Senior year in high school is a busy, but exciting, year. Between maintaining good grades, taking the SAT or ACT, volunteering, participating in sports or other extracurricular activities, visiting colleges, choosing a college, applying to college — to name a few key events in senior year — applying for scholarships is likely the last thing you want to do.
But college can be expensive. Student loan debt has hit an all-time high of $1.59 trillion in January 2022, with borrowers graduating with an average debt of $28,950.
Scholarships are well worth your time and effort. Aside from helping you pay for college, winning a scholarship can help your college application stand out.
And, luckily, there are hundreds of scholarships for high school seniors that you can apply for.
Here is a list of the 50 best scholarships for high school seniors in 2022.
Norma Ross Walter Scholarship
Amount: $2,000-$3,000. About: The Norma Ross Walter Scholarship is an annual prize awarded to female graduates of Nebraska high schools who…
Women Marines Association Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,500-$5,000. About: The Women Marines Association annually awards a range of scholarships to eligible students. Applicants need to be sponsored…
Evans Scholarship
Amount: Full tuition and housing. About: Offered by the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation, the Evans Scholarship Program covers full…
Watson-Brown Foundation Scholarships
Amount: $5,000. About: Watson-Brown Foundation Scholarships are annual awards meant to provide need- and merit-based aid to undergraduate students in Georgia…
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship – Baccalaureate Scholarship
Amount: Up to $22,500. About: The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship is a program intended to prepare students in Washington State to…
Vermont John H. Chafee Education and Training Scholarship
Amount: $1,000-$5,000. About: The Vermont John H. Chafee Education and Training Scholarship is offered to recent high school graduates in Vermont…
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship – Career and Technical Scholarship
Amount: Up to $1,500 each quarter. About: The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship is a program intended to prepare students in Washington…
VFW Scout of the Year Scholarship
Amount: $1,000-$5,000. About: The Veteran of Foreign Wars offers the Scout of the Year Scholarship to Scouts who are registered, active…
VFW Voice of Democracy Program
Amount: $30,000. About: Each year, the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) runs its Voice of Democracy Program, which gives high school…
Vinson & Elkins Scholarship Foundation
Amount: $10,000. About: The law firm Vinson & Elkins annually awards scholarships to minority students from Texas who are interested in…
Fry Scholarship
Amount: Full tuition, housing, books and supplies. About: The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) is meant for…
USDA 1890 National Scholars Program
Amount: Full tuition, room and board. About: The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is a full-tuition and employment track program offered…
Unico Foundation Undergraduate Awards Scholarship
Amount: $6,000 (disbursed over 4 years). About: The Unico National Foundation annually awards four scholarships to Italian American college-bound high school…
Tupelo Elvis Presley Fan Club Scholarship
Amount: $5,000, $3,000, $2,000. About: Each year, the Tupelo Elvis Presley Fan Club offers scholarships to musical high school seniors in…
UCT Heaston Scholarship
Amount: Up to $6,000 per year (renewable of each year.). About: Each year, United Commercial Travelers (UCT) awards three separate scholarships…
Two Ten Footwear Design Scholarship
Amount: $4,000-$5,000 (renewable for 3 years). About: The Two Ten Footwear Design Scholarship is a renewable award for students studying design…
Tombow’s Create Your Best Work Art Scholarship
Amount: $5,000. About: Tombow, a Japanese stationery company, offers a scholarship for graduating high school seniors, college freshmen, and college sophomores…
Trapshooting Hall of Fame College Scholarships
Amount: $5,000 (5 awards), $1,000 (2 awards). About: The Trapshooting Hall of Fame offers seven scholarships, available only to members of…
Family Fellowship
Amount: Up to $12,000 per year (for up to 5 years). About: Offered by nonprofit Together We Rise, in partnership with…
Tobener Ravenscroft Student Scholarship
Amount: $1,000. About: Tobener Ravenscroft LLP offers annual scholarships to students interested in social justice. Applicants must be living in the…
HOPE Scholarship TN
Amount: Up to $1,600 for freshmen & sophomores at 2-year institutions; Up to $2,250 for freshmen & sophomores at institutions with…
Tennessee Ned McWherter Scholars Program
Amount: $24,000. About: The Tennessee Ned McWherter Scholars Program helps high-achieving high school seniors afford college in Tennessee. Applicants must be…
Tennessee Promise Scholarship
Amount: Varies. About: Awarded since the academic year 2015-16, the Tennessee Promise Scholarship is meant for high school seniors who graduate…
Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship
Amount: $10,000 (1 Award), $5,000 (5 Awards). About: The Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship is awarded to students pursuing life science…
TheDream.US National Scholarship
Amount: Up to $33,000 per year (renewable of each year). About: Dream.US refers to its National Scholarship as a “Pell Grant…
Opportunity Scholarship
Amount: Up to $80,000 maximum over 4 years. About: Dream.US, a nonprofit organization, created its Opportunity Scholarship to help undocumented students…
Gates Scholarship
Amount: Full Cost of Attendance. About: The Gates Scholarship is annually awarded to minority, college-bound high school seniors from low-income households….
Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship
Amount: $12,000. About: Victoria Soto Memorial Scholarship is a four-year renewable scholarship offered to four students per year. Two scholarships are…
Sub Pop Loser Scholarship
Amount: Up to $7,500. About: Offered by Sub Pop Records, the Sub Pop Loser Scholarship is annually awarded to three high…
Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship
Amount: $3,000 or $1,500. About: Administered by the Stonewall Foundation, the Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship is annually awarded to college-bound high school…
Step Up Scholarship
Amount: Varies. About: Step Up For Students, a Florida nonprofit scholarship funding organization, helps administer four scholarships for Florida schoolchildren, which…
Hope Scholarship
Amount: $6,519 (Grades K-5), $6,815 (Grades 6-8), $7,112 (Grades 9-12). About: Administered by Step Up For Children, a Florida nonprofit organization,…
Family Empowerment Scholarship
Amount: Varies. About: The Family Empowerment Scholarship (formerly, the Gardiner Scholarship) is available to Florida students – ages 3 through 12th…
Stamps Scholarship
Amount: $5,400-$75,000. About: Launched in 2006 at the University of Michigan and Georgia Tech, the Stamps Scholars Program is now available…
Gus Archie Memorial Scholarship
Amount: $5,000 per year (for up to 4 years). About: Offered by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the Gus Archie…
National Space Club and Foundation Keynote Scholarships
Amount: $10,000. About: The National Space Club and Foundation names one student of each year a keynote scholar. This student is…
Southern Automotive Women’s Forum Scholarship
Amount: $1,000-$5,000. About: The Southern Automotive Women’s Forum (SAWF) Scholarship is offered to women who are enrolled or enrolling in a…
SMUD Powering Futures Scholarships
Amount: $1,000-$5,000. About: The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) annually offers scholarships to local students. Applicants must be enrolled in or…
Harold Johnson Law Enforcement Scholarship
Amount: Up to $5,000. About: Administered by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Harold Johnson Law Enforcement Scholarship is annually awarded…
San Diego Community Foundation Common Scholarship Application
Amount: Varies. About: Each year, the San Diego Community Foundation rewards community-minded students with college scholarships. Applicants must show proof of…
SFM Foundation Scholarship
Amount: Up to $10,000 (renewable for 2 years for 2-year program and up to 5 years for undergrad). About: The SFM…
Fukunaga Scholarship Foundation
Amount: $20,000. About: Each year, the Fukunaga Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to local high school seniors who want to pursue careers…
Scholarshippoints $10,000 Scholarship
Amount: $10,000. About: The ScholarshipPoints program was created in 2006 by Edvisors to help students plan and pay for college. The…
Science Ambassador Scholarship
Amount: Full Tuition (for up to 4 years). About: The Science Ambassador Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship available to women in…
Scarlett Family Foundation Scholarship
Amount: $2,500-$15,000. About: The Scarlett Family Foundation, an organization that promotes education in Middle Tennessee, offers scholarships open to graduating high…
Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program for High School Seniors
Amount: $10,000. About: In 2021, the Sallie Mae Fund partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to expand the Bridging the…
SAE/Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies Scholarship
Amount: $5,000. About: SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) and the Ford Motor Company jointly offer the SAE/Ford Partnership…
Roller Skating Foundation Roller Skating Athlete Scholarships
Amount: $1,000. About: Each year, the Roller Skating Foundation awards scholarships to high school roller skaters in the disciplines of artistic,…
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Amount: $40,000 (over 4 years). About: The Ron Brown Scholar Program awards community minded and intellectually gifted African Americans who come…
Rezvan Foundation for Excellence
Amount: Up to $100,000 (over 4 years). About: Each year, the Rezvan Foundation awards scholarships to students who have spent time…
The scholarships listed above are just some of the best scholarships we’ve found for you. There are many other scholarships out there for high school seniors.
Use TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine to find more scholarships for you.
To keep on top of new scholarships as they are offered, be sure to join the TUN Community. We will let you know about scholarships that you qualify for.
When to apply for scholarships
Each scholarship has a specific deadline. These deadlines occur throughout the year, so you can find one for any time of the year. Keep in mind, however, that some scholarship deadlines may fall months, even a year, before the start of the academic year for which you’re seeking a scholarship.
