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How to Reuse Scholarship Essays (the RIGHT Way)

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Updated on January 10th, 2024

Many students feel that the most challenging part of the scholarship process is writing the essays. Even if they know  how to write an essay for a scholarship , the time, effort, and energy required to create new pieces for every opportunity are often cumbersome. This makes reusing scholarship essays an attractive option. However, figuring out how to reuse scholarship essays isn’t always easy.

If your student is looking for fresh scholarship opportunities, there are plenty of options available; you just need to know where to look. If you and your student want to learn about finding scholarships,  sign up for our free college scholarship webinar ! Take a quick trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve a spot today.

If your student wants to reuse their own scholarship applications and essays, they need to know when it’s appropriate and how to do it correctly. Here’s a look at whether recycling scholarship essays is wise and how to reuse scholarship essays the right way.

• 1 Can You Reuse Scholarship Essays?
• 2 Should You Reuse Scholarship Essays?
• 3.1 1. Read the General Requirements
• 3.2 2. Review the Prompt
• 3.3 3. Explore the Organization’s Mission and Values
• 3.4 4. Make the Necessary Adjustments
• 3.5 5. Review the Essay Before Submitting
• 3.6 6. Save and Submit the Essay

Can You Reuse Scholarship Essays?

Yes, students can technically reuse scholarship essays when they’re applying for multiple scholarships or awards. In the vast majority of cases, there aren’t any rules barring the practice. As long as your student was the original creator of the essay, they can usually submit it to as many scholarship committees as they want, suggesting that there aren’t any rules stating otherwise.

However, that doesn’t mean they should simply upload the existing document or copy and paste the current version of the essay into a new scholarship application. Every scholarship has distinct essay requirements. Along with unique prompts, the committee may outline different parameters regarding the word count. If those rules aren’t followed, your student might end up disqualified because their essay didn’t align with the requirements.

Additionally, the original tone or focus of the essay may not fit with the new audience. Every committee will have its own priorities and preferences. If the essay doesn’t speak to their needs, the odds that it will resonate with the committee when it’s reviewed drops significantly.

Should You Reuse Scholarship Essays?

While students can recycle scholarship essays, that doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea. As mentioned above, each committee may outline unique requirements and might have different expectations. Ultimately, every committee is a distinct audience, so what resonates with one may not meet the needs of another.

In most cases, students who want to reuse scholarship essays need to adjust the written content before submitting the piece to a different committee. While the core message may remain intact – suggesting it aligns with the prompt – altering the tone, adjusting the word count, and taking other steps might be necessary.

At times, the required changes could make writing a new essay more efficient. As a result, it’s best for students to factor in the work involved before making a choice.

However, if the existing essay is an exceptional fit for a new scholarship, reusing it does come with some benefits. Mainly, it saves your student time and energy, making it easier to apply for more scholarships in a shorter timeframe. Additionally, it could reduce the stress associated with scholarship searches, allowing your student to maintain a better mindset.

In the end, your student needs to honestly assess whether the existing essay actually works for the other scholarship. That way, they can make a smart choice.

How to Reuse Scholarship Essays the Right Way

Generally speaking, reusing a scholarship essay the right way means altering the content before submitting it for a different award. In most cases, sending the piece in as-is means, the material won’t perfectly align with what the committee wants to see. As a result, that approach, while a time saver, can mean missing out on opportunities.

If your student wants to reuse scholarship essays, they need to use a solid strategy. Here is a step-by-step process they can use to determine if recycling an essay is an option and how to adjust the content to make it an excellent fit for a common application.

1. Read the General Requirements

Before your student tries to reuse a scholarship essay, the first thing they need to do is review the essay requirements. Along with the word count, they need to determine anything else relevant the piece needs to cover or contain. Additionally, they’ll want to see if there are any restrictions regarding recycled essays, as some committees may explicitly request fresh content.

2. Review the Prompt

While it isn’t the only example of  what not to write in a scholarship essay , being off-topic is a major misstep. If your student is thinking about recycling a scholarship essay, they need to write it to make sure that the existing content matches what the committee wants to know.

Even if a prompt is similar, that doesn’t mean that the current essay is a perfect fit. There is a slew of variations of  common scholarship questions , creating a level of nuance. For example, one committee may ask students to discuss their biggest influence, while others may ask about heroes. While the difference between essay prompts can be subtle, it’s nonetheless there.

If an existing essay is a solid match for the new prompt, then it’s a contender for reuse. However, if it’s off by any degree, it’s usually better to start fresh.

3. Explore the Organization’s Mission and Values

Every organization has its own mission and values. Often, these define the scholarship committee’s priorities and values, giving students clues about the audience they need to target when writing their essays.

Before recycling an essay, students need to see if the mission and values of the current and previous committees are generally similar. If they’re a strong match, then the essay’s tone may be appropriate to reuse. If not, then the style of the existing piece may not match the expectations or preferences of the new committee. In that situation, writing a new essay is often the best option.

4. Make the Necessary Adjustments

After completing the steps above, students should know if any existing essay is a strong fit for the new application. If so, they can adjust its content to ensure it meets any requirements that differ from the previous one. For example, they can cut back or expand to address a different word count or adjust their word choice to align with a new tone.

Essentially, your student needs to rework the essay to ensure it’s an exceptional fit for the new scholarship they’re trying to land. That way, they save time while also increasing their odds of securing the award.

5. Review the Essay Before Submitting

Once the adjustments are made, your student needs to review their work for errors and flow. Correcting grammar and spelling mistakes is essential. Additionally, checking for smooth transitions between points is a must, especially if your student had to make notable changes to the material.

If possible, your student should ask a trusted guidance counselor, teacher, friend, or family member to give the new essay a once-over. That way, there’s a second set of eyes looking for mistakes and making recommendations, increasing the reader’s attention and odds that the final version will be competitive.

If that isn’t possible, putting the essay into a text-to-speech program and listening to the audio can help. Sometimes, it’s easier to hear a mistake than see it when reviewing a document, making this an easy way to catch overlooked errors.

6. Save and Submit the Essay

After completing the steps above, your student can save the updated essay as a new document and submit it to the committee. That way, they can keep copies of all of their work as they pursue awards, giving them a larger collection of existing content to draw upon over time.

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March 24, 2024 at 11:54 am

Hello, just got admission to NYFA, but I haven’t apply scholarships yet, please help me how to write essay

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, can i use the same essay for multiple scholarship applications.

