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14 Super Easy Scholarships to Apply For
What’s Covered:
Scholarships are an important part of the college process. Given how expensive higher education is, these awards can help significantly. Plus, unlike loans, you’ll never have to pay them back.
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 14 super-quick scholarships with applications you’ll complete in no time at all.
14 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, 2023
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 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. SmarterCollege Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (monthly)
Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old; must be a US resident
All you have to do to apply for this scholarship is complete a 5 question application! You can apply each month until December 2022.
4. 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
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!”
5. “No Essay” College Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (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. No Essay Smart Owl Scholarship
Amount: $7,000
Deadline: May 29, 2022
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 on or after April 30th, 2022, you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship. You can then enter again once every seven days during the Sweepstakes Period.
7. Make Me Laugh
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 years old at the time of application
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 15, 2022)
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, 2022
Eligibility: Must be a legal U.S. resident; must be at least 14 years old at the time of application
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, 2022)
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. College Is Power Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 31, 2022
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?
12. Nitro Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (monthly)
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.
13. SuperCollege Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 31, 2022
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.
14. Tallo + Niche Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 31, 2022 (monthly)
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.
