15 Super Easy Scholarships to Apply For

But on top of the grueling work of applying to college in the first place, the thought of completing more applications can feel overwhelming. 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 15 super-quick scholarships with applications you’ll complete in no time at all.

15 Easy Scholarships to Apply For

1. Because College Is Expensive Scholarship

Amount: $500

Deadline: End of each quarter at 11:59 pm EST

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors, adults returning to school, and current college students

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.

2. I Have a Dream Scholarship 

Amount: $1,500

Deadline: January 31, 2020

Eligibility: Must be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education by fall of 2027; must be at least 13 years old at the time of application

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.”

3. DoSomething.org Scholarship

Amount: $1,500

Deadline: May 31, 2020

Eligibility: Must be 25 years old or younger and a U.S. or Canadian citizen

DoSomething.org wants you to register to vote. When you sign up on their website, you’ll receive your own personalized registration page (it takes less than two minutes, according to the organization). Each time you share your page, you’ll be entered for a chance to win this $1,500 scholarship. They’ll also give you tips on how to spread the word.

4. Cappex Easy Money Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Deadline: May 31, 2020

Eligibility: Must be currently enrolled in high school or college or have plans to enroll within the next 12 months

In order to enter this scholarship contest, sponsored by Cappex, all you need to do is provide a short explanation of why you deserve to win the award and create a Cappex profile. Perhaps that’s why it’s called “Easy Money!”

5. “No Essay” College Scholarship

Amount: $2,000

Deadline: May 31, 2020 (monthly)

Eligibility: High school students, college students, and others planning to attend college or graduate school within the next year (additional eligibility requirements)

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.

6. You Deserve It Scholarship

Amount: $1,000 (plus one month of free access to scholarshipowl.com)

Deadline: May 29, 2020

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

When you create an account on Scholarship Owl, you’ll automatically be entered to win the You Deserve It scholarship. You can then enter again once every seven days during the Sweepstakes Period. Winners will also receive a month of free access to the site.

7. Make Me Laugh

Amount: $1,500

Deadline: August 31, 2020

Eligibility: Must be a U.S. legal resident and enroll in an accredited postsecondary institution of higher learning no later than fall of 2026

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!

8. ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship

Amount: $10,000

Deadline: Multiple (next deadline is June 16, 2020) 

Eligibility: Legal residents of the U.S. who are at least 13 years old; must sign up as a member of ScholarshipPoints.com

Through this program, members can earn points through a variety of ways, including taking surveys, following and interacting with ScholarshipPoints on social media, playing games, and more. Each point counts as an entry into scholarship drawings — winners are chosen at random.

9. Flavor of the Month Scholarship

Amount: $1,500

Deadline: July 31, 2020

Eligibility: Must be at least 13 years old at the time of your application and a legal U.S. resident; must enroll in an accredited postsecondary institution of higher education no later than fall 2026

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?

10. Courage to Grow Scholarship

Amount: $500

Deadline: Multiple (next deadline is May 31, 2020)

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

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.

11. 2020 U.S. Bank Student Scholarship Sweepstakes

Amount: $5,000-20,000

Deadline: October 30, 2020

Eligibility: Must be at least 16 years old and enrolled as an undergraduate student at an accredited two- or four-year brick-and-mortar college or university as of May 1, 2021

This scholarship is all about gaining financial literacy. You’ll enter to win larger and larger scholarships depending on how many lessons you complete — you can enter to win up to $5,000 when you complete 4-6 lessons, $10,000 for 7-9 lessons, and up to $20,000 for 10+ lessons. These lessons address essential topics like managing student loans and budgeting.

12. College Is Power Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Deadline: May 31, 2020

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

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: $5,000

Deadline: Multiple (next deadline is May 31, 2020)

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

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, 2020

Eligibility: High school seniors, college or graduate students, or adults planning to enroll in college or university; must be a permanent U.S. resident. Note: employees, officers, and directors (and their relatives) of SuperCollege and its affiliates are not eligible.

To enter the SuperCollege Scholarship drawing, you just need to complete this form. (Incomplete entries will be disqualified). Winners will be chosen at random and may apply the award to education-related expenses.

15. Tallo + Niche Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Deadline: May 31, 2020

Eligibility: N/A

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! Be sure to follow us @apptallo on Instagram where we announce the winners.

Strategies for Applying to Easy Scholarships

1. Apply to as many 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, maybe even all 15 on this list, or more!

2. Balance easy scholarships out with more specific ones.

At the same time, you shouldn’t focus solely on “easy” scholarships since your odds of winning are much lower. Because they require minimal work to apply for them, they draw a high number of entrants, so your odds of winning are lower than those with a more rigorous application process. Therefore, it’s a good idea to search for more niche scholarships that might require more of a time commitment to enter to increase your award potential. That might mean entering scholarship contests for people who share your background or demographics, or those intending to study a certain discipline, among others. Find more opportunities on the scholarship section of our blog.

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