I've written a really strong essay for one scholarship application, and I'm wondering if it's okay to use the same essay for other scholarships. Is this frowned upon or is it a common practice?

It's great to hear that you've written a strong essay for a scholarship application! Using the same essay for multiple scholarships is actually quite common, as long as the essay prompts are similar or can be adapted to fit the requirements of the other scholarships. It's important, however, to make sure that you tailor your essay to each specific scholarship by addressing the prompt and any unique aspects of that particular opportunity.

For example, if the scholarship you initially wrote the essay for was focused on community service, and the next scholarship you're applying to is centered around leadership, you might need to tweak your essay to emphasize your leadership skills and experiences more. Additionally, if the scholarship has a word count requirement, make sure to adjust your essay to fit within those guidelines.

In essence, while it's perfectly acceptable to use the same essay as a foundation for multiple scholarships, just make sure you take the time to customize it to fit the specific requirements of each opportunity. Good luck!

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• How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

Published on October 11, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

A good scholarship essay demonstrates the scholarship organization’s values while directly addressing the prompt. If you plan ahead , you can save time by writing one essay for multiple prompts with similar questions.

Table of contents

Apply for a wide variety of scholarships, make a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, tailor your essay to the organization and the prompt, write a focused and relevant personal story, scholarship essay example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Scholarships are a type of student financial aid that don’t require repayment. They are awarded based on various factors, including academic merit, financial need, intended major, personal background, or activities and interests.

Like college applications, scholarship applications often require students to submit their grades, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and an essay.

A scholarship essay shares your values and qualities in the context of a specific question, such as “How does technology affect your daily life?” or “Who has had the greatest impact on your life?”

Be wary of scholarship scams

While some applications may not require an essay, be wary of scholarship scams that do the following:

• Guarantee you scholarship money for a fee
• Claim scholarship information is exclusive to their company
• Ask for your bank or credit card information to hold the scholarship

Some legitimate companies do charge for releasing comprehensive scholarship lists or creating a tailored list of scholarship opportunities based on your profile.

However, you can always discover scholarship opportunities for free through your school counselor, community network, or an online search.

Many students focus on well-known, large scholarship opportunities, which are usually very competitive. To maximize your chance of success, invest time in applying for a wide variety of scholarships: national and local, as well as big and small award amounts. There are also scholarships for international students .

In addition to charitable foundation and corporate scholarships, you should consider applying for institutional scholarships at your prospective universities, which can award money based on your application’s strength, your financial situation, and your demonstrated interest in the school.

Check with your guidance counselor, local organizations, community network, or prospective schools’ financial aid offices for scholarship opportunities. It’s a good idea to start applying as early as your junior year and continue throughout your senior year.

Choose the right scholarships for you

Choose scholarships with missions and essay topics that match your background, experiences, and interests. If the scholarship topic is meaningful to you, it will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay.

Don’t shy away from applying for local scholarships with small dollar amounts. Even a few hundred dollars can help you pay for books.

Local scholarships may be more tailored to your community, background, and activities, so they’re likely more relevant to you. Fewer students apply for these scholarships, so you have less competition and a higher chance of success.

Some places to look for local scholarships include

• Civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc.
• Your church, mosque, synagogue, or place of worship
• Community groups, such as the YMCA
• Ethnicity-based organizations
• Your local library or local small businesses
• Organizations related to your intended major
• Your city or town
• Your school district
• Unions, such as SEIU, the Teamsters, CWA, etc.
• Your employer or your parents’ employers
• Banks, credit unions, and local financial institutions

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

While researching scholarship opportunities, create a scholarship tracker spreadsheet to keep track of the following:

• Scholarship amounts
• Required application materials

You can use our free Google Sheets template to track your scholarship applications.

Scholarship application tracker template

You can also include scholarship essay prompts in your college essay tracker sheet . By grouping or color-code overlapping essay prompts, you can plan to write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can also reuse or adapt your main college essay .

Even if you’re adapting another essay, it’s important to make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, stays within the word count limit , and demonstrates the organization’s values. The scholarship committee will be able to tell if you reuse an essay that doesn’t quite respond to the prompt, so be sure to tailor it to the questions asked.

Research each organization

Before writing, research the scholarship organization’s mission and reason for awarding the scholarship. Learning more about the organization can help you select an appropriate topic and relevant story.

While you should tailor your essay to the organization’s values, maintain your authentic voice. Never use false or exaggerated stories. If the organization’s values don’t align with yours or you can’t brainstorm a relevant story for the scholarship, continue searching for other scholarship opportunities to find a more appropriate one for you.

After researching the organization, identify a specific personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies why you will be a successful student.

Choose a story with the following criteria:

• Responds to the prompt
• Demonstrates the organization’s values
• Includes an authentic story
• Focuses on you and your experience, not someone else’s

A good scholarship essay is not

• A resume of your achievements
• A lengthy opinion piece about the essay topic
• An essay featuring a negative tone that puts down others

If appropriate, you can briefly address how the scholarship money will help you achieve your educational goals. You should also end with a brief thank-you.

Take a look at the full essay example below. Hover over the underlined parts to read explanations of why they work.

Prompt: Describe how working for Chelsea’s Chicken restaurant has developed leadership skills that will help you succeed in college. Give specific examples of leadership characteristics that you have exhibited during your employment with us.

As a nervous 16-year-old, I walked into Chelsea’s Chicken for my first day of work determined to make enough money to put gas in my car and buy pizza on the weekends. My only previous job was mowing my neighbors’ lawns when they were on vacation, so I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit intimidated by my new responsibilities, especially handling money and helping disgruntled customers.

However, it didn’t take me long to learn my way around the cash register and successfully address customer complaints. One day, Roger, the store manager, asked me if I wanted to join Chelsea’s Chicken Leadership Training Initiative. He said he saw leadership potential in me because of my attitude with the customers and my enthusiasm for learning new job responsibilities. It surprised me because I had never thought of myself as a leader, but I quickly agreed, and Roger handed me a three-ring binder that was thicker than my math and science textbooks put together! He told me to take it home and read over it during the following week.

In that binder, I discovered that being a leader means taking the initiative, especially when the job is undesirable. One week later, I got to practice that idea when a little kid threw up in the bathroom and missed the toilet. It smelled terrible, but I stepped forward and told Roger that I would clean it up. My coworkers thought I was crazy, but I started to believe in my leadership potential.

