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Did you know that your extracurricular activities can earn you money for college?

In particular, there are a lot of scholarships available to students who have chosen to spend their free time helping out others in their communities through volunteer work.

Read on for the most complete lists of volunteer scholarships available. We've divided the scholarships by type so you can tell easily if you qualify.

If you're looking into scholarship programs to help pay for your college education, the famous Coca-Cola scholarships are a good place to start. Why are they famous? Well, the Coca-Cola foundation offers some of the most generous awards out there to graduating high school seniors. They tend to be very competitive, so if you want a shot at the scholarship, you should learn as much about them as you possibly can. 

In this post, I'll talk about some of the logistical concerns you might have about the scholarship— things like deadlines and eligibility requirements. But more importantly, I'll also offer helpful tips and strategies to give your application the boost it needs. Read on to optimize your chances of winning one of these competitive scholarships!

The full-ride Scholarship: the most mythical of scholarships that all students secretly (or not-so-secretly) dream of. Unfortunately, these scholarships are hard to come by, and they're even more difficult to win.

Though many schools offer full-ride or full-tuition scholarships, there are also a handful of scholarships out there—run by independent organizations and even the government—that you can use at almost any school. Read on to learn about some of the most highly sought-after scholarships in the country.

Scholarships are awesome resources if you’re checking out different ways to pay for college. It’s free money after all—what’s not to love?

As it turns out, most scholarship programs have application processes that aren’t exactly lovable. Students generally have to submit a lot of information about themselves: transcripts, GPAs, test scores, resumes, community service activities, and so on. There might even be a few essays and grade requirements thrown in as well. You don’t want to complain—because, again, free money—but these applications sure are tedious when you’re working on college apps, high school courses, and financial aid applications all at the same time.

The following easy scholarships have application processes that are a bit more manageable. Some ask you to write short essays, while others don’t require any essays at all! The awards might not be as large as some other scholarships out there, but when the application process is so easy, you really don’t have much to lose. I'll start off with some words of warning before getting into the good stuff: essay and no-essay scholarships that are so easy to apply for, you might end up applying to all of them!

The Bright Futures scholarship programs are great resources for Florida students who plan on staying in-state for college. As with any scholarship program, though, there's a lot of information to process about the awards. Just sifting through all the eligibility requirements and award limitations can be overwhelming, never mind figuring out how to actually submit an application. 

In this guide, I've compiled all the information you need about the Bright Futures scholarships. I'll talk about the different award programs, their eligibility requirements, the application process, and strategies to help you win your own. 

Many students think that they should start looking at college scholarships once they actually start applying to college—so, sometime early on in their senior year. Although it’s true that many big-name scholarships require applicants to be high school seniors, there are some great awards out there for younger students as well.

So why not get a head start in applying for scholarship awards? You could win money for college, sure, but you’ll also get experience in the scholarship application process before submitting even more applications your senior year.

I’ve compiled a list of scholarships for high school juniors. This list will be a great place to start, but you might also want to search for more targeted awards (e.g., by geographic area). You can browse the scholarships below based on whether they're competitions or merit-based scholarships. Read to the end for tips and strategies on getting the most scholarship money possible!

You may have thought that scholarships were only for those who had great grades or were top athletes. Well, think again! There are a lot of organizations willing to give you some college cash in recognition of your interesting habits, unusual attributes, or willingness to do something a little bit quirky!

Here's a complete collection of the best weird, unusual scholarships we could find. The good news is they're often a lot easier to apply to than other scholarships.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship program is hugely impactful; since 2000, over 17,000 scholars have received over $845 million in scholarship aid. These numbers are overwhelming in the most amazing way possible. 

The program's mission is to provide opportunities for outstanding minority students to reach their highest potential. I'll go through all the details of the scholarship and the application protocols; after that, I'll give you tips & strategies to putting together the strongest Gates Millennium Scholarship application possible. Read on to learn more! 

NOTE: 2016 was the last year for the Gates Millenium Scholarship Program. We'll update this page when more information about future programs becomes available.

Do you have the brains and passion to become an engineer, but you're worried about the cost of the education?

The following list of scholarships will show you that you have nothing to fear. Students of all backgrounds will find that there is an engineering scholarship out there for students like them that will help to make that seemingly unaffordable education slightly more palatable.

Read on to see what engineering scholarships you may be eligible for!

If you’re looking for a way to fund your college education, you should definitely check out merit scholarships. They’re especially great options for high-achieving students who may not qualify for much need-based financial aid. The best part of getting a merit scholarship is, of course, that you’re essentially getting free money for school. But how to get a merit scholarship can still be confusing and overwhelming.

In this post, I’ll explain what defines a merit scholarship before going into both where you can find them and how you can get them. At the end, you’ll find a list of some of the top merit awards available - this way, you can get a head start on getting that cash.

If you’re a high school senior of Hispanic or Latino heritage, you should definitely learn more about the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. There are over 150 types of scholarships available through this program, so there’s a lot to learn.

When you submit an HSF award scholarship, you’re actually submitting yourself for consideration for many different awards (much like when you submit a FAFSA). I’ll talk about all the details you’ll need to take into consideration before submitting your own application for Hispanic scholarships. Then, I’ll focus on application strategies for current high school seniors.

Mothers and single mothers have it harder when trying to get a college education.

In addition to balancing a full academic course load, they are also responsible for feeding, clothing, and financially supporting their children.

Studies suggest that up to 60% of families headed by single mothers are living in poverty - which makes the idea of spending money on education even more difficult to fathom.

Fortunately, there are multiple companies who want to help moms and single moms improve their situations through education. Read on to see a list of scholarships directly aimed at mothers who are pursuing higher education.

People are always saying that art doesn’t pay. Fortunately, they aren’t always right. Prospective art students will be happy to know that there is a multitude of art scholarships out there that will help pay for their educations.

We have all the details on the best art scholarships below, so read on to see which scholarships you should apply to!

College is a huge investment - you spend a lot of time, energy, and money to earn a degree. Graduating from school means making financial sacrifices, but it also means reaping significant educational and professional rewards.

But what if the whole money problem wasn’t an issue? What if you could go to school without worrying about tuition expenses or accruing interest? With a full ride scholarship, all your college costs are taken care of. Instead of thinking about paying your bills, you could focus on the important things: studying for that big exam or getting your term paper in on time. Here, I’ll lay out everything you need to know about how to get a full ride scholarship: what exactly it is, who can get one, and where you can find them.

College in the US is expensive—too expensive, in fact, for the average student to afford on their own. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 86% of first-year students at 4-year colleges were receiving some financial aid as of a couple of years ago. Financial aid is good in all its forms, right? If it helps college students afford their educations, what could be the problem?

Unfortunately, not all financial aid is created equal, and not all schools can afford to give out “good” student aid. Here, I’ll briefly talk about the types of financial aid available (the “good” kinds and the “bad” kinds) before laying out the colleges with the best financial aid programs in the country.