As a high school freshman, it can be overwhelming to think about the cost of college and how to finance your education. Fortunately, there are numerous scholarships available specifically for high school freshmen to help ease the financial burden and make your academic dreams a reality. In this article, we have compiled a comprehensive list of 26 scholarships for high school freshman students, ranging from academic achievement to community service and everything in between. Take advantage of these opportunities and start planning for your bright future today.
Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship – $1,000
The Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship is an annual award that is meant to raise awareness about the negative effects of too much screen time. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal residents in high school, undergraduate school, or graduate school.
One Earth Film Festival Young Filmmakers Contest – $2,000
The One Earth Film Festival Young Filmmakers Contest is an annual competition that challenges students to make short films that provide solutions to environmental issues. Winners receive a cash reward and a grant that can go towards funding their educations. Applicants must be in grade 3 or above and enrolled in U.S.-based schools, universities and colleges.
Carson Scholarship – $1,000
Each year, the Carson Scholars Fund awards college scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to students in grades 4-11 on the basis of their academic achievement and humanitarian qualities. To qualify, students must attend an accredited K-12 school in the United States, be nominated by an educator at their school, meet a minimum GPA of 3.75, and demonstrate humanitarian qualities through community service. And past winners may reapply in successive years. Each year, nomination and application open in October.
ConnectHER Film Festival Scholarship – $5,000
The annual ConnectHER film festival challenges young women from around the world to create short videos that highlight or propose solutions to critical challenges. Applicants must be women under the age of 25 who are enrolled in high school or undergraduate programs. However, special circumstances may be considered for applicants who are not in school.
Doodle for Google Scholarship – $30,000 college scholarship, $50,000 tech package for school/non-profit organization
Hosted by Google since 2008, Doodle for Google is an annual art contest for K-12 students. Each year, Google selects a National Winner, four National Finalists, and 54 State and Territory Winners. Students must be enrolled in a U.S.-based K-12 school (including homeschool) or a school in Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Children of military personnel posted abroad may enter the contest; their applications will be judged with applications from their home state. Parents may enter artwork on behalf of their students. Teachers, nonprofits, and after-school programs may do so with parental consent.
Folds of Honor Scholarship – Up to $5,000
Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization, has two scholarships that support military families. The Children’s Fund Scholarship is for primary and secondary education students and can be used for private school or tutoring services (from an established, licensed business). The Higher Education Scholarship is for postsecondary students. The award amount is up to $5,000 per academic year and is based on a student’s “unmet need.” Recipients must reapply each year to get the scholarship in successive years. To qualify for the Children’s Fund Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited private school or tutoring institution, be at least five years old (by September 1st of calendar year applying in) and enrolled in full-time Kindergarten program, and be a dependent of a service member. To qualify for the Higher Education Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a two-year, four-year, or postgraduate program of study at an accredited college or university, or be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited technical or trade school program, which results in a certificate or license, and be a dependent or spouse of a service member.
Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest – $4,000
The VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest is an annual competition meant to recognize high school artists and encourage patriotism in youth. Applicants must be enrolled in grades 9-12 by the March 31 deadline, be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, and be under the age of 20. Applicants do not have to be related to a VFW or VFW Auxiliary member to participate, but they must attend school in the same state as the sponsoring VFW Auxiliary.
Helen Abbott Community Service Awards – $1,000
Named in honor of Helen Abbott, a humanitarian and philanthropist, and offered by the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF), the Helen Abbott Community Service Awards honors Arab American students under 30 years of age who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service. Each year, AAIF awards $1,000 to three qualified students. Applicants must be currently enrolled in high school or as an undergraduate in a college or university program; possess a minimum 3.0 GPA; and be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident of Arab descent. Applications must include a resume showing a strong interest and commitment to community service; a transcript (official or unofficial); and an essay addressing the required prompt.
AHLA Foundation Self-Nominated Scholarships – Up to $7,500
The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation offers several scholarships for students studying hospitality. AHLA Foundation Self-Nominated Scholarships are open to all hospitality students, regardless of affiliation or school affiliation with the AHLA. In total, the AHLA offers six self-nominated scholarships, all with varying eligibility requirements. See the scholarship FAQ page for more information.
