10 Alabama Scholarships to Save You Thousands on College
What’s Covered:
Scholarships are a valuable tool for students looking to cut down on the expense of college. One of the best tips for those looking to win awards is to focus on more niche awards, like those for students from a particular region or state. Students in Alabama will find numerous awards available, with scholarships ranging in availability to applicants within the state to the greater southeast. Keep reading to learn about ten great Alabama scholarships.
10 Best Alabama Scholarships
1. Alabama Home Builders Foundation Scholarship
Amount: Varies
Deadline: March 15, 2022
Eligibility:
- Alabama resident
- Enrolling in an accredited community college, technical school, or university in Alabama
- Enrolling in a construction-related curriculum
Application Requirements:
- High school or college transcript
- Proof of Alabama residency
Founded in 1997, the Alabama Home Builders Foundation Scholarship has awarded almost $650,000 to Alabama students with an interest in pursuing an education in the residential building trades. The scholarship covers students pursuing a variety of curriculums, ranging from trades like carpentry and plumbing taught at trade schools to degree programs such as architecture and civil engineering commonly offered by colleges and universities.
2. CollegeCounts Scholarship
Amount: $4,000 for four-year college enrollees
Deadline: February 2022
Eligibility:
- Alabama resident
- U.S. citizen
- High school senior or first-time college freshman
- Enrolling in an Alabama eligible educational institution
- Demonstrated financial need
Application Requirements:
- Minimum 2.75 GPA
- ACT score of 26 or below
The CollegeCounts Scholarship was created to assist students with an interest in attending college who might be scared off by the expense. Recipients must enroll at an Alabama college or university and are provided financial support that can be used for tuition, fees, room, board, and books, along with supplies and equipment required for their course work, including computers.
3. The David Womack Memorial LGBT Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: June 30, 2021
Eligibility:
- An undergraduate student from the state of Alabama
- Identify as gay or lesbian
Application Requirements:
- Proof of college acceptance/attendance
- Essay (maximum five pages long)
The David Womack Memorial LGBT Scholarship honors its namesake’s life-long commitment to learning, making the world a better place, and his dedication to justice and equality. To win this award, applicants must write an essay describing their background, educational history, future goals, and why they believe they should receive the scholarship.
4. Dixie Youth Baseball Bernie Varnadore Scholarship
Amount: $1,250
Deadline: April 1, 2022
Eligibility:
- High school senior
- Planning to pursue an undergraduate education at a college or university
- Participated in Dixie Boys Baseball
Application Requirements:
- Two letters of recommendation
- Statement of participation from local Dixie Boys Baseball official
- Transcript
- SAT/ACT results
- Essay (150 words or less)
- Photo (coat and tie, cap and gown, or other formal wear preferred)
Dixie Boys baseball has leagues in eleven southeastern states—including Alabama—and attracts more than 20,000 people. For those unfamiliar with Dixie Boys Baseball, it’s a competitor to the better-known Little League. Despite Dixie Boys Baseball’s regrettable history, the league is flourishing today and doing some good through its scholarship program which helps participants with substantial needs and proven leadership fulfill their college dreams.
5. Southern Automotive Women’s Forum Scholarship
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: March 2022
Eligibility:
- Female high school senior or graduate
-
Enrolling in an accredited college or university in:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Pursuing a degree in STEM or automotive field
Application Requirements:
- Minimum 2.5 cumulative and 3.0 major GPA must be maintained
More than $338,000 in financial assistance has been awarded to women enrolling in STEM-related fields since the launch of the Southern Automotive Women’s Forum scholarship program. Preference is given to women with an interest in pursuing a career in the automotive industry. Scholarships are presented at the organization’s annual conference and recipients are encouraged to attend to personally accept their awards.
6. The Charles Clarke Cordle Memorial Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Eligibility:
- Alabama or Georgia resident
- Have an active amateur radio license
Application Requirements:
- Transcript
- Minimum 2.5 GPA
The Charles Clarke Cordle Memorial Scholarship is one of the numerous awards provided by the American Radio Relay League. To receive this award, applicants are required to have an active amateur radio license, and preference is given to those with an interest in pursuing careers in electronics, communications, and related fields.
