more competition with this type of scholarship. 

In many cases, it isn’t as difficult to apply for essay scholarships as college students imagine. The written statement is often quite short and usually hovers around 400-600 words. That’s around a page of writing or even a little less. There are even many opportunities that require even shorter essays, such as 100-300 words!

If that still sounds daunting, remember that essay scholarships will provide a prompt to write on. Most scholarships will focus on a certain aspect of a student’s life. For example, a mental health awareness scholarship might ask students to write about their personal struggles with mental health and how they have overcome those challenges in pursuit of a better education. 

Similarly, major-based scholarships, like STEM or arts scholarships, often ask students to write about why they chose to study that particular field. Typically, no additional research needs to be done to write the essay portion of the application. In nearly all cases, donors simply want to hear about who the applicant is. 

To write the essay scholarship, students only need to draw on their personal experiences or life goals to show the donor who they are as a person. High school students might focus more on their goals for the future, while undergraduate and graduate students might talk about their current studies. 

Whatever the case, both high school students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, should focus on showcasing their talents, goals, and personality in the essay. The more detailed and unique an essay is, the easier it is for the donor to feel a connection with you, making your application stand out from the competition.

Essay scholarships are available to students of all ages and all grade levels. College students and high school students alike can apply for essay scholarships. As long as the scholarship allows applicants of your grade level, you can apply.

Though some essay scholarship prompts may seem better suited towards one age group than another, students should still apply as long as they are eligible. For example, a scholarship that asks applicants to write about their major and why they chose it might seem easier to answer as a college student. 

However, if high school students are eligible, they can likely answer the prompt by writing about their intended major. Both high school students and college students should be able to write most scholarship essays.

The purpose of the essay scholarship is to allow the donor to get a better view of the applicant, so make sure to add personality and detail to your essays. You can also check out this guide on writing scholarship essays for exclusive tips!

Best essay scholarships

 The majority of scholarships available are essay-based, so there are plenty of opportunities to choose from. Each scholarship has its own benefits, so it's important to apply for a variety of scholarship opportunities. The highest-value scholarships can be the most helpful when paying your tuition, but they often receive the most competition as a result. To have the best chances of winning, consider smaller scholarships with fewer eligible applicants.

Essay scholarships for high school students

There are plenty of high school scholarships available for students of all grade levels. Additionally, high school students can apply for scholarships specific to their grade level.

Essay scholarships for high school freshmen 

Freshman year is the earliest students can begin applying for scholarships, meaning that applicants who start as high school freshmen can get ahead of the game. The earlier you start applying, the longer you'll have to earn college funding. The following scholarships are a great place for high school freshmen to begin their search!

1. Bold Climate Changemakers Scholarship
2.  M.R. Brooks Scholarship 
3. "Equal Opportunity" Scholarship

Essay scholarships for high school sophomores

There are also plenty of scholarship opportunities for high school sophomores who are looking to get a jump on their scholarship applications. The scholarships below are a great way for sophomores to get started!

1. Bold Community Activist Scholarship 
2. CollegeXpress No-Essay Scholarship
3. Bold Great Books Scholarship 

Essay scholarships for high school juniors

As upperclassmen, high school juniors have even more scholarships available to them than freshmen and sophomores. In addition to scholarships open to all high school students, juniors can also apply for scholarships exclusively open to juniors and seniors. Check out the list below and start applying!

1. Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship 
2. Scorenavigator Financial Literacy Scholarship 
3. Janey Mae Memorial Scholarship

Essay scholarships for high school seniors

Senior year of high school is one of the most popular times to apply for scholarships. As a result, there are many scholarships created specifically for high school seniors. Since other grade levels can't apply, there are often fewer eligible applicants for senior scholarships, giving you a better chance of winning! You can check out the scholarships below to begin applying. 

1. MJM3 Fitness Scholarship 
2. Michael Valdivia Scholarship
3. Charlotte Emery Memorial Scholarship  

Essay scholarships for college students

While it's great to start securing scholarship funding in high school, it's never too late to apply! There are plenty of scholarships for those currently in college, such as those listed below.

1. Live Your Dash Entrepreneurs Scholarship
2. Dr. Sharyn First-Generation in Business Scholarship  
3. Chris Jackson Computer Science Scholarship 

Essay scholarships for graduate students

Many graduate students aren't aware of all of the scholarships available to them, meaning that many miss out on available financial aid. If you're a graduate student, consider applying for the scholarships below!

1. Jameela Jamil x I Weigh Scholarship
2. Derrick Richardson Law Student Scholarship 
3. Chang Heaton Scholarship for Music Excellence

Essay scholarships for international students 

International students are often left behind when it comes to earning financial aid. With fewer government resources available, international students pursuing their degrees in the US may have unmet financial needs. The following scholarships for international students in the US are a great place to start!

1.  International Studies Scholarship
2. Crenati Foundation Supporting International Students Scholarship  

Essay scholarships for women 

Many scholarship donors aim to help underrepresented or disadvantaged students, such as racial minorities, low-income students, LGBTQ+ students, or women. If you're a female student, consider applying for the following scholarships!

