$500 Scholarships: 3 Reasons They Sparkle

Like most students, when you see a large or full-tuition scholarship your eyes light up with excitement at all of the college saving possibilities. Earning a huge scholarship IS the ticket you need to make paying for school a breeze and to help you save money. Yet, there’s a hidden scholarship secret that many students don’t know about. We’re here to help high school, college and graduate students see why these hidden gem scholarships really shine. Diamonds in the rough, $500 scholarships don’t get the attention they should. Fewer U.S. students apply for lower value scholarships because of the it’s ONLY $500 mindset. They may not have the same WOW FACTOR as some of the larger national scholarships, like the $20,000 Foot Locker Foundation Scholarship, $10,000 Create-a-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest, or the $100,000 Paradigm Challenge Scholarship (just to name a few). But, add a couple of free $500 scholarships and grants and they’ll put a serious dent in the final cost of college.

$500 Scholarship Benefits

As the dollar value has them overlooked by the student majority, you can use this lack of luster to your advantage. Here are three reasons you should apply for $500 scholarships:

1. Your odds of winning a $500 scholarship are higher.
The applicant pool for $500 scholarships is much smaller than those from Big Brand or national scholarships.
2. Applying for a $500 scholarship is fast.
You can apply to many of these scholarships in less than an hour. Look at it this way, if a $500 scholarship is won, where else can you earn $500 per hour as a student?! Not many places!
3. You have more variety of application types.
$500 scholarships are offered as no-essay, contest entry, photography or video submissions, social media challenges or networking, short essay and more.

Do yourself a favor; apply for a few these $500 scholarships below:

1. Hamilton Award

Deadline: 1/27/2021


2. January 2021 Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes

Deadline: 1/31/2021


3. Live Deliberately Essay Contest

Deadline: 2/16/2021


4. Eco-Hero Award

Deadline: 2/28/2021


5. Kenneth E. Butts Memorial Scholarship

Deadline: 3/1/2021


6. Because College is Expensive Scholarship

Deadline: 3/31/2021


7. Manuel Lujan Excellence in Education Scholarship

Deadline: 4/1/2021


8. Chas Hall Memorial Scholarship Fund

Deadline: 4/1/2021


9. Autism Scholarship

Deadline: 4/26/2021


10. MBA Insight Scholarship

Deadline: 9/30/2021


11. LSAT Prep Courses Scholarship

Deadline: 9/30/2021


12. MCAT Prep Hub Scholarship

Deadline: 9/30/2021


13. AES Engineers Scholarship

Deadline: 10/8/2021


14. Alert Scholarship

Deadline: Varies


15. Children and Youth Scholarship - American Legion, Maine

Deadline: Varies


16. Cal Poly Women's Club Scholarship

Deadline: Varies


17. Texas Dental Specialists Health Professions Scholarship

Deadline: Varies


18. Outstanding Associate Member Award

Deadline: Varies


19. Educational Gratuity Program

Deadline: Varies

There are many more $500 scholarships out there too! Be sure to create your free Fastweb profile to find more opportunities to help you pay for college.