National Scholarships with 2026 Deadlines

Higher education is incredibly expensive. The average cost of college in the United States is $35,551 per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. While some students can afford to pay tuition, there are others who may require financial aid to cover the costs. 84% of students receive some form of financial aid, including grants, loans, and scholarships.

For students who are thinking about undergraduate or graduate study but are unsure if they can afford it, there are plenty of financial options to pay for tuition. While loans can be helpful, grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid. Over 1.7 million scholarships are awarded annually.

While there are lots of options for students, they don't always have access to this scholarship money. Some scholarships are difficult to find or apply for. Additionally, many scholarship programs also have eligibility requirements that students have to follow, including coming from a certain location or state in order to be eligible for the award. These local scholarships can be useful, but they often have specific requirements that keep students from applying.

If you want a scholarship that doesn't look at the location students are coming from, you can apply to a national scholarship. A national scholarship is an award for study, research or travel that is offered by an agency to students throughout the United States. With national scholarships, it does not matter where in the United States you come from, but other eligibility requirements may be considered including your academic or extracurricular achievements.

While some national scholarships may be public, a majority of the scholarships come from community organizations and private companies. Private organizations award over $7.4 billion in scholarship money annually. At Bold.org, we have hundreds of private scholarships available to students nationally across the United States. Create a free account on Bold.org for access to thousands of exclusive scholarships, updated daily!

What are the types of national scholarships?

National scholarships can come from private companies, local or state governments, or non-profit organizations. Depending on where the scholarship is coming from, there will be different requirements for applicants, including a students GPA or family income. Most national scholarships fall under the categories of merit-based or need-based.

Need-based scholarships are based on your family's income and need for financial support rather than any type of merit or personal accomplishment. Students may qualify for need-based scholarship funds if they come from low-income backgrounds.

Merit-based scholarships are awarded based on things like academic achievement, athletic ability, or participation in extracurricular activities. Perhaps the most well-known national scholarship, the National Merit Scholarship Program, is a merit scholarship that students get by taking the Preliminary SAT (PSAT).

How to qualify for national scholarships

Be a college student in the United States

Many scholarships are awarded based on the state or location that a student comes from, but national scholarships only require students to be going to a college in the United States. While some national scholarship programs are only for college students, high school students can also apply for national scholarships if they plan to apply for college or if they have been accepted into college already.

If you apply to a national scholarship program, they may require applicants to be U.S. citizens or be living in the United States, but there a plenty of scholarships that can help international students and undocumented students.

Meet any other eligibility requirements

Some scholarships have additional requirements beyond just being a student in the United States. Students could need to have a certain field of study, education level, or career goals in order to get financial assistance. Student eligibility may also depend on the types of extracurricular activities that a student participates in. Make sure you check all of the eligibility criteria for scholarships before you apply.

How do you get a national scholarship?

National scholarships are incredibly competitive, because students across the country are eligible, so you will have to stand out. You can do this by writing compelling essays or applications that will impress the scholarship committees. Some national scholarships may even require an endorsement or letter of recommendation from your school, so you should ensure that you maintain good grades and have a good relationship with your teachers or professors.

While national scholarships do have a wide range of applicants, the best way to get a national scholarship is to show that you are passionate about something. If a scholarships asks applicants to be interested in a certain career or major, for example, writing an essay that talks about the moment you wanted to study in that field or what made you passionate about it can help you stand out.

If you are worried about the competitiveness of national scholarships, Bold.org has a variety of scholarships that are easy to find and apply for that can help any student across the United States. You can easily apply to scholarships on Bold.org. Just make sure that you have a strong profile before you apply.

How to find national scholarships

You can find plenty of scholarships on Bold.org. If you are getting your degree in a certain state or if you are from a certain place, you can also find specific scholarships by searching for scholarships by state. But if you are looking for national scholarships, there are still many options for you.

If you go to our website, you can use the filter feature to browse scholarships by category. By going to the "general" category, you will be able to see all of the scholarships available to students nationally. Many of the scholarships sponsored by Bold.org, including the 1000 Bold Points No-Essay Scholarship, are national scholarships. You can even bookmark scholarships you're interested in so you can go back to them later and apply. For more information about scholarships and student loans, you can also check out our blog page.

How to apply for national scholarships

Applying for financial aid can be a daunting process, but it is an important step for your college education. Many schools have scholarships that you can apply for through the FAFSA or through your university. If you want to find scholarships with an easy application process, though, Bold.org is the perfect place.

On Bold.org, it is extremely easy to find and apply for scholarships. Once you have a profile, you can apply for scholarships in only a few clicks. Applying for scholarships typically requires an essay submission, but no-essay scholarships often just require a few minutes to apply. Each scholarship will have relevant instructions or essay prompts in the description, making the application process simple.

When you apply for scholarships, keep in mind that there are certain ways to increase your chances of winning, such as having a detailed profile, earning as many bold points as possible, and writing impressive essays.

When to start applying for scholarships

When it comes to securing financial aid for your college degree, it's never too early to start. You can begin applying for scholarships as early as high school so that you can apply for a larger range of scholarships and minimize your need for student loans. Most national scholarships are available to high school seniors or those already in college, but applying earlier can give you a head start on tackling your college costs.

However, don't worry if you're already in college and just starting to apply. Many scholarships are geared towards students pursuing college degrees or even graduate students, so you have plenty of time to apply. Bold.org has college scholarships for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Frequently asked questions about national scholarships

What are the chances of winning a national scholarship?

Only about 1 in 8 college students win a scholarship, and national scholarships can be even more competitive. For the National Merit Scholarship, for example, 7,600 students will be selected as National Scholarship Winners out of the 1.5 million students who take the exam.

Despite these odds, there are so many ways to increase your chances of winning. By applying for a lot of scholarships or by finding scholarships with specific requirements, you can significantly increases your chances of winning.

Can anyone apply for national scholarship?

While some national scholarships have other eligibility requirements like requiring that applicants have a certain major or GPA, most national scholarships are available to students across the United States. Sometimes, national scholarships even consider students from outside the United States if they are going to college in the US. If you have financial need, national scholarships can be great general scholarships that are available to a large number of students.

What is the easiest scholarship to get?

The easiest scholarships to apply to are no-essay scholarships. These scholarships take only a few clicks to apply to, so you can apply for many scholarships in a short amount of time. This will increase your chances of getting a scholarship.

Another way to easily get scholarships is to apply for scholarships with specific eligibility requirements. If a scholarship is intended for a specific demographic or major, it will decrease the amount of people applying, which increases your chances of getting the scholarship.

If you are connected to a local organization or non-profit, an easy way to get a scholarship is to go directly through an organization. They may have a simple application process, and these programs generally have a smaller application pool. But if you don't want to go in person, there are plenty of scholarships online, including super easy scholarships on Bold.org.