Top Easy Scholarships to Apply For in March 2026

Scholarships are one of the best ways for students to pay for college. While many scholarships require extensive applications and essays, easy scholarships are more straightforward and faster to apply to. While easy scholarships shouldn’t be the only scholarships you apply for, they are a useful part of your scholarship search strategy.

You can apply to easy scholarships quickly, as they have few eligibility requirements and require only a brief essay (if they require any essay at all). Easy scholarships are often offered on a monthly basis, which means you have multiple opportunities to apply.

Top easy scholarships overall

We pick our easy scholarships by finding trustworthy organizations who offer big rewards and have been offering their scholarships for a long period of time. As there are many easy scholarship scams, we have put each of these scholarships through a strict vetting process. Apply with confidence to the following top easy scholarships:

1. Scholarships360’s $10,000 No Essay Scholarship

Amount: $10,000
Provider: Scholarships360
Next Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to all grade levels.
Application Requirements: No essay, no transcript. Applicants must create a free account on Scholarships360.

2. $40,000 BigFuture Class of 2027 Scholarship

Amount: $40,000
Provider: The College Board
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to HS Juniors.
Application Requirements:

• Must complete the FAFSA.
• Start a Career List through the College Board and add three or more careers.
• Start a College List through the College Board and add three or more colleges.
• No essay.
• No transcript.

3. $10,000 Scholly Easy Apply Scholarships

Amount: $10,000
Provider: Sallie
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to HS Upperclassmen, College & Graduate Students.
Application Requirements: No essay, no transcript.

4. Niche $25,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

Amount: $25,000
Provider: Niche
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to HS & college students.
Application Requirements: No essay, no transcript.

5. $5,000 Christian Connector Scholarship

Amount: $5,000
Provider: Christian Connector
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to HS freshmen through juniors who plan to attend a Christian college or university.
Application Requirements: A short survey with the student’s contact information and plans for college. No essay, no transcript.

6. Scholarships360’s “College Here I Come” Scholarship for High School Seniors

Amount: $1,000
Provider: Scholarships360
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Must be a high school senior in the U.S. (Class of 2026).
Application Requirements: 250-word essay. Applicants must create a free account on Scholarships360.

7. Scholarships360’s “Making Waves” Scholarship for Women

Amount: $1,000
Provider: Scholarships360
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to women of all grade levels.
Application Requirements: 250-word essay. Applicants must create a free account on Scholarships360.

8. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest

Amount: $10,000
Provider: The Gallery Collection
Deadline: March 9, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to all grade levels.
Application Requirements: Applicants must create a holiday, greeting, or all-around holiday card.

9. Scholarships360’s “Making Waves” Scholarship for Women 

Amount: $1,000
Provider: Scholarships360
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to women in all grade levels.
Application Requirements: 250-word essay. Applicants must create a free account on Scholarships360.

10. TMCF McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarship

Amount: $15,000
Provider: Thurgood Marshall College Fund & McDonald’s
Deadline: April 24, 2026
Eligibility Requirements: Open to students who are enrolled full-time at a HBCU.
Application Requirements: 100-word statement and photo of yourself wearing your school’s colors.

Types of easy scholarships

There are several different types of easy scholarships to apply to. Here’s what you should know about the most common types of easy scholarships.

No essay

No essay scholarships tend to be some of the easiest options when it comes to applying for scholarship money. Applicants usually just fill out some information about themselves, such as their grade level, GPA, contact information, current school, and occasionally their financial need, such as their SAI, and are entered into the competition.

While these scholarships are easy to apply for, they also give applicants less of an opportunity to stand out as an individual. So, if no essay scholarships are part of your scholarship strategy, you should apply to many in order to increase your chances, and be sure to apply to other opportunities as well.

Short essay

Short essay scholarships are not as involved as in-depth opportunities like Posse and Questbridge, but they do give students a chance to use their own voice to appeal to the selection committee. Remember, a short essay is a great opportunity to say a lot with few words. Make sure you have a strong opening sentence, and be sure to check out our guides on writing 250 word essays to help.

Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes are some of the easiest scholarships to apply to. Winners are chosen at random and contacted through the avenues they filled out on the application. However, because these are the easiest types of scholarships, they are also the ones that receive the most applicants. That means each applicant has a lower opportunity of winning.

Sweepstakes can be great if you win, but the chances of winning are low. Make sure you keep your eye out for scholarship scams when you apply. Although we vet all of our easy scholarships, some sites may post fraudulent ones that do not actually offer awards, or collect information to scam applicants.

Microscholarships

Micro scholarships, such as the scholarships offered on raise.me, offer money for college for things you may already be doing. With raise.me you can earn scholarships for such simple things as completing the FAFSA, uploading your course catalogue, taking the SAT (no matter the score), and more. Only certain colleges accept these scholarships, but be sure to look into it and see if a school you’re considering is on the list.

Institutional scholarships

Many colleges automatically consider students for a wide range of scholarships when they review applications. For example, Kenyon’s Distinguished Academic Scholarship does not require any additional application and can fund $15,000 per year of your education. Talk about an easy scholarship! Since there is no additional application for these scholarships, the best way to apply to opportunities like this is to apply to a wide range of safety schools where your GPA and test scores are above the average admitted student, as well as schools that are known to give strong merit and need-based aid.