1. Taking Up Space Scholarship 
2. Indigenous Women in STEM Scholarship 
3. Charlotte Emery Memorial Scholarship

Frequently asked questions about essay scholarships 

How do I win essay scholarships?

The most important part of the essay application is simply finishing it. Many high school students and college students won’t even bother to apply for essay scholarships. As a result, just turning in an application that meets all of the requirements and answers the prompt places you ahead of a good chunk of your peers. 

Still, it’s good to fine-tune your scholarship essays and make sure you turn in your best work. There are several steps students can take in order to take their scholarship essays to the next level. Click here to read our full guide on how to write a scholarship essay.

First, make sure your essay stays on topic and answers the prompt. Don’t get sidetracked by tangential experiences. Read the question carefully and make an outline of what you want to write before you start writing. This can help make sure your essay is focused and coherent. Make a list of what points you want to include in your answer and in what order. Then, make sure to stick to those points.

One important point is to make sure you maintain your basic writing skills. If grammar is something you struggle with on occasion, make a plan to catch any mistakes you might make. Using a tool like Grammarly or Microsoft Word’s spell check can be very helpful in making sure no minor errors are made. You can also try reading your essay out loud, or asking a friend to look it over. Sometimes two pairs of eyes are better than one. 

Another way to elevate your essay is to open with a hook. Perhaps you have a funny story about your academic experiences that relates to the question asked. Or, you could retell the moment you decided to pursue your current major. Any impactful experience you’ve had that relates to the question asked can be a good way to open your essay. 

Opening with a hook makes your essay more memorable and makes the reader want to keep reading. If your essay sounds generic or uninspired, the donor may pass you over for someone else. Making your essay personal and engaging is a key way to make an impact on your reader and stand out from other competitors. 

Most of the time, when a donor includes an essay question, it’s because they’re looking for a specific type of student. Many donors favor students that are driven, motivated, and willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. Look carefully at the prompt for hints on what qualities the donors are looking for. 

An essay question that asks about a student’s struggle with finances, for example, is likely looking for a high school student or college student that has worked hard to pursue education despite the challenges they faced. A prompt that asks students to talk about their chosen major is likely looking for a student that is inspired and has a special interest in their field. 

A mix of your personal experiences, academic interests, and goals for the future are usually good points to work into your essay. It’s important to both answer the question clearly and help the donor understand who you are as a person. 

How do I apply for scholarships? 

Applying for scholarships is not as difficult as it seems. Most applications give clear instructions and are easy to complete. A good place to start is finding a scholarship search resource that works for you. 

One easily accessible way to find scholarships is through your school. For high school students, the guidance office may be able to connect you with scholarship opportunities. College students, including graduate students, will want to talk to their financial aid office instead. 

The advantage of finding scholarships through your school is that the financial aid or guidance office may be able to find opportunities specifically made for your school. This means the competition pool will be much smaller as you will only be competing with your classmates. 

As for how high school students and college students can apply for these opportunities, the instructions will likely depend on that specific school’s process for applying. Administrators in the financial aid or guidance office will be able to guide students through the application process. 

An alternative is using online platforms to search for and apply for scholarships. High school students and college students alike will benefit from this method, as online platforms typically allow students to apply for multiple scholarships at once. Making a free profile with Bold.org, for example, will allow high school students and college students to quickly apply with just one click to no-essay scholarships. 

Creating a profile with online scholarship platforms allows the site to submit applications on your behalf. In addition, the information stored in the profile can be used to help find more relevant scholarship search results for each student’s needs.

For example, high school students will automatically be barred from applying to scholarships that only look at college students, and vice versa. This can help save some time and ensure students don’t waste their efforts applying for scholarships that will not consider them. 

In order to apply for a scholarship on an online platform, students simply need to create a free profile and find the scholarships they want to apply for. Their information will be sent to the donors for review. 

If there is an essay requirement, students must prepare a written statement ahead of time. Students can then paste their essays into the application on the online platform. The essay will be submitted along with the student’s personal information from their profile. 

When can I start applying? 

High school students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, can apply whenever they like. Very few scholarships exist for students below the high school level, and while some opportunities are available to recent college graduates, most are for those still in school. 

Students at any level between high school and graduate school can start to apply for scholarships at any time. High school seniors are the group of high school students that will likely have the easiest time finding scholarships they can apply for. Many donors looking to create opportunities at the high school level view high school seniors as the demographic most concerned with generating funding for college. 

Winning scholarship money while still in high school can help students in their college search. Getting an idea of how much money you will be able to spend on college is a good way to narrow down your search for the perfect school for you. In addition, winning scholarship money might make it possible for high school students to attend a college they previously thought would be too expensive. 

As a result, starting to apply for scholarships as a high school senior or junior would be a reasonable time to begin. 

Applying earlier is typically better than applying for scholarships later on. This is simply because starting to find and apply to scholarships earlier will allow students more time to apply, get their results back, and apply again. The more this cycle is repeated, the more money students typically make. 

