Aside from grants and loans, private scholarships are some of the best ways to help fund your college education. There are thousands of scholarships out there for high school seniors, all with different eligibility requirements, deadlines, and award amounts, so it's definitely worth your time to do some research.
To help you find scholarships—and free money!—for college, we've compiled a list of some of the best college scholarships for high school seniors based on availability and award amounts. These scholarships are generally flexible (so you'll be able to use them at any accredited college you attend), and they also don't have any geographical restrictions (so you're eligible to apply no matter where you live in the US).
The list is broken down into four sub-lists. You can click these links to jump between sections, or just keep scrolling:
Don't forget to check out the end of the article for strategies on getting the most scholarship money possible!
Scholarship Competitions
The following scholarships are awarded based on performance in some sort of contest. These types of scholarships can be pretty intensive, so give yourself extra time to effectively prepare if you plan on pursuing one of them.
All scholarships are competitions—to win the following scholarships, though, you'll have to go head-to-head with other students.
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition
Students compete for this award by writing and recording an audio essay on a patriotic theme. The theme for the 2023-2024 contest is "What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?" The first-place winner gets a grand prize $35,000 scholarship to the American college, university, or technical school of their choice. The program gives out a total of $2 million in awards and incentives each year.
- Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
- Deadline: October 31, 2023
The Fountainhead Essay Contest
Students compete for this award by writing an essay on one of three topics related to Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead. The first-place winner will receive a grand prize of $5,000. Runners-up also receive awards. Each year, a total of $22,500 is given out in prize money.
- Eligibility: High school students ages 13+
- Deadline: Likely April 2024
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
Students compete for this award by writing an essay on one of three topics related to Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 prize. Runners-up also win prizes, and $40,000 in scholarship money is awarded annually.
- Eligibility: High school seniors, college students, and graduate students
- Deadline: November 6, 2023
American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest
Are you a good public speaker, or do you just want an excuse to hone your public-speaking skills? Then this competition would be a good fit for you. Students compete for this award by preparing and performing an eight- to 10-minute oration on some aspect of the US Constitution, as well as giving a three- to five-minute speech on an assigned topic. You can view this year's topics here.
The first-place winner receives $25,000, second place receives $22,500, and third place receives $20,000. There are also smaller awards for state winners. More than $203,500 in prize money is given out annually.
- Eligibility: US high school students under 20 years of age
- Deadline: Varies by state, as contests are arranged by local American Legion departments
Create-a-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest (Gallery Collection Scholarship)
This scholarship is pretty unique—and it's great for students with some untapped artistic talents! Students compete for this award by submitting a photo, piece of artwork, or computer graphic to be used on the front of a greeting card. The winner will receive $10,000, and the winner's school will also get $1,000.
- Eligibility: High school and college students ages 14 or older
- Deadline: May 15, 2024
To win these scholarships, you have to show that you're tough—or at least that your brain is tough.
Scholarships Based on Academic Strength
The following scholarships are generally awarded based on students' academic performance in conjunction with a few other factors, such as leadership skills and commitment to community service. As a result, the most competitive applicants will be dedicated, high-achieving students who are also invested in their communities.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program
Coca-Cola Scholars are judged primarily on their academic performance, extracurricular activities, leadership experience, and community service. This scholarship program is fairly big: 150 awards of $20,000 each are given out every year, and the program gives out $3.55 million dollars annually. You can learn more about the Coca-Cola Scholarship by reading our guide to winning the award.
- Eligibility: US high school seniors; can't be children or grandchildren of Coca-Cola employees (current and former)
- Deadline: October 2, 2023
Burger King Scholars Program
Applicants for this scholarship are judged on their GPA, work experience, extracurricular activities, and community service. Award amounts range from those as small as $1,000 to those as large as $50,000. To apply for this award, applicants must be Burger King employees or the spouse or child of a Burger King employee.
- Eligibility: Employees and their spouses/partners/children, US high school seniors
- Deadline: Likely December 2023 (or until they receive 50,000 applications—so apply early!)
Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships
For these, award eligibility requirements will vary based on your local Ronald McDonald House Charity chapter. For example, some have ethnic eligibility requirements. Deadlines and award amounts will also vary by location, but some of the bigger national awards can be as large as $100,000! Check out our how-to guide to learn more about getting an RMHC scholarship.