So, if you’re a high school senior looking to get a scholarship for your freshman year of college, you should start the search process early.
And when you apply, be sure to meet the deadline for each specific scholarship.
How to apply for scholarships
Each scholarship has its own unique requirements and qualifications. The first step to successfully applying for any scholarship is reading the details carefully. Make sure that you fit the eligibility criteria and fill out the application completely.
Pay attention to what’s required of you. For example, if you need a recommendation letter, you should request one way ahead of time so you have one by the time you apply. If an essay is required, start writing weeks before the deadline so you have an essay you can be proud of before the due date.
Aim to send in your application at least a few days before the deadline. This way, you avoid the risk of getting sidelined by technical glitches, tests, heavy homework load, or illness.
And don’t forget to submit everything required of you as part of your application.
For more tips on how to apply for scholarships, check here.
How to find scholarships
Colleges may offer either merit-based or need-based scholarships or both. You can usually find most of the information by clicking on their “financial aid” page. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email or call their financial aid office.
There are also outside scholarships — like the ones listed above — that are sponsored by companies, organizations, foundations, and individuals as a way to give back to their communities. The awards can cover your entire tuition or a portion of it. Some scholarships have a GPA requirement or are based on financial need, while others embrace a cause or emphasize community involvement, athletic achievement, diversity, passion, and much more.
So, how do you find outside scholarships like these?
Start your search with TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine to find scholarships that are ideal for you. You can search by grade level, GPA, major, state of residency, scholarship name, or deadline month. You can also browse through our featured scholarships, some available only through TUN, and a collated list of scholarships for specific groups of students.
You should also check with your high school or college to see if they have a list of scholarships. Your guidance counselor may have the list or point you to someone who can help you. They may also be in the know about scholarships sponsored by local stores or organizations.
Your family is yet another good source of scholarships. Your parents or guardians may work for a company that offers scholarships for dependents of employees.
If you work while in high school, you may also qualify for an employee scholarship.
For more tips on how to find scholarships, check here.
How to get scholarships
Scholarships, especially ones with high awards, can be very competitive. In some cases, you may be competing against thousands of students.
So, how do you increase your chances of winning a scholarship?
First, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria and submit all the information required of you, including recommendation letters, transcripts, and resume.
Second, be sure to distinguish yourself from the other applicants. Your essay, if that’s required, is what makes you unique so let your personality and creativity shine through. How do you do that?
You can achieve that “by showing instead of telling,” according to Sarah Chomette, an eAdviser with the College Advising Corps.
“When answering a creative prompt or inputting your personal statement, it’s important to provide the reader with a story instead of just telling them about your goals and accomplishments,” she said. “That can be kind of boring and it makes you get lost in the crowd.”
A successful essay must include four major components, Chomette explained. First, make sure that you convey your personal values. Second, be open and honest to help the reader feel a connection with you. Third, let the reader know why your story is important. Fourth, your writing must show that you put time and effort into it.
If a scholarship asks for a video or infographic instead of an essay, the same principle applies.
To summarize, always put thought and effort into your whole application and submit your best work. There should be no obvious errors or typos. And if you need to submit a recommendation letter, reflect on who knows you best and whose recommendation would help your application the most.
Are scholarships taxable?
Typically, scholarships are not taxable. However, it can depend on how the scholarship money is being used, according to federal tax laws.
Scholarship dollars are tax-exempt if they are going to a degree-seeking candidate and are being used to pay for tuition and fees required for enrollment, books, supplies, and other educational expenses.
Scholarships are not tax-exempt, and you must report them as “gross income,” if they are used to pay for room and board, travel, or optional equipment.
If you have additional questions, you should reach out to the financial aid office of your prospective or current college or university.
Featured Scholarships
Fiverr Logo Maker Scholarship
Amount: $5,000 (2 awards). About: The Fiverr Logo Maker Scholarship, which has three rounds of…
Providence Real Estate Diversity Scholarship
Providence Real Estate Diversity Scholarship Providence Real Estate has over 36 years of history as…
The Salvatore Strazzullo Community Scholarship
Sal Strazzullo founded Strazzullo Law & Associates, PLLC, a general practice firm specializing in all…
The OZY Genius Awards
Amount: Up to $10,000 (10 awards). About: The OZY Genius Awards find and support the…
Mantra College Mental Health Provider Diversity Scholarship
Amount: $3,000 (3 awards). About: Mantra Health, a company that provides virtual mental health care to…
In addition to the scholarships listed here, check out our blog article on scholarships for high school seniors.