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Top 20 Mental Health Scholarships in February 2023
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, nearly 30% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 have a mental, behavioral, or emotional mental health condition. Many of those diagnosed are seeking and enrolling in higher education. This can be a stressful time for all students. Paying for college is definitely a stressor, but will be less so if you win a few mental health scholarships. For that, you landed in the right place!
Jump ahead to:
- Top mental health scholarships
- Mental health resources
- Frequently asked questions about mental health scholarships
- Explore these related scholarship categories
In addition to broader overall mental health scholarships, our listing includes more diagnosis specific scholarships. This includes scholarships for Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, and Schizophrenia.
We also included a few that apply to those who have been impacted by the mental health struggles of those around them. Finally, we included a few scholarships for college students who are studying and/or working to raise awareness about mental health.
Top 20 Mental Health Scholarships in February 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Life Lessons Scholarship Program
Offered by Life Happens
Open to current and incoming college students who submit an essay or video about how the death of a parent/guardian impacted their life.
JC Runyon Foundation Scholarship
Offered by JC Runyon Foundation
Students who have been accepted to an undergraduate program and successfully completed an inpatient program dedicated to behavioral health.
Melanie Foundation Scholarship
Offered by The Melanie Foundation
Open to students pursuing a doctoral or master’s degree in the mental health field.
Prochnow Foundation Annual Scholarship
Offered by Prochnow Foundation For Mental Health
Open to high-achieving college students who are diagnosed with a mental illness.
Jared Monroe Foundation Scholarship
Offered by The Jared Monroe Foundation
Open to high school seniors and college students who have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and are currently receiving treatment.
Addiction Awareness Scholarship
Offered by Seasons in Malibu
Open to students entering college or already enrolled in college who are pursuing any major and can shed light on issues about addiction.
Baer Reintegration Scholarship
Offered by The Center for Reintegration
Open to postsecondary students in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Feb 1, 2024$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024Armenian American Medical Society Scholarship
Offered by Armenian American Medical Society
Armenian students enrolled in a U.S. healthcare program who are actively involved in community service to benefit the Armenian community.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Nov 15, 2023Quell Foundation Fighter Scholarship
Offered by The Quell Foundation
Open to current and incoming postsecondary students being treated for a diagnosed mental health condition.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Apr 15, 2023JED’s Student Voice of Mental Health Award
Offered by The Jed Foundation
Open to high school and college students doing work to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Feb 18, 2023$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
How to win mental health scholarships
As with any scholarships, mental health scholarships are highly competitive. To win educational funding, you’ll have to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few tips to help your chances:
Use your essay space to emphasize your strengths
Struggles with mental health are very difficult for students. Your mental health may have impacted you in many different ways that set you back in your academic and personal life. While it’s very important to dedicate time to processing these struggles, it’s usually a good idea to keep them off of your scholarship application essays.
The organizations offering these scholarships are interested in selecting candidates who have overcome difficulties, have a strong drive, and a vision of their future and how to accomplish it. So, when you do mention mental health in your essay, it’s a good idea to frame it as an opportunity for growth and a formative experience. Talk about your past in terms of how it drives you to a promising future.
Even if you have a powerful personal story involving loss, grief, or tragedy, that tragedy alone is typically not sufficient to win you scholarships. Since you only have limited words to catch the attention of your application reviewer, you’re best off using those words to indicate your strengths and potential rather than describing the difficulties you’ve suffered.
Do your research
Before beginning your applications, it’s a good idea to read your essay prompt very thoroughly and get an idea of what the reviewers want from you. How can you bend this prompt to show your strengths and potential?
You should also research the organization offering the scholarship. Find out their core principles and values, and make sure to emphasize these in your application materials. They are looking for a candidate who aligns with their mission and values. You should make sure to show how you are that candidate.
Fine-tune your writing with our guides
An effective essay will be clear, concise, and compelling. Scholarship essays take a specific set of skills to write effectively. Luckily, we have a list of guides to help you write the best possible application. That includes guides on how to start and end a scholarship essay, how to respond to common scholarship essay prompts, and how to write a scholarship resume.
We can also help you fine-tune your writing to 250 or 500 word limits, and write an essay about yourself. Finally, don’t miss our ultimate guide to finding and winning scholarships!
Mental health resources for students
Many colleges and universities offer mental health resources for enrolled students. If you need guidance, that is a great place to start. Because the counseling center at your college has experience with students your age, they should be able to steer you in the right direction. If you want or need to do research on your own, the following websites are a few of the most credible you can find.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Check out the varied list of resources offered by the ADAA that focus specifically on the needs of college students.
National Alliance on Mental Health
The National Alliance for Mental Health, or NAMI, as it is often referred, is the largest organization dedicated to helping Americans with mental illness build better lives. With 600 state organizations, NAMI offers free help and education. For college students, this “Starting the Conversation” guide and video is an excellent resource.
ULifeline
ULifeline is an anonymous online resource center especially for college students. Students can comfortably search for information regarding emotional and mental health. ULifeline is a project of The Jed Foundation, one of the USA’s leading organizations regarding the mental health of college students.