- Eligibility: High school seniors, but other requirements may apply depending on scholarship
- Deadline: Varies depending on scholarship, but usually January
If your family income isn't enough to cover college expenses, need-based scholarships would be a great option for you.
Scholarships Based on Financial Need
The following scholarships take financial need into account when choosing award recipients. For many of these programs, though, financial need is just one of many criteria considered.
In other words, strong applicants will also be successful students, leaders, or community activists. For most of these applications, you'll likely have to submit documentation about your family income.
Horatio Alger Scholarship Award
This generous need-based scholarship is geared toward students who have faced and overcome great obstacles. To be considered eligible, your gross adjusted family income must be at or below $55,000. At the national level, there are 105 awards of $25,000 each; at the state level, there are scholarships of $10,000 each for all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia).
This one scholarship application will get you considered for many other national, state, and specialized scholarships, which means less work for you and more opportunities for scholarship funding!
- Eligibility: US high school juniors with a GPA of 2.0 or above who plan on getting a bachelor's degree
- Deadline: Likely March 15, 2024
Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program
Applicants to this need-based scholarship are judged on their leadership skills and commitment to community service. To be considered eligible, you must identify as a minority student and be a US citizen. As many as 60 new scholarships are awarded annually. The scholarships are four-year awards, and recipients can receive as much as $30,000 over four years.
- Eligibility: US minority high school seniors with a minimum SAT of 1000/ACT of 21* who plan on getting a bachelor's degree in the US
- Deadline: Likely January 2024
*JRF recognizes the difficulties posed by COVID-19; students applying without standardized test scores will not be disadvantaged in the selection process.
Engebretson Foundation Scholarship
This need-based scholarship is pretty straightforward: it's awarded to one student each year who demonstrates not only financial need, but also shows impressive academic aptitude and leadership ability. The annual award winner receives $5,000 per semester of college. Winners may reapply for the prize every year.
- Eligibility: High school seniors with high GPAs and SAT/ACT scores as well as financial need who plan to attend a four-year college
- Deadline: Likely March 2023 (note that applications must be submitted via email or regular mail)
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program
In addition to providing funding for college, this scholarship program offers personal advising on selecting a college, navigating the financial aid process, and transitioning from high school to college. Applicants are judged on academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, desire to help others, and leadership skills. Awards are given to students each year and can be as high as $55,000 per academic year.
- Eligibility: High school seniors who have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher. Applicants must also demonstrate financial need (family gross income of $95,000 or below) and plan to attend a four-year college
- Deadline: November 2023
Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Competition
Applicants to this need-based scholarship are judged on their scholarship and leadership abilities. Each year, 500 scholarships are given out across the country, with award amounts ranging from $1,000 to $12,500 per year. Applications must be submitted to the Elks Lodge closest to your home address, so make sure to research the Elks Lodges in your area before you apply.
- Eligibility: US high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year US college
- Deadline: November 2023
Gates Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship aims to help scholastically outstanding minority high school seniors reach their full potential. Every year, 300 students receive a scholarship covering the full cost of attendance (including tuition, fees, room, board, books, and transportation) that is not already covered by other financial aid and expected family contribution. Read more about the Gates Scholarship and how to win it in our complete guide.
- Eligibility: US minority high school seniors who are Pell-eligible (Pelligible?), have a minimum 3.3/4.0 GPA, and plan to attend a four-year US college
- Deadline: Likely September 15, 2023
These next scholarships are unique—just like every student applicant!
Specialty Scholarships
The following scholarship programs are national awards that target students who have specific or unique interests or achievements. Whether you're the next president of the SPCA or even the USA, you should be able to find a specialty scholarship that's perfect for you!
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship
Are you a proud vegetarian? This might seem like a niche award, but the scholarship is very real! Applicants are judged on their "compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle." If you've promoted vegetarianism at school or in your community, you'll likely be a great candidate for this scholarship. The first-place winner usually receives $10,000 and two runners-up each receive $5,000, but the award total increased to $30,000 for 2024, so the awards for this year will be even larger.
- Eligibility: High school seniors
- Deadline: February 20, 2024
Adobe Design Circle Scholarship
Is graphic design your passion? Are you always brainstorming invention ideas? Do you see a website layout and think, “I could make this better?” The Adobe Design Circle Scholarship is open to students who plan to pursue any design-related major through an accredited program. This award offers 10 annual scholarships up to $25,000 per academic year for tuition and fees.