Remember that not every scholarship you apply to will yield positive results. Therefore, applying to as many scholarships as possible will increase the possibility that a few of those applications will win. 

However, there’s nothing wrong with trying to find scholarships even before your senior year in high school. In addition, starting to apply as an undergraduate student or a graduate student is completely fine as well. There are many opportunities made specifically for college students, many of which include graduate students as well. 

It may seem counterintuitive to start applying for scholarships after committing to a college. However, winning scholarship money can help not just with creating a budget for college, but also with the expenses of continuing your college education. Each new semester means new textbooks and new school supplies, for example. 

In addition, college is a path to many educational opportunities that are usually not available to high school students. For example, many college students study abroad, whether as undergraduate students or graduate students. Saving up some scholarship money for the costs of continuing your education and taking advantage of college opportunities like studying abroad can be very helpful. 

How do I know if I’m eligible for a scholarship?

Every scholarship posting will clearly state its requirements, so be sure to read the entire description. Remember that your efforts may be wasted if you do not fit the criteria for a certain scholarship. No matter how much you excel in school, you cannot win a scholarship that you are not eligible for. 

Scholarships often tend towards very general requirements or more exclusive requirements. General scholarships are often open to students of any major and any grade level, meaning the vast majority of students will be able to apply.

Exclusive scholarships, on the other hand, are made for a more specific purpose. For example, the donor of an exclusive scholarship might want to use their money to uplift indigenous students in the medical field. As a result, the scholarship might only accept applicants that are indigenous students and focused on nursing or medicine. Students that do not match these criteria will not be considered. 

Some common restricting factors in exclusive scholarships are education level, demographic, income level, academic interest, and GPA. An exclusive scholarship might restrict the applicant pool by all or some of these criteria. 

Certain opportunities might be open to graduate students only, and not high school students or undergraduate students. Some scholarships might require students to study a particular major, such as graphic design. A more general scholarship might use an umbrella term, like the humanities, instead of a specific major. Whatever the case, be sure you have carefully read each of the requirements before applying. 

Many exclusive scholarships will be specific enough that most students will not be able to apply. For example, a scholarship open only to Asian American molecular biology graduate students will receive a lower volume of applications than a scholarship available to all STEM majors. 

However, there’s no need to get discouraged if you find it difficult to locate an exclusive scholarship that matches your needs. The multitude of scholarship opportunities available on sites like Bold.org means that there is a scholarship for everyone. New scholarships are created and added each day, meaning students who continuously look for and apply to scholarships are more likely to find relevant opportunities. 

In addition, it’s a good idea to apply for both general and exclusive scholarships. This helps students cast a wider net and hopefully increase their chances of winning money. 

What do I have to do to apply?

The application process for most scholarships is fairly simple, especially if students choose to apply through an online platform. 

Sometimes, the most difficult part of applying for a scholarship is simply qualifying, especially if there are many requirements. Once students find opportunities that match their needs, very little action is required.

Students will need to send some of their personal information to the donor to confirm they match the criteria listed. This is often done automatically through online platforms, or students may need to fill out a form through the appropriate school office if the scholarship is not listed online. 

If the scholarship does not require an essay, then that’s all you need to do. If the scholarship does require a personal statement, then that will be the second and final part of the application. 

The essay question, as we’ve covered, can appear intimidating but is usually answered in a page or less. Since donors simply want to hear about you as a person and your academic pursuits, staying honest and true to yourself is usually the best way to tackle the essay. 

It’s not necessary in most cases to do more research to answer the essay question. Sharing personal experiences that relate to the question can be a good way to start. Students should already have all the information they need to answer the question. The only thing left is presenting that information and any personal experiences in an orderly, coherent manner. 

To summarize, scholarships are relatively low-stress to apply to. Students will only need to submit their personal information and write a short personal essay about themselves to be considered.

Are scholarships counted as income? 

Typically, scholarships are not counted as income. 

Scholarships will remain tax-free as long as the scholarship money is used for necessary educational expenses. Necessary educational expenses include tuition fees, textbook and equipment fees, mandatory course fees, and mandatory enrollment fees. It’s important to note that housing and travel expenses do not count as necessary educational expenses. 

In other words, if failing to pay an expense would obstruct your ability to graduate with a degree, that expense likely qualifies as a necessary educational expense. 

In addition, the following requirements must be met for your scholarship money to be considered tax-free. First, the total money earned from all essay scholarships cannot be greater than the total amount your university or college charges you for your education. This rarely happens and is usually not a problem for most students. 

Secondly, the recipient of the essay scholarship money must be currently completing a degree at an accredited college or university. Third, the money cannot be given in exchange for a service or job provided. Scholarship money is not a payment or a salary; it is gift aid that is given to a student to help them pay for college. 

Lastly, the money cannot be marked for other expenses such as room and board (which are not necessary educational expenses). Typically, donors will not stipulate how the money should be spent, so this is rarely an issue.