It’s never too early to look at scholarships. Check out these scholarships for students to minimize or eliminate school debt.
National Scholarships for High School Students
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
Deadline: January
Description/Criteria: Must have a GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale and demonstrate a sincere aptitude for and pursuit of a career in aviation, aerospace technology or research.
USDA 1890 National Scholars Program
Deadline: January
Description/Criteria: Must be used at an 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant University. Each award provides full tuition, as well as room and board, for the term of the scholarship. The scholarship may be renewed each year, contingent upon the satisfactory academic performance of 3.0 or better and normal progress toward the bachelor’s degree.
Generation Google Scholarship
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: The Generation Google Scholarship is for African American students majoring in computer engineering, computer science, or software engineering. Graduate or undergraduate degree.
Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Award
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: High school senior approved for a four-year institution within the United Stated with evidence of financial need.
National FFA Scholarships
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: Must be a high school senior or currently enrolled full-time in college, less than 23 years of age at the time of application, a current FFA member unless otherwise stated, plan to attend post-secondary school in the U.S., Eligibility varies among sponsors.
National Peace Essay Contest
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: Must be a student in grades 9-12 attending a public, private or parochial school or equivalent in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or the U.S. Territories or a U.S. citizen attending high school abroad.
Blacks at Microsoft Scholarships
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: High school senior planning to attend a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems, or a business program with a GPS of 3.3 or higher.
Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarships for Blacks
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Scholarships are for high school seniors, recent high school graduates and college freshmen dedicated to advancing the cause of civil rights. Academic excellence, leadership potential, service to others and financial need are considered.
Jack and Jill African American Scholarships
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Offered to African American high school seniors planning to attend a four-year college full time, in any state. Must have a GPA of 3.0 or better. Funds may be used for tuition or board. Dependents of a member of Jack and Jill are not eligible.
National Society of Professional Engineers Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: For high school seniors of ethnic background and with US citizenship who have been accepted into an ABET-accredited engineering program at a four-year college or university. For undergraduates with US citizenship who attend an AEBT-accredited engineering program at a four-year college or university.
Related Article: Scholarships for African American students in Cincinnati
American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program
Deadline: April
Description/Criteria: Applicants must be high school seniors who plan to attend a U.S. college, university or certified trade school. Applicants receive one entry in the scholarship drawing for each question answered correctly.
Episcopal Scholarship Application
Deadline: April
Description/Criteria: Scholarships are available for educational training for ethnic communities, children of missionaries, bishops and clergy, and other groups, covering a wide range of eligibility.
HiLine Coffee Scholarship
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: Available to individuals who are planning to attend college or university. Must reside in the United States or Canada. Also, applicants must complete a 500-word essay on “How coffee makes a better person”.
Mary Margaret Kellogg Scholarship
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: Must be an Episcopal student active in their church and attending one of the Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and Universities: St. Augustine’s in Raleigh, North Carolina and Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina.
StudySoup Scholarship
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: Currently attending high school (or equivalent) and will be attending an accredited university or college in the next academic year.
Aspiring Animation Professional Scholarship
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: Scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors who intend to pursue an animation-related field at an accredited post-secondary school or college.
Athnet Sports Recruiting Scholarship
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: Scholarship is open to high school seniors or current college students who are current or former high school or college athletes. Applicants must submit an essay on the lessons they have learned playing sports.
CURE Cancer Support Scholarship
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: Scholarship is open to students who were diagnosed with cancer in childhood and whose disease and related treatments placed a significant financial burden on them and their families.
Debt.com Scholarship for Aggressive Scholarship
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: Applicants must send proof they have applied to other scholarships, as well as a letter explaining why they need the scholarship and their experience applying for scholarships.
DRS Guardianship Scholarship Fund
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: DRS Technologies and the National Guard Educational Foundation have established The DRS Guardian Scholarship Fund, which will provide college scholarships to the children of National Guardsmen killed during service to their country. Eligible High School Juniors and Seniors can apply for up to $25,000 paid over a four-year college education.
Related Article: How to apply to the FAFSA
Best Mattress Sleep Scholarship
Deadline: July
Description/Criteria: Applicants must be current high school seniors attending school in the United States OR current college students already studying at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution with a current 3.0 GPA.
SpearGearStore Scholarship
Deadline: July & December
Description/Criteria: Must be at least 18 years old, a current high school senior with a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.
The Gates Scholarship
Deadline: July
Description/Criteria: Must be African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American; a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the U.S.; have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale; enrolling at an accredited college or university in the US and have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities.
Horatio Alger Scholarships
Deadline: October
Description/Criteria: The Horatio Alger Association provides scholarships for students who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity. Other selection criteria include the strength of character, financial need, a good academic record (a GPA of 2.0 or higher), and a desire to contribute to society.
