28 Super Easy Scholarships to Apply for in 2023
What’s Covered:
Applying for scholarships is an important part of preparing for college. Given how expensive higher education is, these awards can relieve lots of anxiety and provide students with unique opportunities. Unlike loans, scholarships do not have to be paid back.
That said, after a grueling college application process, the thought of completing more applications can feel overwhelming to many students. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy scholarships you can apply for in under an hour. Some don’t even require essays. We’ve rounded up X super-quick scholarships with applications you’ll complete in no time at all.
28 Easy Scholarships to Apply For
1. CollegeVine Scholarships
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Quarterly
Eligibility: High school student and US resident
Application Requirements: Create a free CollegeVine account or fill out your chancing profile if you already have an account
CollegeVine provides a quarterly, no-essay scholarship of $2,000. All you have to do is sign up for a free account, which allows you to see your chances of acceptance at 1,600+ schools, get your essays reviewed by a peer, ask questions in our community forum, and more. If you already have an account, just make sure your chancing profile is filled out.
Awards will be paid out directly to students to help them cover any educational costs. Learn more about the CollegeVine scholarships.
2. Because College Is Expensive Scholarship
Amount: $500
Deadline: End of each quarter at 11:59 pm EST
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, college students, and graduate students
Application Requirements: Simple online form
Cedar Education Lending gives out the aptly-named Because College Is Expensive Scholarship once per quarter. All you need to do to apply is complete a simple form, and you’ll be entered into a $500 random drawing.
3. I Have a Dream Scholarship
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: January 31, 2024
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 years old at the time of application
Application Requirements: Short answer question
For this scholarship, applicants will submit an online written response to the following prompt in 250 words or fewer:
“We want to know… what do you dream about? Whether it’s some bizarre dream you had last week, or your hopes for the future, share your dreams with us for a chance to win $1,500 for college.”
4. SmarterCollege Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Recurring (next deadline is June 30, 2023)
Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old; must be a US resident
Application Requirements: Simple online form
All you have to do to apply for this scholarship is complete a 5 question application! You can apply each month.
5. Cappex Easy Money Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: The end of each month
Eligibility: Must be a registered Cappex user; must be at least 13 years old; must be a US resident; must be planning to enroll in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning within 4 years
Application Requirements: Simple online form
In order to enter this scholarship contest, sponsored by Cappex, all you need to do is complete the online registration form. Perhaps that’s why it’s called “Easy Money!”
6. “No Essay” College Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Monthly (next deadline is May 31, 2023)
Eligibility: High school students, college students, and others planning to attend college or graduate school within the next year (additional eligibility requirements)
Application Requirements: Simple online form
As noted in the name, this scholarship requires no essay to enter. The recipient is selected by a random drawing, and you can enter once per month. If you win, you can use the award for education-related expenses, such as tuition, housing, and books.
7. No Essay Smart Owl Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 29, 2023
Eligibility: Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. resident in any state, territory, or the District of Columbia, except for Rhode Island and Michigan; must be enrolled in a U.S. high school, college, or university
Application Requirements: Simple online form
When you create an account on Scholarship Owl on or after April 30th, 2023, you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship. You can then enter again once every seven days during the Sweepstakes Period.
8. Make Me Laugh
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: August 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 years old at the time of application
Application Requirements: Short answer question
Here’s one for the comedians out there. This is not only an opportunity to win $1,500 in scholarship money but also a chance to showcase your comedy set. In 250 words or fewer, respond to this prompt:
“OMG… finding and applying for scholarships is serious business, but it’s time to lighten things up a little. We don’t want to know why you deserve $1,500 or how great your grades are, we simply want to LOL. Describe an incident in your life, funny or embarrassing (fact or fiction), and make us laugh!”
9. ScholarshipPoints Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Legal residents of the U.S. who are at least 13 years old; must sign up as a member of ScholarshipPoints.com
Application Requirements: Simple online form
This simple online form secures $2,500 scholarships for randomly selected students each month. Completing the form means you will be automatically entered.
10. Flavor of the Month Scholarship
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: July 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 years old at the time of application
Application Requirements: Short answer question
I don’t know about you, but I love ice cream. The premise of this scholarship is simple: you just need to talk about your favorite flavor of the (objectively) best dessert out there. In 250 words or fewer, respond to this prompt:
“Summer and ice cream go hand-in-hand. In fact, July is National Ice Cream Month, and that’s the inspiration behind this award. We think people are very similar to ice cream; some are nutty, others a little exotic, while some are very comforting. If you were an ice cream flavor, which would you be and why?”
11. Courage to Grow Scholarship
Amount: $500
Deadline: Monthly (next deadline is May 31, 2023)
Eligibility: Must be a high school junior or senior or a college student with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a U.S. citizen
Application Requirements: Short answer question
This scholarship is awarded once per month. To enter, you just need to describe in 250 words or fewer why you believe you should receive the scholarship.
12. College Is Power Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old and plan to start college within the next 12 months or already be enrolled; must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Application Requirements: Short answer question
Full- or part-time students may apply for this easy scholarship. Judging is mainly based on your response to the following prompt, which you should address in 150 words or fewer:
“What is your primary goal for going to school?”
13. Nitro Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Monthly (next deadline is May 31, 2023)
Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old and a high school senior or college student, parent of a high school senior or college student, or loan-paying college graduate or parent of a graduate; must be a legal U.S. resident
Application Requirements: Simple online form
This scholarship, open to both students and their parents, is offered once per month. All you need to do is complete a short form to enter the competition.
14. SuperCollege Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Eligibility: High school seniors, college or graduate students, or adults planning to enroll in college or university; must be a permanent U.S. resident; Employees, officers, and directors (and their relatives) of SuperCollege and its affiliates are not eligible
Application Requirements: Simple online form
To enter the SuperCollege Scholarship drawing, you just need to complete this form. Winners are chosen at random and may apply the award to education-related expenses.
