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One of the biggest misconceptions about scholarships is that they are only for high school students. In fact, there are numerous lucrative scholarship opportunities that current college students can apply for. These scholarships for college students can help you pay for tuition, room, board, fees, and other expenses like books and laptops.

If you are able to win scholarships as a college student you can lessen the amount of student loans that you need to take out. This can literally pay off after you graduate as you will have a lower student loan burden.

In this guide we will be covering:

• Top scholarships for college students in 2022
• College scholarships by grade-level
• How to win scholarships as a college student
• Frequently asked questions
• Upcoming scholarships
• Explore these other scholarship categories

Whether you are a college freshman interested in chemistry or a student interested in criminal justice, there is a scholarship for you! Keep on reading to learn more!

Top scholarships for college students in 2022:

Scholarships360 $1,000 No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Easy scholarship open to any student who creates a Scholarships360 account!
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: September 30, 2022

$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay

• Eligibility: High school, college, community and graduate students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

$2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship

• Eligibility:  High school and college students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

$2,500 SmarterCollege Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, college students, and graduate students who are U.S. residents
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

“Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
• Amount: $25,000
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

Tallo’s $3,000 “Pathways to Success” Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students
• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline: June 30, 2022

$10,000 ScholarshipPoints Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: Students in the United States
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

$2,500 Future Leaders in Technology Scholarship – College Award

• Eligibility: Underrepresented college/university students pursuing a degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or data science
• Amount: $2,5500
• Deadline: June 19, 2022

$1,000 “Mom to Scholar” Scholarship for Mothers 

• Eligibility: Mothers over the age of 35 either accepted to or a attending technical, community, or four-year college/university
• Amount: $1,000 
• Deadline: June 1, 2022

$1,000 Pettable Life Transitions Pet Lovers Scholarship

• Eligibility: Undergraduate juniors, seniors, or recent college graduates who are pet owners or pet lovers
• Amount: $750
• Deadline: August 1, 2022

$1,000 WayUp Dream Job No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students who create amazing job candidate profiles on the WayUp platform 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 1, 2022

First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships

• Eligibility: Biological, adopted or step-children of first responders (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, 911 dispatchers) with a 2.7 GPA or above 
• Amount: $6,250 (renewable each year in college)
• Deadline: June 15, 2022

Little People of America Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: Scholarships are open to prospective and current students attending college or vocational school in the United States who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism, or are immediate family members of someone with dwarfism.
• Amount: $250 – $1,000
• Deadline: May 31, 2022

HelpTeaching.com Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who submit a educational short story or informational article (400-800 words) for young students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 1, 2022

$4,300 Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students at every level of education who write a short essay about mental health
• Amount: $4,300 (goes up as donors contribute!)
• Deadline: June 14, 2022

Probo Medical Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school, college, and graduate students with a 3.0 or above GPA who submit an essay about medical technology and the future
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: June 15  and January 15 of each year

Big Sun Scholarship

• Eligibility: Student athletes who are high school seniors or in college
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: June 19, 2022

Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, college students, community college students, or graduate students who write an essay about cyberbullying
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 30, 2022

El Cafe Del Futuro Scholarship

• Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students of Latino descent
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: July 1, 2022

Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship

• Eligibility: 9th-12th grade high school, college, or graduate students, including adult students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 31, 2022

Michael Moody Fitness Scholarship

• Eligibility: High seniors, college students, and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in health, wellness, or fitness
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: August 1, 2022

Clubs of America Scholarship Award

• Eligibility: College students with a minimum 3.0 GPA who complete an essay about their career aspirations
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: August 31, 2022

Don’t Text and Drive Scholarship

• Eligibility: Incoming or current college students who submit a personal statement about the importance of not texting and driving
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: September 30, 2022

HireAHelper Skilled Trade & Technology Scholarships

• Eligibility: Currently enrolled (or planning to) as a high school senior, or in a community college, undergraduate, graduate, technical college, or vocational program
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: Deadlines are as follows: Winter: April 16, Spring: July 17, Summer: October 14, and Fall: January 15 at 11:59 p.m. PST of each year

Lounge Lizard Web Design Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors and college students with an interest in Web Design 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: October 3 and February 19

Future Designer Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be an incoming  (graduating high school senior) or college student who designs a holiday greeting card
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: November 1, 2022

Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship

• Eligibility: College students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: April 15 and November 15 each year

Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships

• Eligibility: All high school and college students with at least a 2.5 GPA who share their ideas to fight childhood hunger
• Amount: $1,000 to 3,000
• Deadline: Varies

College scholarships by grade-level

Whether you are a college freshman or a transfer student, we have specific guides to help you find and apply for scholarships:

Scholarships for:

• College Freshmen
• Community College Students
• College Sophomores
• College Juniors
• Transfer Students
• College Seniors

How to win scholarships as a college student

Here are a few tips for finding and winning scholarships and financial aid as a current college student.