National Achievement Scholarships Program
Deadline: October
Criteria/Description: You must take the PSAT/NMSQT ® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern, be enrolled as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school; planning to enroll full time in college no later than the fall following completion of high school; and, be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident (or have applied for permanent residence, the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law.
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Deadline: November
Description/Criteria: Must have volunteered within the past year.
First Freedom Student Competition(s)
Deadline: November
Description/Criteria: Open to high-school students (9th – 12th) in the United States and U.S. territories, to American students living outside of the U.S., non-American students attending American and international schools outside of the U.S., foreign exchange students studying in the U.S., and American home-schooled students.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Deadline: November
Description/Criteria: The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), a program of Society for Science & the Public, is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. It honors exceptional high school seniors for their scientific research and their potential as future leaders in the scientific community.
Most Valuable Student Competition – Elks National Foundation
Deadline: December
Description/Criteria: For high school seniors who are citizens of the U.S. and plan to attend full-time a four-year U.S. college or university.
James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarship
Deadline: December
Description/Criteria: For high school seniors who are highly qualified students and demonstrate leadership, substantial work experience and financial need. They also must plan to attend full-time a four-year U.S. college, university, or vocational-technical institute.
SiW Internet Marketing Scholarship
Deadline: December
Description/Criteria: Student should currently be pursuing their education with a 2.5 GPA.
National Scholarships for College Students
Hertz Fellowship
Deadline: January
Description/Criteria: Eligible applicants for Hertz Fellowships must be students of the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America, and who are willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the United States in time of national emergency. College seniors wishing to pursue a Ph.D. degree in any of the fields of particular interest to the Foundation, as well as graduate students already in the process of doing so, may apply. Fields of interest include Aeronautics/Astronautics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Earth and Geo Sciences, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil and Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Quantitative Biology and Bioengineering.
AlcoRehab Scholarship
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: Applicants must be 18 years old, enrolled in a full-time U.S. institution, and a U.S. citizen.
AMS Minority Scholarship
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: For women, minorities, and disabled students who are traditionally underrepresented in the atmospheric and related oceanic sciences.
LAGRANT Foundation Scholarship
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: Open to undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and graduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.2 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Must be an ethnic minority studying public relations, marketing, journalism, or advertising. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and member of one of the following ethnic groups: African American/Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander
Summer Research Diversity Fellowships
Deadline: February
Description/Criteria: Must be an American citizen or lawful permanent resident. For sophomores and juniors majoring in social sciences or humanities with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
Dr. Blanca Moore-Velez Woman of Substance Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Female college freshmen through college seniors ages 35 and over with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
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National Society of Professional Engineers Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: For high school seniors of ethnic background and with US citizenship who have been accepted into an ABET-accredited engineering program at a four-year college or university. For undergraduates with US citizenship who attend an AEBT-accredited engineering program at a four-year college or university.
Society of Exploration Geophysics Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Must be a high school student planning on entering college next fall or an undergraduate or graduate college student whose grades are above average and who intends to pursue a career in applied geophysics or a closely related field.
The Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Current member of the NAACP under the age of 25 who demonstrates financial need based on federal poverty guidelines with a grade point average of 2.5.
UBS/PaineWebber Scholarship
Deadline: March
Description/Criteria: Must attend a UNCF Institution. Must be a college sophomore, junior, or senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Must be majoring in one of the following: Business, Finance, Economics, Accounting, Marketing, Banking, Management, Business Administration.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Diversity Scholarship
Deadline: April
Criteria/Description: This scholarship invests in the future of broadcast television, by ensuring that students dedicated to careers in broadcasting can complete their education. To apply, one must be a U.S. citizen, college sophomore or junior, attending a four-year undergraduate college or university, studying in broadcasting, journalism or marketing, and carry a minimum GPA of 2.50.
MigVapor Scholarship
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: MigVapor offers scholarship awards for the students who present their well-researched and evidence-based essays to encourage smokers to kick their addiction. This scholarship is offered nationwide to United States Citizens. To apply, you must be a full-time student at an accredited four-year or two-year university, community college or junior college, or graduate degree program. You must be at least 18 years old.
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NASA (Harriet G. Jerkins Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program)
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: Must be a member of an underrepresented group, which includes women, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities majoring in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline. Must either be within the first 3 years of a graduate program at an accredited, U.S. university OR be in the process of applying to an accredited STEM graduate program.
StudySoup Scholarship
Deadline: May
Description/Criteria: Currently attending an accredited university or college (undergraduate and graduate students are both eligible).
Earl Warren Scholarship
Deadline: June
Description/Criteria: Scholarship is open to students enrolled in their final year of college/university or their first year of law school. Applicants must be studying law.
SpearGearStore Scholarship
Deadline: July & December
Description/Criteria: Must be at least 18 years old, currently enrolled in a college or university high with a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.
