While some scholarships are focused on supporting students based on specific talents or achievements, other scholarships aim to support students who have demonstrated financial need. These need based scholarships sometimes also include a merit or academic component, but will always require students to demonstrate financial need.

If you are a low income student or even a middle income student, you may qualify for one of our top need based awards.

Jump ahead to:

• Top need based scholarships
• How to apply for need-based financial aid
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Summary of need based scholarships
• Expired scholarships

Keep on reading for more information about the specific scholarships, eligibility, and deadlines, as well as a mini-guide on applying for need-based financial aid.

Here are the top need based scholarships for students to win:

$2,000 Low-Income Student Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school and undergraduate students who are classified as low-income. An essay on what your greatest achievement taught you
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: November 10

Bezos Scholars Program

• Eligibility: High achieving high school juniors with demonstrated financial need 
• Amount: All expenses for the Program are covered, including transportation, lodging, meals, and all passes for the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. Also includes opportunities to apply for $1,000 seed grants to design and implement ideas
• Deadline: January 11, 2021

Dell Scholars Program

• Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are participating in a Michael & Susan Dell Foundation approved college readiness program.
• Amount: $20,000, a laptop credit, textbook credit, and on-going mentoring
• Deadline December 1st

Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors
• Amount: Up to $50,000
• Deadline November 5th

Greenhouse Scholars Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with demonstrated financial need who reside in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois or North Carolina
• Amount: $22,000 over four years
• Deadline: December 2

Hagan Scholarship 

• Eligibility: High-achieving high school seniors living in rural areas of the US who have demonstrated financial need 
• Amount: $48,000
• Deadline: December 1

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors from minority backgrounds.
• Amount: up to $30,000 over 4 years
• Deadline February 1

Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women who are 35 or older
• Amount: Up to $10,000
• Deadline: February 26

Low-Income Student Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school and undergraduate students who are classified as low-income. An essay on what your greatest achievement taught you is required
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: November 10

P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship

• Eligibility: Applicants must be qualified for admission to full-time graduate study and working toward graduate degrees in an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada. Students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada are not eligible
• Amount: $12,500
• Deadline: December 15

Ron Brown Scholars Program

• Eligibility: High school achieving Black/AfricanAmerican students with demonstrated financial need 
• Amount: $10,000 per year for a total of $40,000
• Deadline: January 9, 2021

Undiscovered Brilliance Scholarship for African-Americans

• Eligibility: Awarded to a talented Black student at any level of education or field of study on the basis of their ambition, talent, and drive, as well as on the impact that additional support would have for them
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: May 16, 2021

Yifan Zhu “Late Night” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Low-income undergraduate students who submit an essay about how their experiences outside of the classroom contribute to their college experience, skills, and career goals
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: February 2, 2021

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How to apply for need based financial aid

In addition to applying for need based scholarships, you should also take advantage of all other need-based financial aid opportunities. In addition to need-based grants that don’t need to be repaid (like the Pell Grant), students will be able to access federal student loans, and work study.

To apply for need-based financial aid, students will need to submit the FAFSA and for some schools, the CSS Profile).

Remember, you will need to apply for financial aid by the appropriate CSS Profile and FAFSA deadlines. If you apply for financial aid and are accepted to the college, you will receive a financial aid award letter that outlines the various types of aid available to you.

Frequently asked questions for low income students

Does my family income qualify me for need-based scholarships or financial aid?

It depends! Every scholarship will have a different requirement for income and who is eligible. Many need-based scholarships will provide a specific income or range that eligible student must fall in-between.

For need-based financial aid, it will also depend. Each college will use a formula to determine how much money your family can afford to pay (this is also known as the Estimated Family Contribution or EFC).

What’s the difference between a need based and merit based scholarship?

The primary difference is that a need based scholarship will be taking into account a student’s financial situation and will focused on supporting the students who need financial support the most. A merit based scholarship will be focused on supporting students with specific talents or “merits” as defined by the scholarship committee.

Summary of need-based scholarships

1. $2,000 Low-Income Student Scholarship
2. Bezos Scholars Program
3. Dell Scholars Program
4. Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship
5. Greenhouse Scholars Scholarship
6. Hagan Scholarship 
7. Low-Income Student Scholarship
8. P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship
9. Ron Brown Scholars Program
10. Undiscovered Brilliance Scholarship for African-Americans 
11. Yifan Zhu “Late Night” Scholarship

Expired scholarships

Gates Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors of African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American who are Pell-eligible
• Amount: Full funding of all costs not covered by financial aid and family contribution 
• Deadline: September 15

Horatio Alger National Scholarships

• Eligibility: Enrollment full-time as a high school senior with financial need in the United States with plans to enter college no later than the fall following graduation
• Amount: $25,000
• Deadline: October 25

Hubertus W.V. Willems Scholarship for Male Students

• Eligibility: Males currently/planning on majoring in one of the following STEM fields: Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematical Sciences
• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline: May 1 (Opens in March 2021)

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors with demonstrated financial need
• Amount: Full funding (including tuition, living expenses, books, and other required fees for four years)
• Deadline October 20

Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors
• Amount: Up to $2,500
• Deadline December (Postponed for 2020)

Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to minority students who are high school seniors or currently attending college. Applicants must be interested in studying criminal justice.
• Amount: Up to $2,000
• Deadline: June 1

PanHellenic Scholarships

• Eligibility: U.S. college bound/college students of Greek heritage
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline January 31

Questbridge National College Match Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors who have demonstrated financial need (while Questbridge is not exclusive to first generation students, 70% of finalists are first generation students)
• Amount: Full funding (including tuition, room, and board) for four years
• Deadline: September 26th

Scholarship America Dream Award

• Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in higher education programs (two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school) 
• Amount: Winners receive awards ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. Awards are renewable up to three additional years or until a first bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of full-time enrollment, satisfactory academic performance, and availability of funding. Each year of eligible renewal, the award will increase by $1,000.
• Deadline:  October 15

Tzu Chi Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Deadline March 6th
• Amount: $1,000 (renewable for four years)