15. Tallo + Niche Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Must be 13 years of age
Application Requirements: Create a profile and short answer questions
You don’t need to write an essay for this scholarship—you just need to create a profile on the sponsoring site, click “Opportunities,” and enter “Niche” in the keyword field. From there, you can apply by answering very brief questions:
“What’s your next step after school? Is there a company you have your eye on? Tell us! Just answer a few questions—no essays, we promise—and you’ll be entered to win!”
16. $40,000 BigFuture Scholarships
Amount: $500
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: High school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students
Application Requirements: Make account and complete simple steps
The College Board offers scholarships with easy requirements—advance your college application process. You get entries into their drawing for things like building your college list, practicing for the SAT, exploring scholarships, strengthening your college list, completing the FAFSA, and applying to colleges.
17. Book Recommendation Scholarship
Amount: $1,300
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Eligibility: N/A
Application Requirements: Simple online form and short answer question
All you have to do to get entered to win this scholarship is register and answer the following question in one sentence:
“What is a good book you’d recommend to a friend for the summer?”
18. $5,000 Christian Connector Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must request Christian college, university, and/or Bible college information; must be enrolling for the first time as a full-time student at a Christ-centered Christian college, university, or Bible college
Application Requirements: Simple online form
Students planning to attend a Christian college can fill out a simple online form to submit for this online drawing, which will surely draw fewer students than others on the list.
19. $2,000 CampusReel Virtual Tour Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: June 30, 2023
Eligibility: Open to all high school, college, community and graduate students
Application Requirements: Watch a video
Students can easily get their name entered into this lucrative drawing by watching a student-led virtual tour!
20. Annual Catholic College Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be at least 13 years old
Application Requirements: Simple online form
To submit to this drawing, students must complete a form to receive information from Catholic colleges and universities.
21. Community Champions Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Must have applied to or be enrolled in a degree program; or the parent or legal guardian of a person who has applied to or who is enrolled in a degree program; Must be legal resident of the US; Must be age 18 or older
Application Requirements: Social media engagement and a simple online form
To be entered in this drawing, students must follow @AscentFunding on Instagram,“like” a specific post, tag two friends in a post with a specific hashtag, save the post, and complete a contact form.
22. Shining Stars Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Monthly
Eligibility: Must have applied to or be enrolled in a degree program; or the parent or legal guardian of a person who has applied to or who is enrolled in a degree program; Must be legal resident of the US; Must be age 18 or older
Application Requirements: Social media engagement and a simple online form
To be entered in this drawing, students must follow @AscentFunding on Instagram,“like” a specific post, leave a comment about mental health with a specific hashtag, save the post, and complete a contact form.
23. Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Eligibility: Students age 14 or older; Must be planning to enroll in a postsecondary institution sometime before the Fall of 2027
Application Requirements: Short answer question
This application asks you to respond to a specific prompt in 250 words or less:
“Describe your escape plan if there were a zombie outbreak at your school.”
24. Education Matters Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: November 30, 2023
Eligibility: Must be U.S. student; Must be 14 years of age or older; Must be a legal U.S. resident
Application Requirements: Short answer question
To submit to this competition, students must respond to the following prompt in 250 words or less:
“What would you say to someone who thinks education doesn’t matter, or that college is a waste of time and money?”
25. Top Ten List Scholarship
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be U.S. student; Must be 14 years of age or older; Must be a legal U.S. resident
Application Requirements: Short answer question
To submit to this competition, students must respond to the following prompt in 250 words or less:
“Create a Top Ten List of the top ten reasons you should get this scholarship.”
26. Unigo $10k Scholarship
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Eligibility: Must be U.S. student; Must be 14 years of age or older; Must be a legal U.S. resident
Application Requirements: Short answer question
To submit to this competition, students must respond to the following prompt in 250 words or less:
“Would you rather be smart, funny or rich? Why?”
27. Too Cool to Pay for School No Essay Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Quarterly (next deadline is June 30, 2023)
Eligibility: Must be high school, college, or graduate school student; Must be currently enrolled full time (in high school or at an accredited university) or planning on enrolling within 24 months
Application Requirements: Simple online form
This easy online form submits you for a drawing that will happen four times this year.
28. Around the Corner from College Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: June 30th, 2023
Eligibility: Open to current high school students (freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors)
Application Requirements: Simple online form
This drawing requires filling out a quick and simple online form.
Strategies for Applying to Easy Scholarships
1. Apply to as many easy scholarships as possible.
Given that many of these scholarships are lottery-based, it’s easy to apply. Even those that have short essays require minimal time to complete the application process, so they won’t eat up too much of your day. You can maximize your chances of winning one by applying to as many as possible.
Additionally, many of these scholarships you can apply to every month. Make a schedule and fill out the simple online forms for each drawing.
2. Balance easy scholarships out with more specific ones.
You shouldn’t focus solely on “easy” scholarships since your odds of winning are much lower. Because applying to these scholarships takes minimal effort, they draw a high number of entrants. This means your odds of winning are lower than they are for scholarships with a more rigorous application process.
If you apply to scholarships that are tailored to your profile and require more of a time commitment to enter, you will increase your award potential. That might mean entering scholarship contests for people who share your background or demographics or for students intending to study a certain discipline. Find more opportunities on the scholarship section of our blog.
3. Apply to schools with generous merit scholarships.
Most scholarship money comes from schools themselves and not external providers. Many schools consider students for merit scholarships just based on their application, so it’s no extra work; in fact, many schools have automatic scholarships based on SAT/ACT scores. Applying to schools where you’re in the top 75th percentile or above in terms of grades and test scores can maximize your chances of getting merit scholarships.