The exact amount of each scholarship varies, determined by factors including projected cost of attendance (e.g., for a state university vs. a private college) and the applicant’s expected financial need. Scholarships can be renewed for up to four years, or until graduation, pending satisfactory degree progress. The Design Circle also provides a variety of mentorship opportunities to the scholarship winners, such as shadowing, internships, workshops, and networking.
- Eligibility: Students pursuing any year of their undergraduate studies
- Deadline: Likely March 2024
Equitable Excellence Scholarship Scholarship
The Equitable Excellence scholarship (formerly the AXA Achievement scholarship) targets students who have empowered society through achievements that mitigate risk. This idea can be interpreted pretty broadly, so spend some time figuring out what risk means to you and whether you've participated in making the world a safer place through any of your activities.
Every year, hundreds of students representing all 50 states; Washington, DC; and Puerto Rico receive one-time scholarships of $2,500, $10,000, or $25,000.
- Eligibility: US high school seniors
- Deadline: Likely December 2023 (or until they receive 10,000 applications—so apply early!)
William Randolph Hearst Foundations US Senate Youth Program
If you're passionate about public service, this is the scholarship for you. The Senate Youth Program targets students who participate in their high school student government and plan to study history or political science in college. Applicants are judged on their leadership skills, academic performance, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. Each winner will receive a $10,000 award in addition to an all-expenses-paid educational week in Washington, DC.*
- Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
- Deadline: Varies depending on the state you're in, but typically September-November
*Currently, the 2024 program is scheduled to happen in person. However, the event could be moved online due to COVID-19 or other public health concerns.
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Making the Most of Your Scholarship Applications: 3 Key Tips
If you're going to go through all the work of submitting a scholarship application, then you want to make sure you have an excellent shot at winning awards. The following three tips will help you submit the greatest number of successful scholarship applications possible.
#1: Do Your Own Research
As you've probably noticed, many of the above scholarships are fairly generous national awards, so they’re going to be quite competitive. Unfortunately, even if you’re a strong contender, the sheer size of the applicant pool will likely lower your chances. So what's a student to do?
The good news is that there are countless scholarship programs out there. It just takes a bit of digging to find one that matches your interests, location, background, identity, etc. The more niche a scholarship program is, the better chances you'll have of winning an award (assuming you're qualified for it). So do some research on scholarships programs that operate in your area or are offered to students with your particular interests, experiences, skills, or passions.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarships are a good place to start. You can also pay a visit to your guidance counselor, who should have more information on local scholarships.
In addition, you could branch out on your own by searching online for scholarships in your area. If you have a particular talent, skill, or interest, look for scholarships that are offered to students based on those criteria.
#2: Apply Broadly
Applying for scholarships—like applying to colleges—is, in part, a numbers game. You wouldn't apply to just one school if you wanted to optimize your chances of getting into a great college, would you?
Many scholarship applications ask similar questions and require similar information, so if you apply to one program, you might as well apply to a bunch. It's free to apply for most scholarships anyway—all it takes is a few hours of your time.
Finally, take advantage of applications that submit you for consideration for many scholarship awards, such as the Horatio Alger Scholarship mentioned above.
#3: Make Note of Deadlines
Scholarship applications are all over the place—there's no defined "scholarship season" for submission deadlines, but many are due before college application deadlines. As such, it's better to start your scholarship search sooner rather than later so you don't miss out on any great opportunities.
The summer before your senior year is a good time to start making note of programs you're interested in. Keep track of application deadlines by maintaining a spreadsheet that you update regularly. This is especially helpful if applications require you to ask for letters of recommendation; you can make sure to give teachers and mentors plenty of advance notice to write you a letter.
What's Next?
Want to get a head start on scoping out scholarships? Then check out our comprehensive guides to winning some of the most competitive national scholarships available, including the Gates Scholarship, the Coca-Cola Scholarship, the Walmart Scholarships, and the McDonald's Scholarships.
Looking for scholarships with low-hassle applications? Our article on the easiest scholarships to apply for will give you a great starting list.
Wondering if you can get a scholarship for something like being left-handed? Learn more about the weirdest scholarships you can win in our guide.
Need more help with your scholarship search? Read our expert guide on how to find college scholarships and the best scholarship search websites.