That night as we closed the store, Roger pulled me aside in the parking lot and told me that he could tell that I had been studying the manual. He wanted to give me more responsibility, along with a dollar-per-hour pay raise. I was surprised because I had been working there for only a couple of months, but his encouragement helped me make a connection: good leadership helps other people, and it often is rewarded. I was determined to experience more of both.

Within a month, I was ready to take the Team Leader exam, which mattered because I would receive a promotion and a much bigger raise if I passed. But, when I got to work, two of the scheduled team members had called in sick. We were noticeably short-handed, and our customers weren’t happy about it.

I walked back to the lockers, put on my vest and hat, and took my place behind an open register. Customers immediately moved into my line to place their orders. Roger looked at me with surprise and asked, “Did you forget that you’re testing tonight?” I responded, “No, sir—but what’s the use of taking a leadership test if you aren’t going to lead in real life?” Roger smiled at me and nodded.

He stayed late that night after we closed so that I could leave early and still take the test. I noticed that Roger was always staying late, helping employees learn new skills. His example taught me that leaders take the initiative to develop other leaders. He gave me a clear picture of what shared leadership looks like, making room for others to grow and excel. When I asked him where he learned to do that, he said, “From the same leadership manual I gave you!”

Chelsea’s Chicken has offered me so much more than a paycheck. Because of Roger’s example, I have learned to take the initiative to care for my family and friends, such as being the first to do the dishes without my mom asking or volunteering to pick up my friend for our SAT prep course. Now, as I prepare to enter college, I have confidence in my leadership ability. I know I’m signing up for a challenging major—Biology, Pre-Med—yet I also know that Chelsea’s Chicken has helped me to develop the perseverance required to complete my studies successfully.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

Cite this Scribbr article

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Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example. Scribbr. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/scholarship-essay/

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If you need more money to pay for college, chances are you will be applying for several college scholarships . A great scholarship essay helps the scholarship provider understand the real person behind the application and can be the key to winning the award (assuming you meet the other scholarship criteria).

Scholarship Essays vs. College Essays

Scholarship essays are very similar to your college application essays in terms of strategy. Many scholarship hopefuls will share the same grades, test scores, and ambitions: the essay is your chance to shine (and grow that dream college fund!).

How to Write a Scholarship Essay

When you’re drafting your scholarship essay, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

1. Start the essay writing process early.

Leave yourself plenty of time to produce a well thought-out entry. Take the time to brainstorm your ideas, create an outline, and edit your entry as you would for any essay writing assignment for your English class.

Read More: How to Craft an Unforgettable College Essay

2. Understand the scholarship provider’s overall mission and purpose.

Each scholarship provider is looking for students who meet certain criteria. Consider writing about an experience or interest that highlights your strong ties to the organization’s mission. Genuine passion and enthusiasm for your topic will show through in your essay writing.

3. Follow the scholarship essay instructions.

Make sure to follow all of the necessary steps and review them before submitting your scholarship essay. Trust us, some of the brightest students have missed out on the chance to earn scholarships dollars all because they neglected to follow instructions. You don’t want to fall into that category!

4. Steer clear from essay topics that focus on negativity or pessimism.

Scholarship committees would rather see how you overcame hardships and succeeded despite the obstacles in your path (or what you learned from the times you failed).

Read More: 200 Colleges That Pay You Back

5. Don’t be afraid to get personal.

Share something about who you are. This is your chance to elaborate on elsewhere on your application you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do so. Telling your story makes an essay genuine and ultimately more memorable to the scholarship committee.

6. Seek out writing advice and feedback.

Asking teachers, counselors, family members, or trustworthy friends for feedback on your essay will result in a better final product.

7. Yes, spelling and grammar matter.

Scholarship committees do notice grammar mistakes . Eveny tiny errors can distract a reader from your overall message. Before you submit your application make sure you take the time to proofread your essay from beginning to end.

8. Don’t give up!

When you’re tired, take a break, but don’t throw in the towel! Our online essay writing tutors are here for you anytime you get discouraged. We can help with everything from brainstorming and outlining to revising the final draft.

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How to Write a Scholarship Essay (with Examples)

September 27, 2023

While applying to college, many students are faced with an additional, daunting task: how to write a scholarship essay. Financial need, already a sensitive subject, can become a stressful factor in the process alongside other existential unknowns. Luckily, scholarship essays will not require you to go tiptoeing around the taboo topic of money. Furthermore, most scholarship essay prompts more or less resemble standard supplemental essay questions. The trick then is to make your scholarship essay stand out. The following article and scholarship essay example will offer up pointers for anyone striving to win a college scholarship.

Organizing Scholarship Essays by Prompt

You may feel like melting into a lump of despair when facing a browser full of tabbed scholarships. The best way to avoid getting overwhelmed is to organize and analyze a list of prompts. Why? Because your first goal is not simply to figure out how to write a scholarship essay. Rather, you’ll want to know how to save time while writing complex and relevant scholarship essays.

As you look over the various prompts, you’ll notice that some sound fairly open-ended, while others ask for something quite specific. In response, you should annotate each prompt with thematic keywords. This will help you figure out when you can use the same essay for several prompts.

Your annotated list may look something like the following…

Sample Scholarship Essay Prompts

1) “Explain something that made a big impact in your life.”

• Keywords: event , personal development, growth, background

2) “We’re committed to diversifying education abroad by providing funding to students who are typically under-represented in study abroad. Please describe how you and/or your plans for study abroad could be viewed as under-represented.”

• Keywords: minority, diversity, identity, study abroad

3) “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

• Keywords: background, identity, interest, talent

Sample Scholarship Essay Prompts, Continued

4) “Please explain a personal hardship or catastrophic life event that you have experienced. How did you manage to overcome this obstacle? What did you learn and how did you grow from it?”

• Keywords: event, personal development, growth, challenge, background

5) Describe a change you would like to make in the world. Tell us about how you would plan to make that change, and what obstacles you might encounter along the way.

• Keywords: world development, challenge, future

6) “Tell us three things that are important to you. How did you arrive at this list? Will these things be important to you in ten years? Why?”

• Keywords: background, values, interest, development, identity, future

Scholarship Essay Prompts ( Continued)

7) “What does it mean to you to be part of a minority community? What challenges has it brought and how have you overcome them? What are the benefits?”

• Keywords: minority, community, challenge, growth

8) “Please explain how your experience volunteering and participating in community service has shaped your perspective on humanity. Elaborate on how these experiences have influenced your future ambitions and career choice.”

