Freshman year is a year of transitions. Most students will be entering high school from a middle school or elementary school and go from being the oldest students in school to the youngest. Freshman year of high school is also an exciting year of new possibilities and experiences. Notably, your grades, classes, and accomplishments will all start officially counting for the college admissions process.

Use this as motivation to always give your best! Many students may not know that there are a number of fantastic scholarships available for students in ninth grade. This can be a great way to start earning money to pay for college (even if you are still a few years away from college). Our motto is that “it’s never too early to apply for scholarships.”

In this scholarship guide for high school freshman you will learn more about:

• Top Scholarships for high School freshman in 2021
• Scholarship tips for high school freshman
• Looking for other scholarships for high school students?
• Summary of high school freshman scholarships
• Expired scholarships for high school freshman

Top scholarships for high school freshman in 2021:

$2,500 March Madness Scholarship Contest

• Eligibility: Students ages 13+ who answer one question and complete registration on CollegeXpress.com
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Student Loan Hero Smart Money Giveway

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Tallo’s $1,000 ‘1st March Easy’ Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who set up a Tallo profile
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 15, 2021

$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship

• Eligibility: Create a free account on CollegeXpress and complete registration
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: May 1, 2021

$10,000 ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Scholarships360 No Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: All high school, college, and graduate students are eligible for this scholarship!
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: June 30, 2021

$25,085 “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students, including high school, college, and graduate students
• Amount: $25,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

$2,500 Christian Connector Scholarship

• Eligibility: To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be a current high school freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in attending a Christian university or college
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

$1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students ranging from high school students to college and community college students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Act Locally Scholarship 

• Eligibility: High school and undergraduates with an interest in volunteering or working to better their local community through social, environmental, or economic change
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: April 1, 2021

“Be Bold” No-Essay Community Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students who register to Bold.org and has invited many friends
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: November 19, 2021

Breanden Beneschott Fire Memes Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who submit their favorite memes. Bonus points for originality!
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: October 1, 2021

Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students at every level of education who write a short essay about mental health
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: May 31, 2021

Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students at every level of education who write a short essay about mental health
• Amount: $905
• Deadline: June 13, 2021

Evie Irie Misfit Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school students who share an essay about why they feel like a misfit and how being a misfit shaped their dreams
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: May 1, 2021

FieldLevel Athletic Recruiting No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school athletes who aspire to play sports in college
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

First-Generation, First Child Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to first-generation, firstborn students at all levels of education in any field of study to achieve their academic ambitions
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: April 4, 2021

Galactic Fed Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school and college students who are entrepreneurial self-starters 
• Amount: $500   
• Deadline: April 2, 2021

Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship

• Eligibility: All high school students, college students, graduate students, and adult learners
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 31, 2021

Grow the Game Volleyball Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students at all educational levels who demonstrate passion, achievement, and leadership efforts in growing the game of volleyball
• Amount: $2,500   
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Kaplun Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students who are in grades 7 through 12 who submit an essay about their Jewish faith 
• Amount: $500 to $1,800
• Deadline: March 7, 2021

Ocean Awareness Contest 

• Eligibility: Students ages 11 to 18 who create a work of art in their chosen genre, including visual art, film, music, poetry, prose, and interactive and multimedia
• Amount: Scholarships worth from $100 to $1,500
• Deadline: June 14, 2021

One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to chess players of all ages
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 29, 2021

Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Open to all high school, college, and graduate students who submit their favorite pet photos with a short caption, including their Instagram handle and pet’s name
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 16, 2021

Selectblinds $1000 Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school, college, or university students with a minimum GPA of 2.5
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 15, 2021

Solar Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, college and graduate students with an interest in solar energy 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 1, 2021

Survey Junkie Brand Influencer No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who join Survey Junkie to share opinions on products and services
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Taylor Price Financial Literacy for the Future Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school and college students who submit an essay.  Applicants from minority groups underrepresented in the financial world and those with non-profit or volunteering experience will be preferred
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: April 14, 2021

Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: January 30, 2022

Unigo Flavor of the Month Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students who are currently enrolled or will be enrolled in college by 2026 who write a short essay.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: July 31, 2021

WiseGeek Recent Immigrants Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students in any field of study who immigrated to the United States on or after January 1, 2010 and plans to live & work here
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: September 1, 2021

Zest for Cooking Culinary Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Open to students at every level who are pursuing a culinary career or are extremely passionate about cooking 
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: April 1, 2021

Scholarship tips for high school freshman

1. Your scholarship search should start now! Every dollar you earn now will be less money that you have to pay or take out in student loan debt!
2. One of the best ways to win college-specific merit scholarships is through a strong academic record. Keep up your grades and take the most challenging classes you can!
3. There are many scholarships for students who have talents or interests in a particular area! Ninth grade is a great time to start developing your interests through activities, volunteering, and hobbies!

