How to find Scholarships as a High Schooler

Everyone is telling you that you need to start applying to scholarships and winning them. But how? Where should you even begin? Keep reading to learn more about the different kinds of scholarships, when to apply, and how to find them!

National Scholarships

National scholarships tend to be the most well-known scholarships. They are open to most students in the country, and they're usually offered by big donors or corporations like Burger King or Bill Gates. These scholarships can be very difficult to receive because you are competing against a large pool of people, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply. National scholarships typically have applications open in the fall semester and give decisions in the spring semester.

Here are some well-known national scholarships:

• Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
• Dell Scholars Program
• APIA Scholarship Program
• Cameron Impact Scholarship
• Burger King Scholars program

Local Scholarships

Local scholarships are scholarships that target your local community, whether that be your city, region, or state. Local scholarships are one of the easiest ways to get a scholarship because there are so many! This, however, means that local scholarships are usually a lower amount. Most local scholarships range between $250-$10,000. Local scholarships tend to be available year round, so keep an eye out.

How do you find local scholarships?

Some popular methods of finding local scholarships include:

• Googling your city name + scholarship

• Emailing local companies and businesses about funding opportunities

• Contacting your school counselor

• Contacting local news stations

• Visiting your library

• Talking to students who have graduated from your high school

Specific Niche Scholarships

Do you have a weird talent? Or a specific aspiration? Don’t forget to look for scholarships that fit who you are!
If you are a student who photographs as a hobby, apply to photography contests. If you plan to become a doctor, look for future doctor scholarships. Essentially any type of hobby, career goal, or identity will have a scholarship dedicated to it, so don’t be afraid to look. A website that is quite good at aggregating these types of scholarships is Bold.org.

FGLI Scholarships

There are various scholarships dedicated to helping First Generation Low Income (FGLI) students. These are often full ride scholarships.

Here are the most well known FGLI scholarships.

• QuestBridge
• Jack Kent Cooke
• The Gates Foundation Scholarship
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund
• First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship Program
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund

In addition to applying to scholarships, if you are a low-income student, you should make sure you are applying to “Full need meet” schools, which are schools that promise to give as much financial aid as your family needs.

Conclusion

This guide is not a comprehensive list of all scholarships you should apply to. Not all scholarships are open for applications at the same time of year and some can appear out of the blue. Keep searching throughout the year. You’ll never know what you might find. Good luck searching!