Government grants

Although they are not strictly scholarships, government grants like the Pell Grant and state-based grants like the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) are some of the easiest ways to earn money for your education. The difference between these grants and other scholarships is that if you qualify, you will automatically receive them! There is no competition or review board. You don’t have to spend time perfecting your application. This makes them easier and more reliable than any kind of scholarship!

Tips for students applying to easy scholarships

Apply early and often

The best strategy for applying to easy scholarships is to cast a wide net. You’re less likely to win any given easy scholarship, because the application is “easy” and there are more applicants. So, the best way to help your chances is to apply to a great many opportunities, since each individual application takes minimal time and effort.

Applying to easy scholarships is great, but you should make sure to spend a good amount of time on more involved applications too. You have a much better chance of winning scholarship money with a well-crafted application to an opportunity that suits you than a random drawing, which is how many easy scholarships pick their winners. If you’re looking for a place to start looking for more specific scholarships, try out our free scholarship search tool to browse custom-matched, vetted opportunities, updated daily!

Expect a lot of email

Easy scholarships are a great way to put your name in the ring for scholarship money without taking too much time on your applications. But keep in mind that each opportunity you apply for will request your contact information. Most of the time, you will be signing up for a mailing list with each application you submit. You might end up getting monthly, weekly, or even daily email from the organization offering the scholarship.

Many people use two separate email accounts: one for personal communication with friends, family, and professional relationships, and another to manage the emails they receive from businesses, from their banks, and from newsletters they subscribe to. Making a separate email can be a great way to manage the influx of mail you will begin to receive if you apply to a lot of easy scholarships.

Consider no essay scholarships

If you’re in the market for easy scholarships, don’t neglect our list of no essay scholarships for college. Our easy scholarships involve little in the way of application materials, but some of them have a short essay or response. These no essay scholarships don’t require any response on your end, and you can easily sit down and apply to many of them.

Be wary of scholarship scams

There are a great many scholarship scams out there, but they are especially common among easy scholarships. Remember to do some investigation before you send off your application to any organization. You should never submit personal information that could be used for identity theft, and never pay an application fee to enter a contest. For more information on the matter, check out our article on how to avoid scholarship scams.

Don’t forget financial aid

One way to pay for college that’s even simpler than easy scholarships is through financial aid like institutional aid, FAFSA funds such as the Pell Grant, and other federal and state grants. Remember, if you are not filling out the FAFSA, you are potentially giving up free money for your higher education. Unlike a scholarship application, the FAFSA does not require essays or personal statements. The application process only takes you and your parents’ financial information such as tax returns and information about assets.

Expert Perspectives

Students should pay attention to whether there is evidence that the scholarship was previously awarded (for instance, a section on the website that features previous winners). Students should also be mindful of how the scholarship provider may be using student data (it is common for easy scholarships to use data for marketing purposes). Finally, I always advise students to trust their gut as they look at the scholarship website: Does anything seem off? Is this too good to be true? Are there typos or grammatical errors in the copy? Is there no contact information? All of this can help you assess whether this scholarship is legit.

Will Geiger | Scholarships360 Co-Founder, Former Admissions Officer

Expert Perspectives

Easy scholarships are legitimate scholarships that provide scholarship dollars to students. With this said, they tend to be more like contests or lotteries where a students’ odds of winning are low, because the barrier to enter is so low. So while it is fine to apply to easy scholarships, you should not base your entire scholarship application strategy on them.

Will Geiger | Scholarships360 Co-Founder, Former Admissions Officer

Expert Perspectives

I think of scholarships in three categories: national, niche, and local. National Scholarships are well-known opportunities often highlighted on trusted resources like Scholarships360. Niche Scholarships might be based on unique traits, talents, or affiliations (e.g., being left-handed or part of a particular community group). Local Scholarships often receive few applications, so the odds can be in your favor. Even if the award is small, it’s worth applying. For example, would you spend an hour writing an essay for $300? Most people would!

Sara Elaine Hart | Director of the Walentas Scholars Program , Former High School Counselor

Expert Perspectives

No matter your GPA, you should not be discouraged from applying for scholarships. I work with many students of varying GPA levels. If you are applying to scholarships with a lower GPA, you can always emphasize sports or hobbies, or any extracurriculars or services, or anything about you that makes you unique. You can also look for scholarships that help represent your identity or demographic.

Melody Lipford | Advising Specialist on the Virtual Access Team, College Possible

Downsides to easy scholarships

The biggest drawback of easy scholarship opportunities is that many students can apply for them. They are basically like a sweepstakes with free entry, which means that they will get many more applicants than more complex scholarships.

This means that your chances of winning are lower than scholarships with essays and other specific criteria. Many of these scholarships are more similar to a contest than a true scholarship competition based on merit or talent. You may also be opting into receiving marketing materials and offerings from the scholarship providers, so be aware of that if you are asked to opt-in!

Additional scholarship categories

At the end of the day, the easiest scholarship to win is the one you are best qualified for! Let us help you find the perfect scholarship fit with lists tailored to your interests and strengths:

• Scholarships by state
• Top scholarships for Black students
• Top STEM scholarships
• Top scholarships for students with average grades
• Top scholarships for high school seniors
• Top scholarships for women
• Top writing and essay scholarships
• Scholarships that don’t require an essay

Frequently asked questions