Apply for need-based financial aid

Don’t forget about need-based financial aid, which includes Pell Grants, Federal SEOG Grants, and work study. To apply for need-based financial aid from the government or from your college, you will need to apply for financial aid.

The two major financial aid applications that students will come across are the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. Both of these applications have specific deadlines, so make sure that you get everything in on time!

Additionally, financial aid is only offered on an annual basis, so you will need to reapply for financial aid in subsequent college years.

Apply to many scholarships to increase your odds of winning

A key part of any scholarship strategy should be applying to a broad array of scholarship opportunities. The more you apply to, the more you can win!

Check your college’s financial aid website for scholarships

Your college’s financial aid office should be your first stop for college scholarships since they may be able to offer other forms of aid as well (like grants or work study programs).

If you win a scholarship, check to see if you must re-apply each year

Certain scholarships may require students to maintain a certain GPA, or provide proof of enrollment each year. Check the details of any scholarship you win to see if these rules apply.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to get a scholarship while in college?

Yes! In fact, there are scholarships exclusively meant for college students. These scholarships can help with the cost of undergraduate tuition or help with the costs of graduate school. It is never too early or too late to apply for scholarships.

To stay up-to-date with current scholarship opportunities, check out our scholarship search tool. It offers custom-matched vetted scholarship opportunities for students of any age. You’ll be able to find scholarships to pay for your next years of college, and even for graduate school.

How do you find scholarships for college?

To find scholarships while in college, begin with a search of your school’s financial aid office website. Here you may find scholarships specifically meant for students of the college that you’re attending. It’s also a good idea to reach out to your financial aid office for help. Their financial aid officers may know of opportunities that are not posted on the site.

Other good places to start are local organizations related to your field of interest, ethnicity-based organizations, and your employer or your parents’ employers. And of course, don’t forget to check out the list above or our scholarship database! 

Which college scholarships are easy to get?

There are two opposing qualities that make a scholarship “easy” to win:

1. There are few application requirements, so you can apply to a ton of them. To begin with this strategy, apply to all of the scholarships on our easy scholarships list.
2. There are a lot of application requirements, so not that many people can apply. If your college offers a scholarship specifically meant for first-generation college students, the applicant pool is limited to both students attending your college and, out of that group, first-generation students. If you qualify, your chances of winning are way higher than a contest with broad application requirements. While these are a bit harder to find, you can start with our list of best merit scholarships.
3. Local scholarships. Student should always ask their high school guidance counselor for resources about local scholarships. They can also check out community organizations and ask recent graduates from their high school. Local scholarships typically have much less competition than other scholarships.

Do college transfer students get scholarships?

Yes, transfer students qualify for scholarships! Check out our list of the top scholarships for college transfer students for scholarships still accepting applications.

And remember, you don’t have to constrain yourself to transfer scholarships. There are many scholarships out there for current college students. So, you can apply to scholarships specifically for transfer students, or anything that college students are eligible for.

Upcoming scholarships for college students

Frame my Future Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors planning to enroll as a full-time students and current undergraduate/graduate students at U.S.colleges and universities
• Amount: $6,000, $2,500, $1,000, and $500 scholarships are awarded, and every winner receives a custom frame!

Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Essay Contest

• Eligibility: High school seniors and college students
• Amount: $3,500 and $5,000

Rover Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors and college students who write an essay about the impact of technology on their lives 
• Amount: $2,500

Selectblinds $1,000 Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school, college, or university students with a minimum GPA of 2.5
• Amount: $1,000

Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students between the ages of 16 and 26 who submit a video entry about their life’s passion
• Amount: $5,000 to $25,000 per year

Ted Rollins Eco Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students and high school seniors planning on earning a business or sustainability degree
• Amount: $1,000

Zippia’s Teacher Dream Job Scholarship

• Eligibility: This scholarship is open to any college, university, associates program, junior college, vocational school, or high school students living in the United States who is planning on a teaching career 
• Amount: $1,000

Explore these other scholarship categories

• Top easy scholarships
• No essay scholarships
• Scholarships for college freshmen
• Top scholarships for college sophomores
• Top law school scholarships