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Top 50 Scholarships for College Sophomores in November 2022
Scholarships for college sophomores are more common than you’d think! Applying for scholarships throughout college can have a host of benefits. For starters, you can greatly reduce the amount of debt you graduate with. You can also use scholarships to make the possibility of grad school more feasible in the future, or to lessen the financial strain on your household.
To help you finance your college education, we’ve assembled a list of the top, vetted scholarships for college sophomores. Each of these scholarships for college sophomores has been personally reviewed by our team and verified to ensure that you are only seeing the best of the best. Let’s get into it!
- How to win scholarships for college sophomores
- Tips for college sophomores
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore these other scholarship categories
50 Scholarships for College Sophomores 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.
ServiceScape Scholarship
Offered by ServiceScape
Open to graduating high school seniors and current college students who submit a 300 word essay.
JCS Beauty “Nourish and Shine” BIPOC Cosmetology Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to new or currently enrolled Black/African American students at a cosmetology program leading to licensure in the U.S. or Canada.
Colonel Kathleen Swacina Scholarship
Offered by Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association
Postsecondary students who are/were members of the U.S. Armed Forces, are in ROTC programs, or who descend from veterans or AFCEA members.
$2,500 November ScholarshipPoints Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy $10k scholarship from ScholarshipPoints open to all students.
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.
Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (ACFEA) War Veterans Scholarship
Offered by Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (ACFEA)
Open to persons on active duty and honorably discharged military veterans who are pursuing an undergraduate degree in a STEM field.
African American Leadership Society STEM Scholarship
Offered by United Way of South Hampton Roads
Open to African American high school seniors & college students from Hamptons Roads interested in STEM.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
International Student Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to undergraduate international students studying in the United States and who are paying out-of-state tuition.
La Unidad Latina Foundation Scholarship
Offered by La Unidad Latina Foundation
Open to Hispanic/Latino college sophomores, upperclassmen, and graduate students.
José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions
Offered by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Open to rising college juniors majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at Minority Serving Institutions.
SMART Scholarship Program
Offered by U.S. Department of Defense
Open to postsecondary students studying one of SMART's 21 approved STEM disciplines.
Barbara Lotze Scholarship for Future Physics Teachers
Offered by American Association of Physics Teachers
Open to high school seniors and college students who are leading toward a career in physics teaching in the high schools.
NAMM President’s Innovation Award
Offered by NAMM Foundation
Open to college and graduate students who are enrolled in college/university music or music business programs.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Scholarships
Offered by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Open to undergraduates studying engineering to work in the Heating, Refrigerating, and/or Air-Conditioning industries.
$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.
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How to win scholarships for college sophomores
Now that you’ve got a list of opportunities to apply for, let’s get into how to make your applications successful. With so many applications coming in for each opportunity, it’s important to stand out from the crowd.
Essays are a great way to let your unique qualities shine through in your application. To make sure you’re writing the most effective essay you can, try out our “Show, Don’t Tell” essay primer. After that, check out our guides for 250 and 500 word essays. We also have a guide to writing about yourself, a skill that many students struggle with. And to help you get that first word on the page, check out our guide on how to start a scholarship essay, which includes examples to help inspire you!
Also see: How to win local scholarships
Tips for college sophomores
Put your coursework first
One of the highest priorities for any sophomore in college is keeping their grades up. Remember, you are in a unique position to be learning from knowledgeable professors, and you are surrounded by talented peers.
Make sure you are taking advantage of this by going to class, trying your best on your coursework, and taking advantage of additional academic opportunities. If your teachers offer office hours or tutoring, these are great resources to gain a better understanding of your material and can even lead to research or teaching assistant jobs.
Start considering grad school
Sophomore year is still early, but it’s a good time to start considering whether you may want to go to grad school. Try visiting your school’s career offices and talking to upperclassmen in your field to see whether it might be a good fit for you. If you already have your eyes set on grad school, do some research to find out what courses are necessary for your desired program and make sure you are taking them.
Consider a part-time job in your field and/or summer programs and internships
One of the best ways to complement your college education is through first-hand work experience. This can come from part-time jobs during the school year, full-time internships in the summers, and/or summer programs.
Check out our guide on finding an internship and how to get a job in college as a first step. You can also contact your school’s career offices or talk to people in your department to see whether your school offers any internships or opportunities.
Frequently asked questions about scholarships for college sophomores
Can you apply to scholarships once you’re already in college?
Yes, you can! All of the scholarships above are open to applicants who are currently in college. Whether you are applying for funding for your remaining years of undergrad or to stock up a fund for grad school, there are opportunities out there for you.
Will applying to scholarships in college affect my financial aid?
The answer to this question varies on a case-by-case basis and depends heavily on the policies at your school. If you already receive need-based aid, it’s a good idea to reach out to your financial aid office before applying to any scholarships. Ask them how these scholarships might impact your financial aid.
Some schools will end up reducing your financial aid by the amount that you won in scholarships. If this is the case, you’re better off spending your time working a job than applying for scholarships, as they will not end up helping you in the long-run. However, many schools will accommodate scholarships without reducing need-based aid, or only reducing it by a fraction of the scholarship earned.
Besides scholarships, how else can I finance my education?
While scholarships are a great source of educational funding, they are not the only option out there. You can also seek out government grants; just by filling out the FAFSA, you will be able to see whether you are eligible for the Pell Grant. Aside from grants, you can take out student loans, apply for work-study, or find another job on campus.
