Student-centric advice and objective recommendations
Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.
Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.
Top 37 Need Based Scholarships in November 2022
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.
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.
Jump ahead to:
- Top need-based scholarships
- How to win need-based scholarships
- How to apply for need-based aid
- Resources for students with financial need
- Frequently asked questions
- Additional scholarship categories to explore
Top 38 Need Based Scholarships in November 2022
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.
Niche $50,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Dell Scholars Program
Offered by Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Open to Pell Grant-eligible high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time in a postsecondary institution in the Fall after graduation.
Amelia Earhart Academic Scholarship
Offered by The Ninety-Nines, Inc.
Members of The Ninety-Nines who are pursuing a college degree in aviation or aerospace.
Dream.US Opportunity Scholarship
Offered by TheDream.Us
Open to undocumented students who came to the U.S. before age 16 and live in states where they effectively have no access to college.
Jeannette Rankin Foundation National Scholar Grant
Offered by Jeannette Rankin Foundation
Open to women aged 35 and up who are pursuing a technical/vocational, associate's, or bachelor's degree.
Fukunaga Scholarship
Offered by Servco
Open to college-bound high school seniors from Hawaii hoping to pursue a career in business.
Dream.US National Scholarship
Offered by TheDream.Us
High school seniors and college freshmen with or without DACA who came to the U.S. before age 16 and qualify for in-state tuition.
AICPA Foundation Scholarship for Future CPAs
Offered by American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
College and graduate students pursuing a degree in accounting or a related major who are planning to pursue CPA licensure.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Two Ten Footwear Foundation College Scholarship
Offered by Two Ten Footwear Foundation
Open to U.S. footwear empoyees and their children who need help affording a college education.
Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship
Offered by Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship Fund
Graduating high school seniors from specific Washington state counties who will be pursuing non-music or art majors at in-state colleges.
Women In Transition Scholarship
Offered by Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting
Open to incoming female college freshmen who are the primary source of support for their families and are pursuing a degree in Accounting.
Vegetarian Charity Grants
Offered by The Vegetarian Charity
Vegetarian students (or vegetarian parents with a child) under the age of 26 who need help paying for school-related equipment.
Promise of Nursing Faculty Fellowships
Offered by The Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association (FNSNA)
Open to registered nurses enrolled in graduate level, degree-granting universities in the U.S. in hopes of becoming a nurse educator.
Flatiron School Access Scholarship
Offered by Flatiron School
Flatiron School students from underrepresented communities who are in need of financial assistance to afford their educational costs.
Women in Skilled Trades Scholarship
Offered by The Refrigeration School
Open to eligible female students of the Refrigeration School who demonstrate financial need.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
- 1
- 2
-
Next
How to win need-based scholarships
Earning scholarships starts with completing thoughtful scholarship applications. Scholarship applications might include requirements like transcripts, test scores, essays, and interviews. For need-based scholarships, the scholarship committee will be considering your financial need as an application factor too.
Depending on the scholarship, some applications may ask you to share more information about your family’s financial situation. This can range from writing a statement of financial need to providing actual documentation of income or eligibility for fee waivers or free and reduced lunch.
Many need-based scholarships will also include an essay component, which provides you with an opportunity to share your story. When thinking about the essay as a student who has faced financial hardship, you should be focused on showing how you have grown and succeeded despite this set of circumstances. One of the mistakes that students make when talking about adversity is focusing too much on what happened to them as opposed to how they grew from the experience.
Writing about this will not be easy, so give yourself plenty of time to reflect and brainstorm stories that you’d like to share with the scholarship committee.
Essay advice for need-based scholarships
We also have some helpful resources to help you write powerful essays. Check out our guide on how to start a scholarship essay, and another on how to write a winning scholarship essay. Here are a few more helpful resources for writing successful scholarship essays:
- How to write an essay about yourself
- Guide to writing a “Why do you deserve this scholarship?” essay
- How to write a 250 word essay
- How to write a 500 word essay
How to apply for need-based financial aid
Need-based scholarships are just one part of the financial aid equation. In fact, for most students with demonstrated financial need, they won’t even be the most important source of financial aid to pay for college. Need-based grants, which are awarded to students by the government and specific educational institutions, are the most important source of financial aid for low income students.
Like scholarships, need-based grants are free money that does not need to be repaid. The most well-known need-based grant is the Pell Grant, which is awarded to students by the federal government.
Students can apply for need-based grants through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. The FAFSA opens up on October 1st of each year and allows students to access need-based grants, but also federal student loans and work study.
Some colleges may also require a financial aid application called the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is administered by the College Board and captures more information than the FAFSA, which some colleges use for awarding financial aid.
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.
Resources for students with financial need
Your school counselor
If you are a high school senior, your school counselor may be a helpful resource as you navigate the admissions and scholarship process. Many school counselors will be able to help you find scholarships, answer questions about the FAFSA, and serve as an overall resource for you as you apply for admission and financial aid.
Similarly, if you are a member of a college access organization, your college counselor or coach will be able to provide help with anything related to paying for college.
Your college’s financial aid office
Whether you are a high school senior or a current college student, your college’s office of financial aid is a great resource if you encounter any problems or questions when applying for financial aid. If you are feeling lost or overwhelmed by any components of the financial aid process, you can give your college financial aid office a call (or if you are a current student, you can schedule an appointment to speak to someone).
Frequently asked questions
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 focus 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.
Merit scholarships typically assess students based on a variety of factors, including GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, and internships. Keep in mind that many scholarships use a combination of need and merit-based qualifications to choose their recipients. So, as a student applying for need-based scholarships, you’ll have a better chance if you earn good grades and test scores.