ESA Scholarship – 90% of state funding that would have otherwise been allocated to the school district or charter school for the qualified student
Administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and funded by state tax dollars, Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) provides education options for qualified Arizona students, who receive 90 percent of the state funding that would have otherwise been allocated to the school district or charter school for the qualified student. The funding can be used for private school tuition, curriculum, home education, tutoring, and more. Acceptance of an ESA means that the student’s parent or guardian “is signing a contract agreeing to provide an education that includes at least the following subjects: reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science.” The program accepts applications year-round, with the annual scholarship disbursed over four quarters.
BAFTX Susan Howard Community Service Award – $5,000
The British American Foundation of Texas (BAFTX) offers the Susan Howard Community Service Award to low-income students in Texas and Great Britain who demonstrate active community service and academic achievement. Applicants must be between the ages of 11 and 21. The award honors Susan Howard, the founder of BAFTX.
Cirkled In ‘No Sweat’ Scholarship – $2,500
Cirkled In, a portfolio platform that helps students showcase their non-academic work to colleges, offers the “No Sweat” Scholarship. This quarterly scholarship is worth a total of $2,500, which may be used on any educational purposes, including books, tuition, and even summer camps. Applicants must be at least 13 years of age, be enrolled in grades 8-12 or home-schooled, be U.S. residents, and must have a Cirkled In account.
ExpressVPN Future of Privacy Scholarship – $5,000
The ExpressVPN Future of Privacy Scholarship was created to raise awareness around internet privacy and security. Applicants must submit a 600-800 word essay on the given topic. To be eligible, applicants must be currently enrolled in either a high school, undergraduate school, or graduate school, which can be located anywhere in the world. The scholarship award is based on creativity, originality, detail, clear and articulate writing, and the student’s ability to formulate an opinion.
Hope Scholarship Florida – $6,519 (Grades K-5), $6,815 (Grades 6-8), $7,112 (Grades 9-12)
Florida’s Hope Scholarship, which is administered by nonprofit Step Up for Children, helps K-12 public school students who are enrolled in a Florida public school and have been bullied, harassed, assaulted, threatened, and/or experienced other violent acts. Families can choose financial assistance toward private school tuition and fees or assistance with transportation to a public school in and out ther school district. To qualify for the scholarship, a student must have experienced and reported an incident of battery, harassment, hazing, bullying, kidnapping, physical attack, sexual offenses, threat or intimidation, or fighting at school.
Hope Scholarship WV – Varies
West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship is the “state’s education savings account program that gives parents an opportunity to build an individual learning experience that works best for their child.” Under the program, K-12 students in the state can receive financial assistance that can be used for tuition, fees and other expenses. To qualify, a student must be a West Virginia resident and be (a) eligible to be enrolled in kindergarten for the upcoming academic year, (b) enrolled full-time in public elementary or secondary school in the state for an entire instructional term of the current academic year, or (c) enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school in the state for at least 45 consecutive calendar days during the current instructional term at the time of application.
James Beard Foundation Scholarships – Up to $20,000
The James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit culinary arts organization based in New York City, offers scholarships for students in the culinary arts, wine studies, and related food systems fields. The scholarships are available to aspiring and established culinary professionals pursuing an education at a licensed or accredited culinary or hospitality school. Various scholarships are awarded each year with different requirements and application criteria. Awards are in the form of cash scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers. Students can access applications beginning in mid-February. Please review the scholarship provider’s website for current details.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest – Up to $10,000
Every year, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum runs the Profile in Courage Essay Contest, in which U.S. high school students compete for a share of nearly $20,000. Students are asked to submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay that describes and analyzes an act of political courage by an elected official who served before or after 1917. Applicants must be high school students attending a public, private, parochial, or home school, U.S. students under the age of 20 enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program, or U.S. citizens attending schools overseas. Application opens on September 1 each year.
KASF Scholarships – $500-$5,000
The Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KASF) offers scholarships to qualified Korean American students, including foreign students from Korea. Applicants must be a student with a Korean heritage studying in the United States regardless of citizenship status (including Korean Nationals) – if extra funds are available, other students (non-Korean) may qualify for some scholarships; be a high school student, an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student enrolled full-time during the scholarship application year; and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Applicants must follow the specific requirements and instructions of the region where the applicant’s school is/will be located during the scholarship application year, as the type and amount of available scholarships may differ from region to region.
Linly Heflin Scholarship – $9,000
Linly Heflin is an organization that funds scholarships for women in Alabama who are attending Alabama colleges and universities. Scholarships are available only for undergraduate students. Application opens in October each year.