Looking for other scholarships for high school students?

If you are looking for other high school scholarships, we have you covered:

• Scholarships for High School Seniors
• Scholarships for High School Juniors
• Scholarships for High School Sophomores
• Scholarships for High School Freshman

Summary of high school freshman scholarships

1. $2,500 March Madness Scholarship Contest
2. Student Loan Hero $1,000 Giveway
3. $10,000 ScholarshipPoints Scholarship Program
4. $1,000 Tallo Scholarship
5. $10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
6. Scholarships360 No Essay Scholarship
7. $25,000 “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
8. $2,500 Christian Connector Scholarship
9. $1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship
10. Act Locally Scholarship
11. “Be Bold” No-Essay Community Scholarship
12. Breanden Beneschott Fire Memes Scholarship
13. Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
14. Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
15. Evie Irie Misfit Scholarship
16. FieldLevel Athletic Recruiting No-Essay Scholarship
17. First-Generation, First Child Scholarship
18. Galactic Fed Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship
19. Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
20. Grow the Game Volleyball Scholarship
21. Kaplun Essay Contest
22. Ocean Awareness Contest
23. One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship
24. Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship 
25. Selectblinds $1000 Scholarship
26. Solar Scholarship
27. Survey Junkie Brand Influencer No-Essay Scholarship
28. Taylor Price Financial Literacy for the Future Scholarship
29. Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship
30. Unigo Flavor of the Month Scholarship
31. WiseGeek Recent Immigrants Scholarship
32. Zest for Cooking Culinary Scholarship

Expired scholarships for high school freshman

Air Force ROTC High School Scholarship

• Eligibility: Applicants must either be a United States citizen or obtain U.S. citizenship by the last day of the first term of their freshman year (for four-year offers) or the first term of sophomore year (for three-year offers). Applicants must have SAT composite of 1240 or ACT composite of 26 and a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Amount: Varies
• Due: January 17, 2021

Angelica Song Rejection is Redirection Scholarship

• Eligibility: This scholarship is open to students at all levels who have experienced rejection, and used it as redirection
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: December 11

Austin Kramer Music Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Open to students at all levels who share an inspiring song, curate a 10-20 track playlist, and then submit a paragraph (under 100 words) explaining your playlist.
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: January 2, 2021

Christophers’ Poster Contest

• Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 through 12 who create a kindness poster
• Amount: $100 to $1,000
• Deadline: February 18

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, but most are December 11

Engineer Girl Writing Contest 

• Eligibility: The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories: Elementary School Students (grades 3-5), Middle School Students in (grades 6-8), or High School Students (grades 9-12)
• Amount: $250 to $500
• Deadline: February 1, 2021

Future Leaders in Technology Scholarship – High School Award

• Eligibility: The scholarship is open to high school students who plan to pursue a degree in computer science, electrical engineering or data science. You must also be a member of an underrepresented group, including: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian or Native American, LGBTQA+, and Women
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: January 31

Giving Thanks Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students at all educational levels who submit a picture and a short story, poem, or essay that describes this person they are grateful for
• Amount: $2,000   
• Deadline: November 22

High School Social Leaders Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be committed to making the world a better place and write an essay
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 28th

JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Open to high school students who complete an essay about a U.S. elected historical figure.
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: January 15, 2021

Princeton Prize in Race Relations

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students who are involved in an activity that promotes positive race relations.
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 1, 2021

Recent Immigrant Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students who immigrated to the United States on or after January 1, 2010.
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31

Scholarcash Role Model Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school, college, and graduate students who submit any essay about role models
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 31

Share Your Dream Job No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students at every level who create a TikTok video about what a great day at their dream job would be like
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: January 31

Support Small Businesses Scholarship 

• Open to students at all educational levels who submit an essay about their relationship to the small business community and what they hope to achieve with their business, future business, or parent’s business
• $2,000
• November 21

Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest

• Eligibility: High school students who create prom outfits with duck tape
• Amount: $500 to $10,000
• Deadline: July 21

Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students who submit a video entry about their life’s passion
• Amount: $5,000 to $25,000 per year
• Deadline: January 20, 2021

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships

• Eligibility: Open to high school students who are vegetarians or vegans
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: February 21, 2021 (Opens December 2021)