10 Maine Scholarships to Save You Thousands on College
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Paying for college can be stressful, especially if you’re not sure where to start looking for information. One way to make the most of your scholarship application is to look into niche scholarships, which focus on certain demographics and smaller competition pools. Here’s a list of scholarships for high school students in Maine.
10 Best Scholarships for Maine High School Students
1. Barowsky Scholars
Amount: up to $25,000
Deadline: March 15, 2022 at 12pm EST
Eligibility: High school seniors, recent graduate, college freshmen
Application Requirements: Online application, resume, recommendation letter, 3 essays (a writing sample and two short answer responses), high school transcript, financial aid award letter from your intended college, and the FAFSA report
The Barowsky Scholars program provides a four-year renewable merit-based scholarship to students with competitive high school academic records. They must also plan to live on campus in order to receive and renew the scholarship. The scholarship amount will be decided based on how much financial aid the student is awarded by their college.
2. Maine American Legion Scholarships
Amount: $500 or $1,000
Deadline: May 1st, 2022
Eligibility: High school seniors, recent graduate, college freshmen
Application Requirements: Application form on website, high school transcript, one short essay response, letters of recommendation, demonstration of financial need, and proof of application to college
These scholarships are need-based and require that applicants are a resident of Maine. In order to be eligible for any of the three scholarships offered by this organization, students must demonstrate financial need. That is the only requirement for the Children and Youth Scholarship. For the Daniel E. Lambert Memorial Scholarship, the student’s parent or grandparent must be a veteran, while for the James V. Day Scholarship, the parents or grandparents must be a member of the Maine American Legion.
3. Kids’ Chance of Maine Scholarship
Amount: $1,000 – $5,000
Deadline: Rolling basis, awarded for fall and spring semesters
Eligibility: High school student accepted into college or current full- or part-time college student
Application Requirements: Online application, official transcript of most recent grades, short personal statement, proof and short description of parent’s injury, illness, or death, and information for parent’s employer at the time
Kids’ Chance of Maine is a nonprofit organization providing scholarships to children of workers injured or killed in work-related accidents or occupational diseases. The applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so they are reviewed throughout the year and are awarded in time for full-time fall and spring semesters.
4. Lamey-Wellehan Maine Difference Scholarship
Amount: $1,000 renewable for up to four years
Deadline: May 30th, 2022
Eligibility: High school senior or college student
Application Requirements: Online application packet, letter of recommendation, and high school transcript
This scholarship focuses on students who are committed to studying and/or careers in Maine’s economy or environment, so that both the student and the state of Maine benefit from the scholarship. Students may renew the scholarship for up to four years of their undergraduate studies.
5. Lawrence Alan Spiegel Remembrance Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 15th, 2022
Eligibility: High school or homeschooled seniors
Application Requirements: Application (available at link), student essay
Awarded by the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, this scholarship is given to the winner of an essay contest. The prompt is “Learning about the Holocaust affected my view of the world and it is important for others to learn about it too.” Any high school or homeschooled senior who is a Maine resident and has been accepted to an accredited college or technical school is eligible to apply.
6. Maine Blue Collar Scholarship
Amount: $500 – $2,500
Deadline: April 15th, 2022
Eligibility: High school students
Application Requirements: Online application, 2 references, and a personal essay
The Maine Blue Collar organization awards scholarships to students pursuing education and/or training in the trades or manufacturing. The scholarship money can be used for tools, books, uniforms, tuition, or housing.
7. Society of Women Engineers
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 29th, 2022
Eligibility: Female high school seniors
Application Requirements: Online form, personal essay, high school transcript, PSAT/SAT/ACT scores, letter of recommendation
The Maine chapter of the Society of Women Engineers hosts this scholarship to encourage more girls to enter the field of engineering. Any high school girl who is interested in studying engineering or engineering technological studies in college is welcome to apply.
8. Worthington Scholarship
Amount: $16,500 at 4-year colleges and up to $14,250 per semester at community colleges
Deadline: April 25th, 2022 for 4-year colleges and July 1st, 2022 for community colleges
Eligibility: Recent high school graduates, college students
Application Requirements: Online application, personal essay
This scholarship is awarded to graduates from a list of participating high schools and colleges. It is both a need-based and merit-based scholarship. To qualify for the need-based portion, students planning on a 4-year college must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or $15,000 or less and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. For students following a 2-year community college path, they must also have an EFC of $15,000 or less and a GPA of 2.2 or higher.
9. Mitchell Scholarship
Amount: $10,000 total, paid in four installments of $2,500
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 and May 1st, 2022
Eligibility: Public high school seniors
Application Requirements: By April 1st: online application, high school transcript, letter of recommendation, Student Aid Report; By May 1st: acceptance letter for your top college and their financial aid offer
The Mitchell Institute awards this scholarship to Maine residents who intend to pursue an education at a two- or four-year college or university in the fall semester after their graduation. Students are evaluated based on academic potential, community impact, and financial need.
10. Alpha One Powering Education Scholarship
Amount: up to $2,000
Deadline: April 1st, 2022
Eligibility: High school students with documented disabilities
Application Requirements: Online application form, personal essay, letter of recommendation, and high school transcript
This scholarship is awarded to individuals who have documented disabilities, such as visual, hearing, mobility, cognitive, speech, or any other disability. Students must currently be enrolled in high school or have recently graduated and be actively pursuing a higher education. Applicants should also have a B average or equivalent GPA.
Tips for Applying to Scholarships
Applying for scholarships can take a lot of time and effort, adding more stress to an already heavy workload. To make sure that you’re getting the most out of your time, be sure to follow these tips:
- Maximize institution-based financial aid and merit scholarships before focusing on outside scholarships like the ones listed in this post.
Schools generally have a lot more money to give than outside organizations. But if you’re set on attending a specific school or don’t qualify for financial aid, this is where outside scholarships, such as merit scholarships, can fill in the gap.
- Don’t lose quality for quantity.
Applying to a ton of scholarships can sound like a great idea, but make sure that you’re submitting your best work with each application. Have someone you trust edit your essays, and talk to guidance counselors and teachers about which scholarships will be the best fit for you.
- Stay organized.
With all these applications, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Creating a spreadsheet or some type of document to stay on top of deadlines can be extremely helpful in make sure you don’t miss any.
