Learn More About Scholarships by Grade Level

When applying for scholarships for your college education, it's critical to maximize your chances of winning by applying for narrow awards. These scholarships that have many eligibility requirements will have fewer eligible applicants applying. As a result, you'll have a better chance of winning! 

Grade level scholarships are one such example of scholarships for a specific group of students that not everyone can apply for. To find relevant scholarship options, consider the following scholarships by grade level. 

High school scholarships

Students of all ages can benefit from financial aid through scholarships. Many high school students don't take advantage of scholarships because they don't realize that they qualify. However, you can start applying as early as your freshman year as a high school student! High school students of all grade levels can find scholarships below to start covering their impending college expenses.

High school freshmen scholarships

Since high school freshmen are just beginning their high school journeys, many don't think to apply for scholarships. However, high school freshmen can qualify for many scholarships on Bold.org. To be eligible, students must be at least fourteen years old and in high school. 

If you meet these requirements, consider applying for the scholarships below! By starting as a freshman, you'll have up to four years to earn scholarship funding before beginning college. 

1. Show your Mettle - Women in STEM Scholarship
2. Michael Rudometkin Memorial Scholarship
3. Ron Dennis Memorial Scholarship for the Trades
4. Future Leaders in Technology Scholarship - High School Award

High school freshmen can find additional opportunities in this guide.

High school sophomores scholarships

Sophomore year of high school is a great time to continue applying for scholarships. By applying early, students can maximize how much financial aid they receive. Additionally, the early years of high school are typically less stressful since many students haven't yet started their college applications, standardized testing, or AP classes. Take advantage of this extra time by applying for the scholarships below!

1. Christian 'Myles' Pratt Foundation Fine Arts Scholarship
2. Grant Woolard Memorial Scholarship
3. Jared Ethan Trueba Memorial Scholarship
4. Bold Art Matters Scholarship

High school sophomores can find even more scholarships here!

High school juniors scholarships

As upperclassmen, high school juniors can unlock even more scholarships than younger high school students. As juniors begin considering their college options, the costs can start to be overwhelming. To begin securing financial aid to cover your upcoming college costs, consider applying for scholarships. To get started, click on any of the following scholarships for high school juniors.

1. LA Kids for Change Scholarship
2. Just Raised No-Essay Scholarship
3. Haywood Reed Jr. Well Being Scholarship
4. Marketing Millennials No-Essay Scholarship

Interested high school juniors should consider the scholarships in this guide.

High school seniors scholarships

High school seniors typically qualify for the most scholarships of any grade level. As seniors prepare to transition from high school to college, there are many forms of financial aid available to support them. Students entering a four-year college can take advantage of hundreds of scholarships awarded based on financial need, merit, artistic talent, or extracurricular activities. Some scholarships are awarded solely based on experience or essay quality, while others take applicants' financial need into consideration. 

High school seniors who display academic success can consider merit scholarships that are based on academic performance or other talents. These academic scholarships often take GPA into consideration and are great options if you're a straight-A student. Students with leadership skills or volunteer activities experience can unlock additional scholarship opportunities. To get started, high school seniors can find a few options below!

1. Sloane Stephens Doc & Glo Scholarship
2. Creative Arts Scholarship
3. Dan Leahy Scholarship Fund
4. Michigan Future of the Arts Scholarship
5. Olympians Academy Leadership Wings Scholarship
6. Francis "Slip" Madigan Scholarship

In addition to the scholarships above, seniors can find even more options here!

College scholarships

Even though it's recommended to begin applying for scholarships while in high school, students interested in scholarships can begin applying at any point in their education journey. There are deserving students at all levels of education, including undergraduate and graduate students, high school students, and even recent graduates who have student loans. College students can start their scholarship search with the options below.

College freshmen scholarships 

College freshmen are often surprised by just how expensive their courses and related costs are. Even if you received a financial award from your school or grant aid from the government, you likely have remaining costs. Since Pell Grants have a maximum award amount of $6,895, scholarships can be vital in covering your unmet financial need. 