• Keywords: community service, humanity, community, background, future, values, career

9) “Discuss in your essay any challenges or obstacles you have dealt with and overcome in life and how this will help you succeed in college and beyond. Describe how volunteer, community service or extra-curricular activities have shaped who you are today and what it has taught you. May also include future educational plans and career goals.”

• Keywords: challenge, future, community service, interests, value, personal growth, career

How to Write a Scholarship Essay through Prompt Analysis

Let’s compare some prompts by keywords. You’ll notice that some prompts have a lot of overlap, such as prompts 1 and 4. Both have event, personal development, growth, and background as keywords . Prompt 4 includes the additional keyword challenge . This prompt explicitly asks you to explain how you have “overcome” a “personal hardship or catastrophic life event.” While prompt 1 is not so specific, it would be easy, even natural, to include this narrative arc in your response. This means depicting how you faced the thing that “made a big impact in your life.” In other words, these two essay prompts, though worded differently, allow you to tell the same story.

Other prompts provide potential overlap. In this case, it’s up to you to find and interpret these moments. You may consider the values, strengths, interests, and experiences you wish to relate. For example, prompts 7, 8, and 9 all mention community through different approaches. While prompt 7 focuses on one’s past involvement in a minority community, prompts 8 and 9 are more future-facing, and don’t mention minorities.

Scholarship Essay Examples (Continued)

Here, your best strategy involves answering prompts 8 and 9 together in a single scholarship essay. To do so, the essay would need to detail “a challenge or obstacle you have dealt with” (9) which has thus “shaped your perspective on humanity” (8). This narrative arc will thus inform your “future” educational and career plans (8 and 9). Note that prompt 9 allows you to mention extra-curriculars. However, I wouldn’t recommend it, since this would make your essay less relevant to prompt 8. After your essay is written, adapt it to align with prompt 7. Consider condensing the part about the future into one final sentence and focusing more on minority aspects of your community.

How to Scholarship Essay Avoid Burnout

The above tactic will allow you to avoid burnout by strategizing your essay approach ahead of time. In turn, you’ll be able to maximize your efforts from the get-go. You’ll also likely find that your essays become more complex and nuanced when you consider several prompts at once.

The next step involves editing. Refer back to the prompt, once you have a draft written. Ask yourself, did I answer the question fully? Do I need to edit this essay further to emphasize a particular point? Do I need to cut the essay down to fit a new word count? Contrarily do I need to bulk it up? If so, are there other essays in my portfolio from which I can borrow material? Strategic editing will allow you to respond to a large number of essays during peak essay-writing season.

Finally, you’ll notice that most essays require a word count between 250 to 600 words. It’s often easier to write a longer essay first. This will allow you to go into greater detail without censoring your ideas. You may find yourself including dialogue, scenery, emotions, and all sorts of other specifics that make an essay personal. As you whittle down this essay to comply with a similar prompt, you’ll want to identify which pieces of the essay do the most work to get your message across. Don’t simply condense everything by eliminating details, for details are often the most memorable aspects of an essay. More on this next.

How to Write a Scholarship Essay Using the Three Fs

The three Fs can be applied to any college essay, though they are particularily useful in scholarship essays. Why? Because the three Fs will enable you to impress readers and beat out other applicants. Ultimately, they’ll help you win financial support. Think of the three Fs as a checklist to go over, once you’ve completed an essay draft. Ask yourself, is my essay fabulous? Flawless? Fearless?

How to Write a Scholarship Essay (Continued)

If your essay is fabulous , it glitters with personality. It is detailed, unique, and does its best to highlight your impressive journey. If your essay lacks a little fab, ask yourself, how can I make this essay more enjoyable and memorable to read? If your essay is flawless , it lacks all spelling, syntactic and grammatical errors. It answers every aspect of the essay prompt, and leaves no room for vagueness or misunderstandings. To avoid flaws, give your essay to several people to proofread. Finally, if your essay is fearless , it is not afraid to get a little vulnerable. This may sound contradictory to the first F. On the contrary, this fearlessness refers to the confidence to tell your own story. A fearless story isn’t afraid to go deep, add complexity, or get emotional. It is unafraid to show why its author deserves a financial boost.

Scholarship Essay Example

Now that we’ve established how to approach the scholarship essay, let’s dive into a scholarship essay example. The scholarship essay below stems from a prompt we saw above: Describe a change you would like to make in the world. Tell us about how you would plan to make that change, and what obstacles you might encounter along the way (500 words).

My generation is growing up in a time of increased global turmoil. We’ve witnessed Brexit, the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, a series of refugee crises, and the invasion of Ukraine. It’s easy to liken this moment to Europe in the 1930s, which saw a spike in fascism and propaganda (their version of fake news). Only now, my generation must also contend with the hottest summers on record, raging forest fires, and the beginning of the 6 th extinction. It’s no wonder we deal with it all through increased skepticism and existential dread.

While I don’t have a simple solution, I believe most problems stem from ignorance. Xenophobia and racism, offshoots of ignorance, can be overcome by exposing isolated groups of people to greater diversity. This begins in the classroom. While dictators are hard to dispose of, education provides critical thinking skills, which allow citizens to make informed decisions when electing officials. Finally, developing a willingness to learn at an early age creates an instinct to continue learning throughout life. We desperately need intellectual flexibility if we are going to adapt to the planet’s needs as a world population and put a stop to industry-led fossil fuel burning.

Scholarship Essay Example (Continued)

The change I’d like to make is free, enhanced education for everyone, at every level, from elementary school to post-doctorate research institutes. To do so, I suggest defunding national militaries and channeling this spending into schools. Imagine if 80% of the 877 billion dollars the U.S. military spends annually went into learning. Combating fascism and climate change would look more feasible. And yet, no leader would agree to making their country more vulnerable by relinquishing arms and armies. Change must come from the people.

As the planet continues to heats up, and conflict over land increases, we must work together. The first step towards increased education is communicating this need for education: through journalism, on social media, in the streets. Next, I suggest lobbying politicians for incremental change. Finally, I believe a global grassroots movement to implement future-focused education, led by activists, educators, and philanthropists, would make this theoretical idea a tangible reality.

Last year, my mother, who never received a college education, decided to offer free gardening courses in our backyard. I quickly joined in. While teaching a handful of neighbors how to provide year-round food for pollinators may seem trivial, I’ve already seen positive repercussions. One conservative neighbor has set up an organization that collects and redistributes leftover produce from the markets to refugees. Another neighbor is now teaching middle schoolers how to cook and compost. These efforts have brought unusual strangers together and given visibility to our movement, #futurefocusededucation. I’ve seen it firsthand. The more we educate, the sooner we can combine our knowledge to create solutions.