NC Opportunity Scholarship – Up to $6,492
Administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), the Opportunity Scholarship is an income-based tuition assistance program for families making below a certain income threshold. It aims to help qualifying families pay tuition and fees at participating nonpublic or private schools. The scholarship amount will be the lesser of 90% of the required tuition and fees or a designated amount for the academic year ($6,492 for the 2023-24 academic year). To qualify, families must meet the income requirement and their student must meet the following requirements: be at least 5 years old by August 31 or at least 4 by April 16 (and will be approved for kindergarten by the private school administrator), live in North Carolina, not have graduated high school, and not have been enrolled in a post-secondary institution full-time.
Scholarshippoints $10,000 Scholarship – $10,000
The ScholarshipPoints program was created in 2006 by Edvisors to help students plan and pay for college. The program awards three or more $1,000 scholarships every month and a $10,000 scholarship every three months. Students qualify by joining the ScholarshipPoints community and completing activities, such as taking surveys, reading blog posts, and checking out Edvisor’s preferred partners, to earn points. Each point constitutes a potential entry in a scholarship drawing, and students “spend” their points to enter drawings. To be eligible, students must be at least 13 years old, be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident of the fifty (50) United States or District of Columbia, and be attending a school in the United States.
Step Up Scholarship – Varies
Step Up For Students, a Florida nonprofit scholarship funding organization, helps administer four scholarships for Florida schoolchildren, which “empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children.” The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC) is for lower to middle income families. The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), formerly known as the Gardiner Scholarship, is for lower to middle income families and students with unique abilities. The Hope Scholarship is for public school students who are bullied or victims of violence. And the Reading Scholarship Accounts is for public school students in grades 3-5 who struggle with reading.
Hope Scholarship – $6,519 (Grades K-5), $6,815 (Grades 6-8), $7,112 (Grades 9-12)
Administered by Step Up For Children, a Florida nonprofit organization, the Hope Scholarship is for public school students in Florida who are bullied or victims of violence. Families can choose financial assistance toward private school tuition and fees or assistance with transportation to a public school in another school district. To qualify for the scholarship, a student must have experienced and reported an incident of battery, harassment, hazing, bullying, kidnapping, physical attack, sexual offenses, threat or intimidation, or fighting at school.
HOPE Scholarship TN – Up to $1,600 for freshmen & sophomores at 2-year institutions; Up to $2,250 for freshmen & sophomores at institutions with campus housing; Up to $2,850 for juniors & seniors at institutions with campus housing
Funded from the net proceeds of the state lottery, Tennessee’s HOPE Scholarship is awarded to entering freshmen who are enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution within 16 months after graduating from a Tennessee eligible high school. Applicants must be Tennessee residents, graduate from a TN eligible high school (with some exceptions), enroll in one of the Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges, and meet other requirements.
VFW Voice of Democracy Program – $30,000
Each year, the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) runs its Voice of Democracy Program, which gives high school students the opportunity to compete for scholarship money by recording democratic and patriotic-themed audio essays. The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 enrolled in public, private, parochial school, or home study program in the U.S., its territories, or its possessions. Additionally, dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools are also eligible to participate.
VFW Scout of the Year Scholarship – $1,000-$5,000
The Veteran of Foreign Wars offers the Scout of the Year Scholarship to Scouts who are registered, active members of the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of America. The scholarship is awarded to standout scouts who display leadership, patriotism, and love of country. To qualify, applicants must be the recipient of the Eagle Scout Award, Girl Scout Gold Award, Venture Summit Award, or Sea Scout Quartermaster Award, be a registered, active member of a Boy or Girl Scout Troop, Venturing Crew, or Sea Scout Ship at the time the above reward was received, and have demonstrated exemplary citizenship in school, Scouting and community. While the program doesn’t set a minimum age requirement for applicants, they must meet all other eligibility criteria. The maximum age requirement for applicants is 18 years old, but 18 year olds will still qualify if they are in high school at the time of their entry submission. Applicants must submit their entry through only one VFW Post.
In conclusion, the journey to finding the perfect scholarship doesn’t have to be daunting. Whether you’re just beginning your search or looking to expand your options, our comprehensive scholarship directory offers a wide range of opportunities catering to diverse academic interests and backgrounds. For a more personalized approach, consider leveraging the power of TUN AI, our innovative tool designed to match you with scholarships uniquely suited to your profile. Start exploring today and take a step closer to securing the financial support you need for your educational journey.