Welcome to your senior year, Class of 2027! As you prepare for the exciting transition to college, securing financial aid should be at the top of your to-do list. The final year of high school is prime time to apply for college scholarships for high school seniors to keep your future education affordable.
Whether you are looking for merit-based awards, competitive essays, or easy scholarships that take less than five minutes to complete, we have you covered. Below is our curated list of the top scholarships currently open for high school seniors—start setting your weekly application goals today!
I'm a high school senior. Is it too late to apply for scholarships?
It's not too late to begin applying for scholarships in your senior year of high school. If you haven't started applying for scholarships regularly, you must jump in ASAP.
Many high school seniors can start to feel overwhelmed, so keep your mental health in mind. Start with small scholarship application goals you can achieve. As you progress and feel like you've established a solid scholarship application habit, challenge yourself by increasing your weekly or monthly application goal.
Successful scholarship applicants employ this technique to maximize their chances of receiving multiple applications. The more you apply for your senior year of high school, the better your chances of winning.
What's the easiest scholarship to get?
If you have a hectic week, consider applying for easy-to-apply scholarships. Fastweb's Featured Scholarships are quick to apply for. Most of them you can apply for in less than five minutes, and many people consider them the easiest scholarships to get.
What is a scholarship? What are the four types of scholarships?
Scholarships are a type of financial aid that is awarded to help students pay for college. They can be merit scholarships, essay scholarships, academic achievement-driven, or athletic. One of the most helpful aspects of scholarships is that recipients do not have to repay them, unlike financial aid such as student loans.
Award Amount: $25,000 Award Details: The Daniels Fund Scholarship is available to incoming college freshmen who are residents of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and at least a 490 SAT / 18 ACT score to be eligible for this award. Selection is based on strength of character, leadership potential, community service, academic promise, well - rounded personality, and emotional maturity.
Award Amount: $40,000 Award Details: Win up to $40,000 — no essay required! BigFuture Scholarships are open to high school students who qualify by completing college and career planning steps on their BigFuture dashboard. The earlier you complete each step, the more entries you earn for $40,000 monthly scholarship drawings. Create your free account and start earning entries now. Every step you take brings you closer to winning!
Award Amount: $35,000 Award Details: The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is open to high school students. To enter, you must record an original three - to five-minute audio essay on the following topic: "What a Veteran Taught Me About America."
Award Amount: $250,000 Award Details: The Regeneron Science Talent Search is open to especially talented high school seniors. Students will be challenged to conduct independent science, math, or engineering research. To be considered, you must submit a maximum 20 - page research report explaining your experiments and conclusions. Research must be the work of a single individual; group and team projects are not eligible.
Award Amount: $1,000 - $7,500 Award Details:The Most Valuable Student Competition is open to high school seniors. You must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this award. Selection for this award is based on scholarship, leadership, and financial need.
Award Amount: $5,000 Award Details: The Greenhouse Whole Person College Program is open to high school seniors in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and select counties in California. You must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to the community to be considered for this award. You must also exhibit leadership, an ability to persevere through difficult circumstances, and demonstrate financial need.
Award Amount: $15,000
Award Details: The Hagan Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award. Additionally, you must enroll at a participating four - year postsecondary institution and agree to work 240 hours from January 1 to September 1 prior to the start of the fall semester of each academic year. Recipients of this award will also participate in workshops to learn important life skills not typically covered in the college curriculum and will receive funds to purchase college essentials, a brokerage account to manage, funds to study and travel abroad, and the opportunity to extend the Hagan Scholarship to obtain a graduate or professional degree.
Award Amount: $1,000
Award Details: The Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes is open to registered Fastweb members who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and who are at least sixteen (16) years of age. You must log in to your Fastweb account to obtain your personal referral link. For each person who registers for Fastweb via your personal referral link during the Promotion Period, you and your referral will be entered as a pair into the current drawing.
Award Amount: $1,000 Award Details: The College JumpStart Scholarship is available to high school and college students. To be considered for this award, you must submit a 250 - word essay on the topic of your choice.
Award Amount: $1,000
Award Details: The Design Your Space, Design Your Future Scholarship is available to high school seniors and undergraduate students. To be considered for this award, you must submit a 300 - word essay on one of the following topics: 1. The Psychology of Space 2. Sustainable Living Solutions 3. Future of Functionality.