Scholarship Essay Example Dissected

This scholarship essay succeeds at answering all parts of the prompt. It includes the change the author wants to make, and inevitable obstacles she’d face at the governmental and international level. These obstacles may sound insurmountable. Yet the essay shows that individuals are not powerless to enact change when they work together towards a common goal. The author provides various thoughtful steps we might take in order to prioritize education and peaceful collaboration.

Finally, the author portrays herself as someone personally invested in the political, humanitarian, and environmental state of the world. She proves that she’s already begun to make the changes she wants to see at the microscopic level. Overall, readers of this scholarship essay can see that this student is invested in bettering the world. This student would make for a proactive participant in her academic environment.

What’s Next?

Now that you have some inkling of how to write a scholarship essay and have reviewed of our scholarship essay examples, you may want to delve into more aid-related articles on the College Transitions Dataverse. You can read up on Need-Based Financial Aid Grants , and learn about Selective Colleges with Generous Scholarships . Furthermore, you may want to create your own Scholarship Timeline , in order to stay on top of the various deadlines. Good luck!

• Costs & Financial Aid

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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What’s the Best Scholarship Essay Format?

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Many scholarships require students to write an essay as part of their application. These writing and essay scholarships want to learn about your experiences, interests, or background as a student through your essay. But once you have finished writing, you may wonder: What is the best way to format my scholarship essay?

Should you include a title? What about spacing, page numbers, or citations? These are important questions and should be essential parts of your editing and revising process. Keep on reading to make sure that your essay is formatted properly!

Don’t miss: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool

Getting started with essay formatting

The first rule of the scholarship essay format is following all of the rules that the scholarship application states. Whether that is spacing, citations, or font size, you should always follow the directions. There isn’t a faster way to get a scholarship committee member to say “nah” than ignoring the directions.

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Essay titles.

Should you begin your essay with a title? In my experience reading essays of all types, a title is very optional. If it is an especially clever or necessary title, then sure, go for it!

Otherwise, I would recommend saving your valuable word count and put it towards the actual essay. If you write your essay and are feeling stuck on a title, let it go and don’t worry about it. Prepare for your scholarship writing endeavors  by reading our short essay guides for 250 word essays , as well as 500 word essays !

Related: How to write an essay about yourself

Font size & style

The MLA recommends using size 12 font, and that’s what we’d recommend using. As far as the style of the font, you should stick to something that is legible and easy to read. Times New Roman or Arial are both going to be good bets. The scholarship essay is not the best place to get creative with a funky, hard-to-read font.

Should I single or double space the essay?

We know that most of your essays for school are probably double spaced. This is usually a good call for scholarship essays as well, because it makes the essay easier to read. In addition to spacing, you want to make sure that your scholarship essay is broken down into paragraphs and is not one single block of text.

Are page numbers required?

On many school papers, you may have to put a page number on each page. This is not necessary for your scholarship essays unless it is a clearly stated requirement.

Does proper scholarship essay formatting require citations?

If you are citing other sources, it is a good idea to use citations. It does not matter whether you are using MLA, Chicago, or some other type of citation (unless it is specifically required). Instead, it is important to simply be consistent in how you cite your sources. Most essays probably will not require outside sources or research, but if you are applying to certain research-based or STEM scholarships you may want to brush up on your citations.

Do’s and don’ts for scholarship essay formatting 

Final thoughts

Writing can be a very stressful process for students, both in the scholarship process and the college admissions process. One of the best things that you can do is give yourself plenty of time to write and refine your essays. Ideally, you will also have a trusted outside reader serve as an editor for all of your essays.

The major rules of scholarship essay formatting are to follow the application instructions and make sure that your formatting is not distracting. Ultimately, you will want to ensure that the essay reader can easily and clearly read your essay and not distract them with sloppy or unconventional formatting.

Additional resources for writing essays

Here at Scholarships360, we have nearly every resource to help you write your best scholarship essay and to help you through the college admission process. Learn how to write winning scholarship essays , including how to start a scholarship essay and how to end a scholarship essay as well! Maybe you are writing a “Why this college” essay ? We can help with that too! Also, be sure to check out our individualized supplemental essay guides for schools that require them.

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Key Takeaways

• First and foremost, always carefully read the instructions of what format is required 
• Unless otherwise specified, double space your essay and break it down into easily digestible paragraphs
• If not stated, use easy to read fonts like Times New Roman or Ariel
• Never use information without citing, and if you do need to cite, be consistent with citation style (such as MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
• Always. always double check that your essay is not only formatted correctly, but thoroughly proofread for grammar and spelling
• Most important of all is to always look for any formatting guide from the scholarship provider, and ensure that you take their advice over any of ours

Frequently asked questions about scholarship essay formatting  

Should a scholarship essay be double spaced, what citation style should i use in a scholarship essay, is it better to include a scholarship essay title, what font is good for a scholarship essay, scholarships360 recommended.

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• Writing Tips

​How to Write a Scholarship Essay (With Examples)

6-minute read

• 22nd August 2022

Writing a scholarship essay can seem like a daunting task. For many students , higher education isn’t possible without financial aid, and scholarships are especially valuable because the money awarded doesn’t have to be paid back.

Even though the stakes are high, there are a few manageable steps you can take to ensure you write a great essay to submit with your scholarship applications. We have a few top tips to help you get started, along with writing examples to demonstrate some key points. Check out our guide below to learn more.

A scholarship essay is a great opportunity to present yourself and your accomplishments in an impactful way. It is, therefore, essential to be aware of each scholarship deadline so you can allow sufficient time for the writing process, which typically includes the following:

·   Read the essay prompt and brainstorm ideas.

·   Create an outline covering the key points you want to address.

·   Write a draft and seek feedback from trusted teachers, family, or friends.

·   Make any necessary revisions and proofread before submitting your final draft.

Scholarship review committees will be able to tell if you rushed through your essay, so give yourself the best chance of winning an award by staying organized and on schedule!

Who and What?

Researching the scholarship provider and diligently reviewing the essay prompts can help you write an essay that makes you stand out as a top candidate.

1. Who are you writing to?

Learn more about the organization offering the scholarship and why the scholarship fund was created.

