Scholarships are one of the best ways for students to pay for college. After all, scholarships are free money that you do not have to pay back! While many scholarships require extensive applications and essays, others are more straightforward and easy to apply for. The biggest benefit of easy scholarships is that you can apply for them very quickly and many of them offered on a monthly basis. Many easy scholarships have very general criteria and require a very brief essay (if they require any essay at all).

The biggest drawback of easy scholarships is that many students can apply for them, so your chances of winning are lower than scholarships with essays and other specific criteria. Many of these scholarships are more similar to a contests than a true scholarship competition based on merit or talent. You may also be opting into receiving marketing materials and offerings from the easy scholarship providers, so be aware of that if you are asked to opt-in!

Nonetheless, these types of scholarships can be a valuable part of your overall scholarship strategy (though not the only part of your scholarship application strategy).  

The top easy scholarships in 2019 and 2020 are:

1. The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
2. Bold.org No-Essay Community Scholarship
3. $1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship
4. The Christian Connector Scholarship
5. The College JumpStart Scholarship
6. CollegeXpress
7. Discover Student Loans Scholarship
8. Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
9. ScholarshipOwl “You Deserve It ” Scholarship
10. ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program
11. Unigo $10k Scholarship
12. Flavor of the Month Scholarship
13. Make Me Laugh Scholarship
14. Shout It Out Scholarship
15. Sweet and Simple Scholarship
16. I Have a Dream Scholarship

Some of these essays are no essay scholarships that do not require essays or extensive applications. These scholarships are even easier and quicker to apply for:

1. The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
2. Bold.org No-Essay Community Scholarship
3. $1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship
4. The Christian Connector Scholarship
5. Discover Student Loans Scholarship
6. CollegeXpress $10,000 Scholarship
7. Niche “No Essay” Scholarship
8. ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program

For information on eligibility, the award amount, and application links, for all of the easy and no essay scholarships keep reading!

The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students, including high school, college, and graduate students
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: February 5th

The “Be Bold” No-Essay Community Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students who register to Bold.org and has invited many friends
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: January 31st

$1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students ranging from high school students to college and community college students. 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: January 31st

The Christian Connector Scholarship

• Eligibility: To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be a current high school freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in attending a Christian university or college.
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: May 31st

The College Jumpstart Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, college students and non-traditional students who write a short essay.
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: April 15th

CollegeXpress $10,000 Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must attend one of the nearly 900 CollegeXpress partner colleges
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: May 1st

Discover Student Loans Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be matriculating to an eligible college, community college, or graduate program within one year of winning the scholarship.
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: January 31st

Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school or college students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: January 31st

ScholarshipOwl “You Deserve It ” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school and college students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: January 29th

ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: January 31st

Unigo $10k Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: January 31st

Shout it Out Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: September 30th

Sweet and Simple Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: February 29th

Flavor of the Month Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: July 31st

Make me Laugh Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: August 31st

I have a dream Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: January 31st

Bottom line for applying to these quick and easy scholarships:

Easy scholarships should represent a small number of your overall scholarship applications. They are easy scholarships to apply for which means that many other students are applying too. You will want to make sure that you are also applying to other scholarships with more specific and substantial requirements. Statistically, these scholarships will provide you with better chances to win, because there are less applicants and the scholarship committee is looking for candidates that fit the scholarship criteria.