The transition to college may feel overwhelming, but it's important for college freshmen to continue applying for scholarships so they can remain in school. Whether you're attending a four-year college, a technical school, or a community college, the scholarships below can help you reduce your financial need.

1. Bookman 5 Scholarship
2. Mary P. Perlea Scholarship Fund
3. Bold.org Ambassador "Celebrating Summer" Scholarship
4. Catrina Celestine Aquilino Memorial Scholarship

College freshmen can find additional scholarship opportunities here.

College sophomores scholarships

No matter your academic year, scholarships should be a part of your financial plan. College sophomores can continue applying for scholarships from their schools, local organizations, or private sources like Bold.org. Award amount varies, but scholarships can go a long way towards your costs - especially when combined with need-based financial aid from your college or university.

College sophomores can benefit from the exclusive scholarship awards below to put towards their costs at any accredited college!

1. Chang Heaton Scholarship for Music Excellence
2. Aircraft Mechanics for Aircraft Mechanics Scholarship
3. The GIST Women's Sports Business Scholarship
4. Bold Financial Literacy Scholarship

Additional scholarships for college sophomores can be found in this guide!

College juniors scholarships

As college juniors begin nearing the end of their degree program, many may stop applying for scholarships. Between internships, jobs, extracurricular activities, and recruitment, many college juniors have limited time to devote to scholarship applications. 

However, qualified students should consider applying for scholarship aid in order to avoid or reduce their student debt. Busy students can even take advantage of quick, no-essay scholarships! Regardless of your needs, there's a scholarship for you. Consider the following scholarships to get started.

1. CollegeXpress Graduate School No-Essay Scholarship
2. HRCap Next-Gen Leadership Scholarship
3. WCEJ Thornton Foundation Music & Art Scholarship
4. Bold Optimist Scholarship
5. Michael J. Burns Military Children Scholarship

College seniors scholarships

Some college seniors may be preparing to enter the workforce while others may be continuing their education at graduate schools. Either way, scholarships continue to be important. For students who are graduating, there are many scholarships and grants for students and graduates with student loans. Even after leaving school, graduates can continue applying for these debt-relief grants. 

Future graduate students can also take advantage of loan-forgiveness scholarships and can continue applying for regular scholarships that can be applied to their graduate program costs. 

1. "Forbidden Foods" Scholarship
2. KBK Artworks Scholarship
3. Karl Baehr Entrepreneurs Scholarship
4. Bold Climate Changemakers Scholarship
5. Forget Your Student Debt. No-Essay Grant.

Students interested in additional scholarships can find grants to pay off student loans on this page and graduate scholarships in this guide.

Average student debt by grade level

As students progress in their higher education pursuits, their student debt tends to grow. Students pursuing certificates have debt ranging from $16,100 to $18,500 based on institution type. Associate's students have higher debt on average, with public school students owing $16,900, private non-profit students owing $26,800, and students at private for-profit institutions owing $28,500. 

Students pursuing bachelor's degrees have even higher debt. Bachelor's students owe an average of $29,100 at public schools, $34,400 at private nonprofit schools, and $44,600 at private for-profit schools. 

High school students typically don't have any student debt until they begin college, though some seniors begin considering loans before graduating. On Bold.org, recent college graduates and college seniors have the highest average loan amounts, owing $4,898 and $4,390 each. 

College freshmen on Bold.org owe an average of $2,765 while sophomores owe $3,265 and juniors owe $3,773 each. As shown by these statistics, students typically end up owing more as they get further into their education. For this reason, it's important for students to continue applying for scholarships for the entire duration of their college education. By securing additional scholarship aid each year, you can reduce your need to take out student loans. 

Scholarship interest by grade level

Scholarships can be useful for students of all education levels. Unfortunately, many students don't realize that they're eligible to receive scholarships. High school freshmen and sophomores in particular often don't know they're able to win scholarships. As a result, many young high school students wait to apply and miss out on valuable time.