For instance, a scholarship may honor its organization’s founder, and the founder’s qualities (e.g., integrity, good citizenship, and leadership) might be the same values guiding the scholarship program as a way to continue the founder’s legacy.

If you identify with any of the same qualities, you can incorporate those keywords into your essay to demonstrate your shared values. Remember to remain authentic, though!

2. What are you writing about?

You must read the essay prompt carefully to identify precisely what you need to accomplish with your essay.

Some prompts ask about your career goals and how you plan to achieve them or your achievements and the challenges you overcame to reach them.

You’ll write about common topics across multiple scholarship applications – some may even be similar to your college admission essay – so you can repurpose your essays as long as you’re diligent about tailoring each one to its prompt.

Your application will likely require other items such as transcripts and test scores, but the essay is your chance to offer something entirely unique. Write about key experiences that highlight who you are and what you’ve accomplished, or you could mention something you’re passionate about.

Remember to follow any specific instructions regarding length and formatting, and be sure to answer all questions listed in the prompt. It can hurt your chances if you’re unable to show the committee that you’re detail-oriented and can follow directions.

Structuring Your Essay

Your essay should follow a standard format that includes a clear beginning, middle, and end. Typically, you should:

·   Establish your main idea in the introduction.

·   Include a separate body paragraph for each key point that supports your main idea.

·   Draw it all together and revisit your main idea in the conclusion.

Scholarship committees read thousands of essays each year. And often, there are hundreds of applicants for an award that can only go to a select few candidates. Writing a powerful introduction and conclusion gives you a chance to make a lasting impression.

1. Introduction

Write an introduction that hooks the reader and encourages them to stay engaged till the end of your essay. Don’t be afraid to add personal, tangible details and an anecdote .

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For example, if you’re writing about your career goals, demonstrate why you’ve chosen that career:

It was the biggest game of the season, and the stands were packed despite the bitter cold. My heart was beating louder than all of the cheers, and I was filled with the anticipation that one more run into the end zone would give us the championship. Everything went silent during that run when the tackle shattered both my leg and my dreams.

My world has always revolved around being an athlete – until one day it couldn’t. I spent many frustrating months rehabilitating, but I got through it because of my dedicated physical therapist, who helped me recover both physically and mentally after a devastating loss. And it was that profound experience that led me to pursue a career in the exercise sciences.

2. Conclusion

The conclusion is the last thing your reader will see, so it’s another opportunity for you to make your essay memorable.

Rather than summarizing with a general statement such as “this is why you should award me a scholarship,” perhaps explain what the financial assistance will help you achieve:

My parents never had the opportunity to go to college, and neither did their parents. I watched them work hard every day just to make ends meet, and I often questioned whether I could achieve anything more. Nevertheless, I spent four years working as hard as I saw my parents work, and I beat the odds by getting accepted to college. A scholarship could be invaluable for me, as it would allow me to attend and be successful without having to worry about finances.

Persuasive Writing

While you don’t want your scholarship essay to be overly informal, you’re certainly allowed to add some creativity and personal details to help persuade your readers.

One of the best ways to do so is by writing with the modes of persuasion ; that is, ethos, pathos, and logos.

Demonstrate your credibility. Use your real-life experiences and interesting details to establish, for example, how you’ve contributed to your community:

I saw how much bullying was impacting so many students at my school, so I founded my high school’s first anti-bullying club and organized campaigns to bring attention to the harm that people can cause one another.

Evoke an emotional response. The “show, don’t tell ” writing technique, which involves using descriptive words when discussing actions and emotions, can be especially useful here:

During one of our first awareness assemblies, the theater was completely silent as I read aloud anonymous stories from students about the scars bullying had left on their lives. Tears were stinging in my eyes as I described the struggles my classmates were facing, but I persevered to give a voice to those who didn’t have one.

Convey your point with reason and facts. Use statistics to demonstrate what you’ve accomplished:

In the first year alone, our club improved students’ feelings of safety and acceptance at our school by 53%.

Proofreading and Editing

Don’t forget the importance of proofreading your essay, as spelling and grammar mistakes can leave a bad impression on your reader. Our expert editors can help ensure your writing is clear, concise, and error-free. Give yourself a better chance at impressing scholarship committees by submitting a free trial document today!

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How to Find and Apply for Scholarships

What are scholarships .

Scholarships are a type of financial aid commonly referred to as “free money” or “gift aid.” Scholarships usually require an application and are often awarded to students based on a combination of factors including merit. Merit scholarships tend to have specific requirements and are awarded to applicants based on certain skills and accomplishments and may not be based on financial need. Scholarships may be renewable, meaning you can receive scholarships for more than one year. A new application may be required along with maintaining certain eligibility requirements, such as GPA or a certain major.

Why do I need scholarships?

Scholarships are a great type of financial aid because they do not have to be repaid. Receiving scholarships can help cover the remaining bill and indirect costs, while also minimizing the amount you need to borrow in loans while in college.

What are some common scholarship application requirements?

Many scholarships require similar application materials, which commonly include:

• The application, which can be paper or an online form. 
• Essays, often personal statements, that provide insight into your activities inside and outside the classroom. 
• Letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, community members, or other mentors. 
• Honors or awards you have received, academic or otherwise. 
• Information about your high school or college, which may include your transcript, GPA, Student Aid Report, or financial aid offer.
• A résumé that includes any employment, volunteer, or extracurricular experiences.

Specialized scholarships may require additional information and may have a priority deadline. For example, scholarships supporting the arts may require portfolios or writing samples. Be sure to read each application thoroughly for requirements so you don’t miss any.

What should I do before college to increase my chances?

Since many scholarships are merit based, maintaining good grades and increasing your involvement in school and community activities are important. Some scholarships have GPA requirements, so keeping your grades up will help open more opportunities. Additionally, many applicants with varied extracurriculars and volunteer or job experiences may stand out. The more scholarships you’re eligible for and apply for, the better the odds you have of receiving one.

What are the best ways to find and receive a scholarship?

There is no guarantee that you’ll receive a scholarship, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances while applying. One of the most important things to remember is that the scholarship committee wants to get to know you through the applications—you want to show why your college education is worth investing in. 