7. Airgas Jerry Baker Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: N/A
Eligibility:
- Priority is given to Alabama, Georgia, and Florida residents
- Pursuing an undergraduate degree in welding engineering
- Preference is given to those with demonstrated financial need
- Priority is given to applicants pursuing careers in industrial gas or welding equipment distribution
- Minimum 18 years of age
- Earned a high school diploma or equivalent
- Full-time student
- 2.8 overall GPA and 3.0 GPA in engineering coursework
- U.S. or Canadian citizen
Application Requirements:
- Personal statement detailing career objectives
The Airgas Jerry Baker Scholarship is an awesome opportunity for Alabama undergraduates pursuing a degree in welding engineering with aspirations of a career in industrial gas or welding equipment distribution. The scholarship honors its namesake, long-time Airgas employee and renowned philanthropist, Jerry Baker, and his passion for the distribution business.
8. KASF Southern Region Scholarship
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Eligibility:
- Full-time student in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, or Tennessee
- Korean heritage (have a Korean parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or be adopted from Korea)
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
Application Requirements:
- Transcript
- Two letters of recommendation
- 500-word (or less) essay responding to the prompt: Describe something you’re passionate about. How do you learn more about it? What makes it so appealing?
- List of extracurricular activities along with honors and awards
With winners receiving as much as $5,000 for college, students with Korean heritage will want to check out this generous award from the Korean American Scholarship Foundation. This award has historically been beneficial to first-generation college students—over 80% of the past winners have been the first person in their families to attend college.
9. Birdsong Peanuts Collegiate Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: January 2022
Eligibility:
- A resident of Alabama, Florida, or Georgia
- Future Farmers of America (FFA) member
- Applicant or applicant’s family must be peanut producers
- Pursuing a four-year degree in the Plant Systems AFNR Career Pathway
Application Requirements:
- Transcript
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- FFA advisor approval
This scholarship is sponsored by Birdsong—which works with farmers in eleven states to sell peanuts to product manufacturers in both the U.S. and around the world—to support the next generation of plant growers. To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must be members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA).
10. Porter Fleming Literary Competition
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 2022
Eligibility:
- Age 18 or older
-
Residents of:
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
Application Requirements:
-
Submit three copies of one of the following:
- Fiction: Short stories only (2,500 words maximum)
- Nonfiction: Article or essay (2,500 words maximum)
- Poetry: Up to three poems per entry, not to exceed five pages total per entry
- One-Act Play: Professional format required; limited to fifteen pages, double-spaced
A great opportunity for Alabama students with a passion for writing, the Porter Fleming Literary competition awards $7,000 in cash to writers in four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and one-act play. Three awards are available per category with first-place winners taking home $1,000, second-place winners $500, and third-place winners $250. The competition is administered by the Morris Museum of Art, the first museum in the country to focus on the art and artists of the American South.
5 Tips for Applying to Scholarships
In addition to applying to more focused awards, such as scholarships for just Alabama residents, there are a handful of other things applicants can do to set themselves apart from the competition and increase their odds of winning an award.
- Apply to scholarships that ask a lot of applicants. Generally, the more work that’s required to apply for a scholarship, the smaller the field of applicants, and the greater your chances are of winning an award.
- Keep a calendar. Know what scholarships you’re planning on applying for, their deadlines, and what information is needed for them. Prioritize your scholarship efforts to focus on the ones with the nearest deadlines and those that you have the best chances of winning.
- Proofread and double-check your work. Whether it’s an essay or your application, don’t let spelling and grammar errors or small mistakes ruin your chances of winning an award.
- Know your competition. Many scholarships post profiles of past winners and, in the case of competitions, publish the winning work. Understanding what a scholarship looks for in applicants can provide a hint of your odds of winning and help you tailor your submission to improve your chances.
- Submit early. Waiting until the last minute to submit your application is a recipe for disaster—leave yourself a few days buffer just in case you have a problem with your computer or internet connection, or the scholarship is having issues with their website.
The amount of aid you will receive depends on the specific formulas used by a college’s financial aid office, and your general profile. You must reapply for financial aid every academic year, which accounts for variances in the amount of aid you receive in a given year. It can go up or down, but as long as your family’s financial situation stays stable your aid should too.
Still not sure about how much financial aid you’ll receive? Instead of manually inputting your information into multiple price calculators, check out our free Financial Aid Calculator and Chancing Engine. It can give you an estimate for hundreds of schools in just three minutes. When you sign up for a free account, you will also be able to tell your chances of acceptance based on grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and more!