Award Amount: Varies
Award Details: The Oklahoma's Promise Scholarship is available to high school students residing in Oklahoma. You must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award.
Award Amount: $5,000 - $10,000
Award Details: The ExploraVision Science Competition is open to students in grades K-12. You must work in a group of two to four students. Each team must select a technology, or an aspect of a technology, which is present in the home, school, or community, or any other technology relevant to their lives. They will explore what the technology does, how it works, and how, when, and why it was invented. The students must then project into the future what that technology could be like 10 or more years in the future and determine what scientific breakthroughs need to occur to make it a reality.
Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The One for Two Scholarship is available to high school seniors and current college students. You must have a minimum 3.7 GPA to be eligible for this award. Recipients of this award must pledge to pay for a comparable scholarship grant for two persons, who are not related by blood, adoption, or marriage, during their lifetime.
Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The Shari Simon Greenberg Community Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors who show academic promise. You must live near a Simon mall or in a surrounding community, be a legal U.S. resident, and demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award.
Award Amount: $10,000
Award Details: The Create-A-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest is open to students who are at least 14 years of age. To enter, you must submit an original design for a Christmas card, holiday card, birthday card, or all - occasion greeting card. All designs or photographs must be the original work of the applicant.
Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The Courageous Persuaders Video Contest is open to high school students. To be considered, you must create a 30 - second television commercial targeted to middle school students to warn them about the dangers of drinking and driving or distracted driving. You may enter as an individual or as a team.
Award Amount: $4,000
Award Details: The Huntington Learning Center College Scholarship Sweepstakes is available to high school students who are 14 years of age and older. To be considered for this award, you must text a four - digit code to the sponsor and opt - in to text messages. Entrants who do not want to opt - in to text messages may submit a mail - in entry. Residents of Rhode Island are ineligible.
Award Amount: $20,000 - $25,000 Award Details: The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students under 20 who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. To be considered, you must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, emphasizing citizens' duties and obligations to our government. A complete list of topics is available on the Legion's website. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000
Award Amount: $1,000 Award Details: The Play! Pokémon Scholarship Program is open to students who are the top finishers in Play! Pokemon Events. You must be a full-time high school student or a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate student at a qualified college or university to be considered for this award.
Scholarship Questions
Get answers to the most common questions from high school seniors:Scholarships for High School Seniors
Daniels Fund Scholarship
Deadline: 10/15/26Award Amount: $25,000 Award Details: The Daniels Fund Scholarship is available to incoming college freshmen who are residents of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and at least a 490 SAT / 18 ACT score to be eligible for this award. Selection is based on strength of character, leadership potential, community service, academic promise, well - rounded personality, and emotional maturity.
BigFuture $40,000 Scholarship
Deadline: 10/31/26Award Amount: $40,000 Award Details: Win up to $40,000 — no essay required! BigFuture Scholarships are open to high school students who qualify by completing college and career planning steps on their BigFuture dashboard. The earlier you complete each step, the more entries you earn for $40,000 monthly scholarship drawings. Create your free account and start earning entries now. Every step you take brings you closer to winning!
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition
Deadline: 10/31/26Award Amount: $35,000 Award Details: The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is open to high school students. To enter, you must record an original three - to five-minute audio essay on the following topic: "What a Veteran Taught Me About America."
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Deadline: 11/5/26Award Amount: $250,000 Award Details: The Regeneron Science Talent Search is open to especially talented high school seniors. Students will be challenged to conduct independent science, math, or engineering research. To be considered, you must submit a maximum 20 - page research report explaining your experiments and conclusions. Research must be the work of a single individual; group and team projects are not eligible.
Elks Most Valuable Student Competition
Deadline: 11/12/26Award Amount: $1,000 - $7,500 Award Details:The Most Valuable Student Competition is open to high school seniors. You must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this award. Selection for this award is based on scholarship, leadership, and financial need.
Greenhouse Whole Person College Program
Deadline: 11/16/26Award Amount: $5,000 Award Details: The Greenhouse Whole Person College Program is open to high school seniors in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and select counties in California. You must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to the community to be considered for this award. You must also exhibit leadership, an ability to persevere through difficult circumstances, and demonstrate financial need.