There are a few things that you can do to increase your chances, including: 

• Start early and search year-round: No matter what stage in the college process you’re at, you should start looking for scholarships now. There are even scholarships that high school students can receive before senior year. Scholarship deadlines vary, so setting some time aside every few weeks to search and apply will open up more opportunities of securing a scholarship. 
• Use the right search engine: Finding scholarships to apply for can be difficult, but with the right search engine you can narrow your search and find scholarships you’re eligible for. BigFuture’s scholarship search is a great resource to use.
• Find a balance: You should apply for several scholarships—the more you apply for, the better your chances of receiving one. However, it’s important to use your time wisely. You should only apply for those you’re eligible for, based on the requirements. 
• Research local scholarships: Local scholarships tend to have fewer applicants, meaning you may be more likely to get them. Your high school counselor or college financial aid department might have insight about where to find and apply for local scholarships. Be sure to talk to others in your community, and check with local businesses and organizations like banks and churches. 

How do I know a scholarship is legit? 

While plenty of legitimate scholarships are available, some fake scholarships are set up to scam students out of money or personal information. Using reliable search engines, like BigFuture, can help avoid this. Scholarships should always be free to apply. Some may ask for your bank account information after choosing you as a recipient, but they should not ask for this information as an application requirement. If you’re unsure, contact the organization or company providing the scholarship to ensure they are legit. 

Finding and applying to scholarships sounds like a lot of work—how can I make this process easier?

Because scholarships don’t need to be repaid, they can be an important part of making college affordable. However, we know that it might not always be feasible to spend a lot of time applying. There are a few things you can do to simplify the process and save time where possible. 

• Start early: Prioritize getting two or three letters of recommendation, and write your essay/personal statement before you start searching to help save time.
• Time management: Plan to spend a day or two a month searching and submitting applications with your prepared materials to avoid last-minute applications, missed deadlines, and stress.
• Stay organized: Collecting and organizing your application materials and tracking due dates will help you stay on track and avoid missing out on opportunities. 
• Reuse essays when possible: Many scholarship essay topics are similar, so editing one of your previously written essays to fit the scholarship you’re applying for can save you time.

With these tips and resources, you’ll be better prepared for scholarship applications and increase your chances of receiving scholarships to help cover your college costs. Check out your chance to earn $500 and $40,000 scholarships in monthly drawings offered by BigFuture to students who complete the steps to plan for college .

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Can You Use the Same Essay for Different College Applications?

What’s covered:, can you reuse your common app or coalition application essay yes, can you reuse your supplemental essays maybe, the bottom line on reusing essays, where to get feedback on your college essays.

It’s no secret that the college process is grueling. It requires that you put an extensive amount of work into every aspect of every application. It’s natural to want to find ways to save time and energy. This is an especially tempting prospect when it comes to your college essays. Consequently, many high schoolers wonder if they can reuse their essays for different colleges.

The short answer is “It depends.” The long answer is a bit more complex. Below are some of the different scenarios for reusing college essays and best practices for each.

It’s perfectly okay to use the same essay for both the Common App and Coalition Application. In fact, you can use the same essay for any application that requires a lengthy personal statement—like ApplyTexas—since the prompts are broad.

Given the number of colleges that now accept the Common App and Coalition Application, this will greatly expedite your application process and lessen the burden of the essay-writing process.

There are some instances in which you can reuse supplemental essays for different schools, but you must do so carefully.

For example, you should not reuse a college-specific essay for things like the “Why This College?” prompt or related prompts. You also can’t reuse essays that you wrote in response to prompts about specific programs or majors . However, in both instances, it’s often possible to reuse parts of the essay, such as when you’re describing why you have a specific personal interest.

For example, take a look at this prompt from NYU :

We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand—Why NYU? (400 words)

Because this prompt is very specific to NYU and your interest in the school, you definitely can’t repurpose the essay for another application. However, you might be able to take aspects of the essay and reuse them, such as talking about specific contributions you hope to make to the community—after all, you probably want to make similar ones at other schools.

You’ll want to make sure you’re always framing these contributions as school-specifically as possible—mentioning particular clubs or opportunities at NYU. For example, if you’re interested in attending NYU’s Institute of Performing Arts, you may express an interest in joining their Hammerkatz sketch comedy group. If you were to reuse this section of the essay, you’d want to find the equivalent at the school you’re repurposing the essay for.

Keep in mind that if you can simply change the school name in a college-specific essay and it still works if you apply it to another school’s prompt, then your response isn’t specific enough. You will need to name opportunities specific to each school, and if you decide to repurpose parts of your essays, remember to change the corresponding details.

Another essay prompt you’ll likely encounter is the “Why This Major?” question, which asks why you’re choosing to pursue a particular discipline. Whether or not it’s included in the prompt, you do need to address why you’d like to study that program at that school. That means your essay, at least in part, needs to be specific to the school and can’t be reused for another.

Consider this prompt for Yale University :

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

Here, you’re being asked not only why you want to explore your intellectual and academic interests, but you’re also asked to tailor your answer specifically to Yale’s programming. This means you might be able to reuse some parts of the essay for another school, but some areas may be more challenging to repurpose or impossible to reuse altogether. For example, Yale’s Computer Science and Psychology program is relatively unique to the school.

On the other hand, some programs are essentially universal—like business, engineering, and communications, for example—and you may be able to reuse large portions of your essay. Just make sure to remove any mention of other colleges and their attributes and tweak your responses to be as specific as possible to the school you’re applying to.

One example of an essay you can reuse is one written in response to a prompt along the lines of “Describe one of your extracurriculars” , like this one from Harvard :

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (200 words)

Since this prompt asks you about your pursuits that aren’t tied to your interest in Harvard, it’s probably fine to reuse the essay if another college has a similar prompt. Just make sure you’re fully responding to the particular prompt, as even with these common prompts, sometimes schools like to add their own unique flair.

You should also pay attention to the word count, as you may have to expand or cut your essay when adapting it to another school’s prompt. If the second school has a very similar prompt but requires 250 words instead of 150, you should add more detail, as you don’t want to let 100 words go to waste—that’s almost half the word count!

An essay that’s too short will make it look like you don’t care about the school in question. Conversely, an essay that’s too long will get cut off in most application platforms, or it will make it look like you can’t follow instructions.

Time is precious in the college process, and you can certainly save yourself some by reusing your essays if you come across a similar prompt more than once. However, you should be careful not to do so at the expense of the essay’s specificity and quality.

Remember, your essay package at each school should present a comprehensive picture of who you are, without overlap from one essay to the next.

So, if you’re reusing an “Extracurricular” essay about golf, for example, and the school also has a question about your leadership skills, you don’t want to also write about what you’ve learned from being captain of your golf team. On the other hand, if you have another school on your list with a leadership prompt and no “Extracurricular” essay, you could definitely write about your golf captainship.

