The cost of higher education continues to increase at a time when earning at least a bachelor’s degree has become crucial to be successful in the job market. One of the best ways to mitigate the rising costs of higher education is to find scholarships. Many students are unaware of the great number of substantial scholarships available outside the materials provided them by the financial aid offices of prospective universities. There are scholarships available to students from a variety of foundations and corporations that are designed to provide for a number of needs.
This is a list of thirty fantastic scholarships and scholarship foundations committed to helping students meet the cost of their future education head on, without relying so much on student loans to accomplish their goals.
Next Big Thing Scholarship
Next Big Thing Scholarship is one of several scholarships offered by the Scholarship Experts organization. The Next Big Thing scholarship can be applied for by anyone 13 years of age or older that will then receive the funds when they enter college. The $1,500.00 scholarship seeks to stimulate the innovative minds of young people by tasking them with writing an essay about what they would create that would be the next big thing.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program supports the best and brightest students committed to careers in science, mathematics, and engineering. The goal of the scholarship, which awards up to $7,500.00 per academic year, is to make it possible for as many bright minds to enter these fields as possible.
The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics
The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics intends to encourage young people thinking about ethics. The prize awards $1,500.00 to the standout essay or essays on ethics every year.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation seeks to increase access to higher education among academically distinguished students. The program is able to offer a wide variety of scholarships due to its efforts in providing a medium for organizations through which they can contribute to an established and respected scholarship program.
The Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is designed for outstanding undergraduate students. The program affords those accepted with the opportunity to study in a distinguished scholarly program at Oxford University upon the completion of their Bachelor’s degree, and before they pursue a career or further education.
The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
awards 50 scholarships of up to $5000.00 to sophomore and junior level students at colleges and universities around the United States. The scholarships are intended to benefit students intending to pursue careers in the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care.
Dell Scholars Program
Dell Scholars Program seeks to look beyond raw academic achievement and provide scholarships to students based on their determination to do great things through their pursuit of higher education. The scholarship program is available only to students that have participated in a program approved college readiness program.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships
Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships has awarded over $48 million in scholarships since its inception in 1985. The program offers scholarships available to all students, as well as ethnically specific scholarships.
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship is for students that will study abroad in other nations. The scholarships of up to $25,000 enable students to act as goodwill ambassadors to the countries in which they study.
Golden Key Undergraduate Achievement Scholarship
Golden Key Undergraduate Achievement Scholarship awards over $1 million to students that demonstrate a commitment not just to higher education, but the pursuit of world class scholarship. The goal of the program is to provide future leaders with the funds necessary to pursuing higher education.
J.P. Morgan Chase Smart Start Scholarship Programs
J.P. Morgan Chase Smart Start Scholarship Programs feature two scholarship programs. The Thomas G. Labrecque Smart Start program provides full tuition scholarships for New York City students attending one of the schools on the program list. The Louisiana Smart Start Program awards full tuition scholarships to graduating high school seniors that will be attending any university within Louisiana.
Jackie Robinson Foundation
Jackie Robinson Foundation provides both monetary and academic support to its scholarship recipients. The mentorship style methods of the JRF has resulted in a proven track record of success, with a 99% graduation rate among students selected for the program.
General Electric (GE)/LULAC Scholarship
General Electric (GE)/LULAC Scholarship supports students pursuing the fields of business and/or engineering. Selection for the $5,000.00 scholarship is based on a wide variety of factors including academic performance, writing skill, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides selected students with much more than just financial assistance. The company has built a culture around the goal of nurturing responsible, intelligent, motivated, service oriented leaders.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development
Davidson Institute for Talent Development is a high profile scholarship program offering scholarships of $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000 to students who have completed a significant piece of work in mathematics, science, technology, music, literature, and philosophy. The program even has an “outside the box” category to make sure no significant works slip through the cracks on a technicality.
Gates Millenium Scholars
Gates Millenium Scholars awards scholarships to 1,000 students every year. The scholarship applies to each year of school through graduation. The awards vary based on financial need.
Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search is a competition which provides distinguished students with the opportunity to earn substantial scholarships. The grand prize is a $100,000 scholarship, but all thirty finalists are guaranteed to receive at least a $7,500.00 scholarship.
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Ron Brown Scholar Program is a program for African American high school seniors. Students selected for the scholarship receive $10,000 annually toward the cost of higher education.
Seimens Foundation
Seimens Foundation awards over $7 million in scholarships annually. Scholarships are awarded both to math competition winners and students who have excelled in advanced placement programs.
U.S Bank Scholarship Program
U.S Bank Scholarship Program offers 40 $1,000 scholarships through its program. Applicants must be high school seniors, planning to enroll in two or four year accredited institutions and must be U.S. Residents or Permanent Resident Aliens. The scholarships are awarded based on random selection.
IES Abroad
IES Abroad is a scholarship program open to students in attendance at a historically black college or university. The scholarships are for students seeking to pursue study abroad programs. The award amount is $2,000, five hundred of which is for the plane ticket, and the remaining $1,500 goes toward the cost of the program.
Entertainment Software Association Foundation
Entertainment Software Association Foundation is a program designed to help women and minority students pursue an education and career in computer and video game arts.
AXA Achievement Scholarship
AXA Achievement Scholarship gives $10,000 scholarships to selected winners from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Ten are also selected as national winners and receive an extra $15,000 one time scholarship.
IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative
IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative is an undergraduate engineering scholarship that awards $2,000 for the first two years and $3,000 for the third year of undergraduate education. The scholarships are available only to students that have declared as their major either electrical or computer engineering.
Scholarship Programs of Fisher House Foundation
Scholarship Programs of Fisher House Foundation is a scholarship program for the children of military personnel. The students may be the children of either active service or retired military personnel and the amount of the award is $1,500.
Education Matters Scholarship 2013
Education Matters Scholarship 2013 is sponsored by the ScholarshipExperts.com. The scholarship is $5,000 and can be applied for by students aged 13 and over to be awarded when they enroll in higher education. Applicants write a 250 word essay on why education matters.
National Space Club’s Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Scholarship
National Space Club’s Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Scholarship is given with the intent of encouraging students to think about the possibilities for scientific impact afforded by space exploration. the amount of the single annual scholarship is $10,000.
Washington Crossing Foundation
Washington Crossing Foundation is designed to perpetuate the principles on which the United States was founded and provide a scholarship to bright students seeking to pursue a career in government service. The award amounts range from $500.00 to $10,000.00. The number of students awarded the scholarship each year varies.
Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship Program
Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship Program is designed to single out future leaders that have stepped up into leadership positions and promote American values even while still in the process of earning their undergraduate degree.
Scripps Howard Foundation
Scripps Howard Foundation seeks to accomplish two goals with their scholarships, the first, to reward the accomplishments of the selected applicants, and the second, to invest in their potential. The foundation awards many different scholarships, some are one time only, others are ongoing throughout the life of the student’s undergraduate education. The number of scholarships awarded and the amount of awards vary.