Hagan Scholarship
Deadline: 12/1/26Award Amount: $15,000
Award Details: The Hagan Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award. Additionally, you must enroll at a participating four - year postsecondary institution and agree to work 240 hours from January 1 to September 1 prior to the start of the fall semester of each academic year. Recipients of this award will also participate in workshops to learn important life skills not typically covered in the college curriculum and will receive funds to purchase college essentials, a brokerage account to manage, funds to study and travel abroad, and the opportunity to extend the Hagan Scholarship to obtain a graduate or professional degree.
Fall 2026 Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes
Deadline: 12/31/26Award Amount: $1,000
Award Details: The Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes is open to registered Fastweb members who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and who are at least sixteen (16) years of age. You must log in to your Fastweb account to obtain your personal referral link. For each person who registers for Fastweb via your personal referral link during the Promotion Period, you and your referral will be entered as a pair into the current drawing.
College JumpStart Love of Learning Scholarship
Deadline: 12/31/26Award Amount: $1,000 Award Details: The College JumpStart Scholarship is available to high school and college students. To be considered for this award, you must submit a 250 - word essay on the topic of your choice.
Design Your Space, Design Your Future Scholarship
Deadline: 12/31/26Award Amount: $1,000
Award Details: The Design Your Space, Design Your Future Scholarship is available to high school seniors and undergraduate students. To be considered for this award, you must submit a 300 - word essay on one of the following topics: 1. The Psychology of Space 2. Sustainable Living Solutions 3. Future of Functionality.
Oklahoma's Promise Scholarship
Deadline: 12/31/26Award Amount: Varies
Award Details: The Oklahoma's Promise Scholarship is available to high school students residing in Oklahoma. You must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award.
ExploraVision Science Competition
Deadline: 1/27/27Award Amount: $5,000 - $10,000
Award Details: The ExploraVision Science Competition is open to students in grades K-12. You must work in a group of two to four students. Each team must select a technology, or an aspect of a technology, which is present in the home, school, or community, or any other technology relevant to their lives. They will explore what the technology does, how it works, and how, when, and why it was invented. The students must then project into the future what that technology could be like 10 or more years in the future and determine what scientific breakthroughs need to occur to make it a reality.
One for Two Scholarship
Deadline: 2/1/27Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The One for Two Scholarship is available to high school seniors and current college students. You must have a minimum 3.7 GPA to be eligible for this award. Recipients of this award must pledge to pay for a comparable scholarship grant for two persons, who are not related by blood, adoption, or marriage, during their lifetime.
Shari Simon Greenberg Community Scholarship
Deadline: 2/12/27Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The Shari Simon Greenberg Community Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors who show academic promise. You must live near a Simon mall or in a surrounding community, be a legal U.S. resident, and demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award.
Create-A-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest
Deadline: 3/8/27Award Amount: $10,000
Award Details: The Create-A-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest is open to students who are at least 14 years of age. To enter, you must submit an original design for a Christmas card, holiday card, birthday card, or all - occasion greeting card. All designs or photographs must be the original work of the applicant.
Courageous Persuaders Video Contest
Deadline: 4/5/27Award Amount: Varies Award Details: The Courageous Persuaders Video Contest is open to high school students. To be considered, you must create a 30 - second television commercial targeted to middle school students to warn them about the dangers of drinking and driving or distracted driving. You may enter as an individual or as a team.
Huntington Learning Center College Scholarship Sweepstakes
Deadline: 7/31/27Award Amount: $4,000
Award Details: The Huntington Learning Center College Scholarship Sweepstakes is available to high school students who are 14 years of age and older. To be considered for this award, you must text a four - digit code to the sponsor and opt - in to text messages. Entrants who do not want to opt - in to text messages may submit a mail - in entry. Residents of Rhode Island are ineligible.
American Legion National Oratorical Contest
Deadline: VariesAward Amount: $20,000 - $25,000 Award Details: The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students under 20 who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. To be considered, you must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, emphasizing citizens' duties and obligations to our government. A complete list of topics is available on the Legion's website. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000
Play! Pokemon Scholarship Program
Deadline: VariesAward Amount: $1,000 Award Details: The Play! Pokémon Scholarship Program is open to students who are the top finishers in Play! Pokemon Events. You must be a full-time high school student or a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate student at a qualified college or university to be considered for this award.
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Shawna Newman
Managing Editor, Contributing Writer
Shawna Newman covers various topics related to post-secondary education, including trade schools, the military, and college. She details strategies for paying for school, such as scholarships, financial ai...