Ultimately, what matters most is that schools don’t feel like you’re two-timing them. So, make sure that each essay you write feels like its own singular piece of writing, and, if a school has multiple supplements, that each essay enhances, rather than repeats, the others.

Maybe you’re recycling an essay and wondering if you’ve done enough to reflect the new prompt, or you’ve written a brand new one and can’t decide whether it’s working. Situations like these inspired us to create our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Here’s How to Find the Right College Scholarships for You

For many people, a college degree is a necessary step in their career path — but pursuing higher education isn’t always the most affordable. Luckily, almost all colleges and universities offer scholarships to ease the financial sting.

Scholarships may cover a portion of your college costs or even pay for your entire learning experience, so you might not need to take out student loans or make difficult financial sacrifices.

These scholarships are awarded by a variety of factors: grades, athletics, financial status, community service, special talents and more. Chances are, you have something in your life that qualifies you for a potential scholarship. All you have to do is find the right college scholarship for your academic and extracurricular background.

What Exactly is a College Scholarship?

A college scholarship is a financial award designed to help students pay for university. It can cover costs like tuition, books, lodging and other aspects of university life. The scholarship can be awarded for all kinds of reasons, including academic standing, leadership skills, athletic abilities, financial status and more.

Scholarships are a standard part of financial aid packages, but they differ from student loans because they never have to be repaid. And while scholarships are often bestowed from the actual academic institutions, they also come from organizations, nonprofits, foundations and even the government.

What Kind of College Scholarships Are There?

You might assume scholarships are based solely on sports prowess or extraordinary grades. Those certainly exist, and the majority of scholarships do require some kind of exceptional ability, factoring in merit, financial need or a combination of the two.

However, there are all kinds of college scholarships available. If you have a specific passion, like a love for writing or a talent for acting, you’ll likely find an opportunity for financial aid. Other scholarships reward people who have demonstrated an interest in community service or routinely demonstrate leadership skills. Others are given to applicants from specific cultural backgrounds. You’ll want to do some exploring to find the right scholarship fit for you before applying.

What Are Some Examples of Unique College Scholarships?

During your search for a college scholarship opportunity, you might uncover some truly unusual options.

“There are some really fun and interesting scholarships out there, too, like the Make Me Laugh Scholarship, left-handed scholarships, twins scholarships and Superpower Scholarship,” said Dan Phan, the academic program manager for USC Bovard Scholars , which helps high-achieving students with financial need gain admission to top universities.

And those are just some of the unique opportunities for financial aid. Phan also highlighted the Stuck at Prom Scholarship, which is sponsored by Duck Tape and awards the student with the best prom outfit made out of Duck Tape; the Doodle for Google Scholarship, which gifts college money to those who draw the most creative Google Doodles in certain categories; and the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship, which goes to the person with the best end-of-the-world survival strategy.

How Do I Find College Scholarships?

The downside of having so many scholarship choices? It can be hard to narrow them down to the best options.

Phan advises applicants to start the scholarship hunt early, so that they have enough time to look over all the information before deadlines loom.

Begin your research by looking at the options directly offered by the universities you want to apply to. Definitely reach out to the financial aid office for more information if you need — that’s what they’re there for.

Once you’ve considered the possibilities at your dream colleges, expand the hunt to online scholarship databases.

“I recommend looking into scholarship-matching websites like Cappex, Fastweb, Unigo and Big Future,” Phan explained. “Students can filter by deadline, award amount, grade level, gender, major or career interests and geography, among other criteria. There are so many different categories students can choose from.”

There are also several “big-ticket scholarship” options, as Phan puts it, for those who demonstrate financial need. For example, some of these scholarships are offered through large organizations like QuestBridge, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Edison International and The Coca-Cola Company.

Students who are undocumented can also find incredible scholarship opportunities. The Immigrants Rising website offers a host of opportunities that don’t require proof of citizenship.

And while most scholarships require you to seek them out to apply, you can come by others in a much simpler way.

“Take advantage of scholarships that are built into what you’re already doing in school; for example, the PSAT in junior year can qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship,” Phan said. “[There are also] scholarships built into the college application when students apply, which requires no additional work beyond submitting the application by a specific deadline for scholarship consideration or checking applicable boxes.”

Of course, students should read all the eligibility requirements and details.

“The last thing students want to do is apply for scholarships they don’t qualify for,” Phan cautioned. Applying for college is consuming enough without wasting your time like that!

How Do I Apply for College Scholarships?

Every step of the college application process can seem complicated, but applying for scholarships doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow these steps to get a jumpstart on your applications:

• Research your scholarship opportunities . Look into the various kinds of scholarships and select the ones you think make the most sense for you.
• Check that you meet the criteria . You won’t be eligible for every scholarship. Look into the requirements — which may include family income, minimum GPAs, specific SAT scores and so on before you begin the process.
• Gather your materials for the application . Applications for scholarships usually want more than just a simple form. Many will require you to send your transcripts and letters of recommendations and write an essay. Reach out to trusted advisors so you get thoughtful feedback on these materials. You may even need to do an interview, so make sure you’re prepared for that step, too, if it’s noted in the application process.

Here’s a tip from Phan when it comes to essays: “Reuse your scholarship essays to showcase your best accomplishments, life stories and personality so you’re not having to write new sets of essays for each scholarship you apply to. Quality over quantity is the way to go.”

• Fill out the application . Once you have all the information you need, complete the form! Make sure the application is as detailed and accurate as possible.
• Submit — and get ready for the results . When you’re done, send it in. You may hear back in just a few days or have to wait several months to be notified.

If you get the scholarship, congratulations! Keep in mind you don’t need to accept it, though, if it conflicts with other offers or isn’t applicable for the school you want to attend. It’s just a useful option — that’s all.

Also remember that some scholarships need to be renewed each year. Take note of how long your scholarship will last and any steps you need to take to maintain your financial aid. That may include simply filling out forms again, maintaining a certain GPA or participating in certain activities.

The Bottom Line

When it comes down to it, scholarships are free money. With an endeavor as pricey as college, you’ll likely want to try to get at least one to boost your financial aid package.

Make sure you do your research to find the perfect option for you: Contact your dream school’s financial aid office, search scholarship databases and check out national organizations that can help support your dream of higher education. There are so many opportunities for college scholarships out there if you take the time to look.

Learn more about USC Summer and Online Pre-College Programs today.