High school freshmen and sophomores make up just 1% and 3% of Bold.org users, respectively, while 9% of users are high school juniors and 39% are seniors in high school. College students also display significant interest in scholarships, as 15% of applicants are college freshmen or sophomores and another 10% are college juniors and seniors.

Scholarship interest also varies by location, with states having varying levels of interest. When adjusted for population, Texas, Utah, Maryland, Georgia, and the District of Columbia have the highest percentage of Bold.org users. On the other side of the spectrum, Alaska, Missouri, Oregon, Maine, and Vermont have the lowest percentage of applicants.

Financial aid available/awarded by grade level

There are scholarships open to students of all grade levels and even for recent graduates who are still paying off their student loans. No matter what grade you're in, what background you're from, and what goals you have for the future, there are scholarships available for you.

Scholarship applications by grade level

Scholarship application rates on Bold.org closely mirror the number of users per grade level. High school seniors submit 40% of scholarship applications and another 9% come from high school juniors. College freshmen and sophomores each make up 7% of scholarship applicants on Bold.org. 

Furthermore, college juniors submit 6% of applications and college seniors submit an additional 4%. High school sophomores make up just 3% of scholarship applicants and freshmen make up only 1% of applicants.

Scholarship winners by grade level

High school seniors win 27% of the scholarships awarded on Bold.org, followed by college freshmen who win 21% of scholarship opportunities.

College juniors, sophomores, and seniors are the next-highest earners, winning 16%, 14%, and 9% of scholarships, respectively. High school sophomores and juniors, on the other hand, earn just 1% of scholarships each. Many young high school students don't realize how many scholarship awards are available to them, resulting in many missed opportunities.

The high rate of high school seniors who win scholarships is partially due to the large number of senior applicants and partially a result of many donors focusing specifically on the needs of seniors in high school. Since senior year is when most students start applying for scholarships, there are many awards specifically available to seniors. 

However, there are exclusive scholarships that students of each grade level can take advantage of, including scholarships for high school freshmen, scholarships for high school sophomores, high school junior scholarships, college freshmen scholarships, and scholarships for college sophomores. 

There are also plenty of scholarships that are open to all students, regardless of education level. While these scholarships can be valuable, they often receive the most applications since more students are eligible to apply. Consider applying for grade-specific scholarships to increase your chances of winning!

Frequently asked questions

When can I start applying for scholarships?

You can begin applying for scholarships as soon as you're in high school or college and at least fourteen years old. As mentioned above, many high school freshmen and sophomores don't take advantage of the scholarship opportunities available to them. In order to avoid losing out on full-tuition scholarships, students should begin applying for scholarships as early as possible. 

What scholarships should I apply for?

Students can apply for a wide range of different scholarships but should apply for those that best match their skill sets in order to maximize their chances of earning money. For example, there are many forms of merit-based aid that straight-A students who display academic excellence can apply for. Having good grades or high test scores can open up merit scholarship opportunities that are awarded based on your academic performance.

Athletic students can apply for sports-based scholarships, students with artistic talent can apply for creative scholarships, and service-oriented students can apply for scholarships exclusively available to students with community service or volunteering experience. Even students with leadership potential can benefit from exclusive scholarships!

No matter what field of study you're pursuing, demographics you fall under, or hobbies you pursue, you can find great scholarship opportunities on Bold.org. You can use the categories to navigate between scholarships and find the awards that best match your qualifications.

To have the best chance of winning, seek out scholarships that have many eligibility requirements since there will be less competition. While no-essay scholarships can be a good choice when you're low on time, they often receive many applications since they have broad eligibility and a quick application process. Even though essay scholarships may seem like a lot of work, making the effort to apply can pay off when it comes time to pay your college tuition.

How many scholarships can I win?

There's no limit on how many scholarships you can win through Bold.org. With awards starting at $500 and ranging to tens of thousands of dollars, winners can stack their earnings to cover their full tuition costs. Students can earn many awards which can add up to cover the expenses of books, course fees, and tuition.