Tampax Flow it Forward Scholarship
Deadline: August
Description/Criteria: Created to support the next generation of Black female doctors and healthcare professionals. Must be an African American person, a junior in college at an HBCU with a focus in the health field, participate in a service project for an underrepresented group, have unmet financial need, and have a GPA of 3.5 or higher
Tobacco-Free Life Academic Scholarship
Deadline: September
Description/Criteria: Tobacco-Free Life is offering scholarship awards to the students who best demonstrate their skills in encouraging smokers to break free of their addiction by creating a well-researched and evidence-based 1,000-1,500-word essay offering advice to tobacco users. Must be 18 years or older undergraduate or graduate student to participate.
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National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Deadline: October
Description/Criteria: Students must be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, and by fall 2016 have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent).
Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
Deadline: November
Description/Criteria: All citizens or nationals of the United States with evidence of superior academic achievement (such as GPA, class rank, honors, etc). Must be enrolled in or planning to enroll in an eligible research-based program leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree at a U.S. educational institution and committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level. Cannot have earned a prior doctoral degree at any time, in any field.
The Dow Jones News Fund Internship Programs
Deadline: November
Description/Criteria: For college juniors, seniors and graduate students interested in press, communications, and editing.
Google Lime Scholarship
Deadline: December
Description/Criteria: A current undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D. student enrolled at a university in the U.S. or Canada pursuing a Computer Science or Computer Engineering degree. Applicants must maintain strong academic performance and have either a visible or invisible disability.
Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship
Deadline: December
Description/Criteria: Students must be nominated by the dean of his/her school to be considered (contact the career center or student affairs office for an application and details for procedures within your school).
Scholarships for Nursing Students
Dr. Lauranne Sams Scholarship
Deadline: April
Description/Criteria: Applicants must be members of the National Black Nurses Association. They must be currently enrolled in a nursing program and provide official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a headshot, and a two-page essay. Winners will be selected based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and community service. Award money may be applied to a bachelor’s or advanced nursing degree.
Lynne Edwards Research Scholarship
Deadline: April
Description/Criteria: Applicants must be members of the National Black Nurses Association. They must be currently enrolled in a nursing program and provide official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a headshot, and a two-page essay. Award money may be applied to a Ph.D. program.
George E. Mcguire Memorial Scholarship
Deadline: April
Description/Criteria: Applicants must have held membership with the National Black Nurses Association for at least two years. They must be currently enrolled in a nursing program and provide official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a headshot, and a two-page essay. Candidates must be established graduate or doctoral nursing students with a dual focus on social justice.
Scholarship Databases
Bell Labs Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Federal Scholarships & Aid Gateways 25 Scholarship Gateways from Black Excel
Microsoft Scholarship Program
National Merit Scholarship Program
National Society for Professional Engineers
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Internships, Scholarships, and Fellowships
Ohio Association of Career Colleges and Schools
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Scholarship & Financial Aid Help!
The National Association for Black Journalists
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
Additional College Financial Aid, Assistance, and Coaching for students
@thescholarbudget
This account not only posts scholarships, but also information about applying for scholarships as well as financial advice.
@federalstudentaid
This is the official account for FAFSA and has resources for information about the federal student aid process.
@collegescholarshipsandgrants
This account not only posts scholarships, but also shares information about FAFSA and different forms of financial aid.
@scholarshipmoneyforstudents
This account not only posts scholarships specific to career paths but also days for scholarships workshops.
@seedsoffortune
This is the official account of Seeds of Fortune, a non-profit organization that offers scholarships as well as information about financial literacy and internships.
@collegeproprep
This is the account for a student-led service that helps high-school students prepare for college with sessions about things such as college essays, resume review, and college application/scholarship questions.
@kdcollegeprep
This is account helps improve your test scores and offers test prep.
@PrepPremier
This account posts about the ACT and SAT as well as information about improving test scores and college essays.
@collegeprepguide
This account is run by college students who give advice about high school and first-hand accounts about college life.
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@hbculifestyle
This account posts about HBCU programs and scholarships.
@goedutours
This is the official account for Go Educational Tours, an organization that offers HBCU tours.
@awborders
This is the official account for Athletes Without Borders, a program that combines sports with STEM to help develop a foundation for future learning.
@stephigher
This is the official account for Step Higher Education Tours, an organization that offers HBCU tours as well as provides information about scholarships.
@AfterCollege
This is the official account for After College, an organization that helps college students discover internships and entry level jobs for those who have graduated.
@DrInternship
This the official account of the founder of Internship Connection, an organization that informs high school and college students about internships that correlate to their careers.
@coll_media_net
This is the official account for the College Media Network, an organization that offers courses about journalism.
@HBCU20x20
This is the official account for the HBCU 20×20, an organization that connects African American college students with internships and alumni with jobs.
@greatyop1
This is the official account of Great Youth Opportunities, an organization that discusses scholarships, internships, and other opportunities for youth.
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