20 Easy Scholarships for College

If you’re running short on time and cash, finding easy scholarships for college is the answer. Easy scholarships are programs that gift free tuition money with minimal eligibility criteria. This can be refreshing after completing the harrowing college application process. Easy scholarships usually don’t require:

  • pestering teachers for recommendations
  • answering hundreds of questions
  • creating a resume of service activities

Many don’t even have a GPA requirement! Choosing scholarships with short and sweet applications will leave you more time to find extra funding and maximize your chance of winning. Below we shine the spotlight on 20 generous easy college scholarship options that are fun, engaging, and uncomplicated.

Locating the Top Easy Scholarships for College

1. All About Education Scholarship

Deadline: April 30th

Unigo Group offers the All About Education Scholarship for $3,000 annually. It goes to high school students at least 13 years old who will be enrolling full-time at an accredited post-secondary institution in the United States or District of Columbia in the next six years. To enter, applicants must submit a short online application with 250 words or less describing how education can truly change a person’s life.

Contact

All About Education Scholarship
5300 Meadows Road Suite 320
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
support@unigogroup.com
Scholarship Link

2. Bounce Energy “BE More” Scholarship

Deadline: June 30th

The Bounce Energy”BE More” Scholarship is valued at $2,500. It’s awarded to three high school seniors and college undergraduates who live or attend school in Texas. Eligible students must:

  • be under 24 years old
  • have lived in Texas at least six months
  • maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale

For these easy scholarships, participants must submit a short, 500-word essay stating why they consider themselves more than just students.

Contact

Bounce Energy “BE More” Scholarship
P.O. Box 8387
Houston, TX 77288
(888) 452-6862
BEscholarship@directenergy.com
Scholarship Link

3. Chris Meyer Memorial French Scholarship

Deadline: April 1st

For students under age 18, Abbey Road grants the Chris Meyer Memorial French Scholarship. It covers full or partial tuition to attend the four-week French Homestay and Immersion Program in St-Laurent. Qualified applicants must :

  • be accepted at an accredited four-year U.S. college
  • wish to study abroad
  • exhibit extra-curricular performance in the French language
  • be involved in community service

Simply writing a brief personal statement about your future career plans will qualify you.

Contact

Chris Meyer Memorial French Scholarship
8266 Foundation Avenue Suite B
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(888) 462-2239
info@goabbeyroad.com
Scholarship Link

4. College JumpStart Scholarship

Deadline: October 17th

The College JumpStart Scholarship program is open to high school, college, and non-traditional students who are planning to attend an accredited two- or four-year U.S. college. For the $1,000 easy scholarship, eligible U.S. citizens or legal residents must show commitment to earning education for the betterment of their family and community. The 14-question online application must include a brief 250-word statement outlining their post-secondary goals.

Contact

College JumpStart Scholarship
4546 B10 El Camino Real
Los Altos, CA 94022
admin@jumpstart-scholarship.net
Scholarship Link

5. Common Knowledge Challenge Scholarships

Deadline: Varies

The Common Knowledge Challenge Scholarships range from $250 to $2,500. They’re available to high school, college, and graduate students who take various quick quizzes. Registered students earn 500 points per correct answer with one point deducted for each second taken. Top-scoring students advance to the state and national championship rounds for easy college money. Upcoming quizzes will test knowledge in:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Health Professions.
Contact

Common Knowledge Challenge Scholarships
PO Box 290361
Davie, FL 33329
(305) 699-2573
info@cksf.org
Scholarship Link

6. Courage to Grow Scholarship

Deadline: Monthly

The Courage to Grow Scholarship competition is held monthly. It awards one $500 scholarships to a worthy high school junior, senior, or college undergraduate. It must be students who need financial support to overcome barriers to higher education. To qualify, candidates must:

  • be U.S. citizens
  • be accepted at accredited colleges or universities
  • maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA

Applying simply requires typing in personal data and writing a 250-word paragraph about why you should be chosen.

Contact

Courage to Grow Scholarship
P.O. Box 2507
Chelan, WA 98816
(509) 731-3056
Support@CourageToGrowScholarship.com
Scholarship Link

7. Discover Card Tribute Award

Deadline: February 28th

One of the easiest college scholarships to apply for is the Discover Card Tribute Award. It’s open to high school seniors and undergraduate students at least 16 years old. They must be planning to attend a participating U.S. institution. They can enter the sweepstakes by simply signing up. Three bonus entries are awarded when you share the contest on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email

Discover will randomly select 10 winners every quarter to receive $2,500 in free tuition money.

Contact

Discover Card Tribute Award
P.O. Box 30947
Salt Lake City, UT 84130
(800) 788-3368
info@applyists.com
Scholarship Link

8. DoSomething’s Easy Scholarships

Deadline: Varies

To help promote social change, DoSomething.com has created several Easy Scholarships that reward community service. The scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000. For instance, the Birthday Mail campaign provides $5K to college students who design a birthday card for a homeless child. The Faces of Immigration contest rewards $3K to students posting a selfie that combats anti-immigrant hate. Any U.S. or Canadian students under 25 years old are eligible.

Contact

DoSomething’s Easy Scholarships
19 West 21st Street 8th Floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 254-2390
scholarships@dosomething.org
Scholarship Link

9. Everything is Awesome Scholarship

Deadline: August 7th

The Power Poetry Foundation presents the Everything is Awesome Scholarship Slam annually. It makes awards of $1,000 to high school seniors or current college students under 25. After registering as a member, students must write a poem that describes something or someone that’s awesome. These positivity poems must be posted and tagged on social media. Poems with 50 or more shares will be considered.

Contact

Everything is Awesome Scholarship
61 West Superior Street
Chicago IL 60654
(312) 787-7070
help@powerpoetry.org
Scholarship Link

10. Life Lessons Scholarship Program

Deadline: March 1st

The Life Lessons Scholarship Program is sponsored by Pacific Life Foundation. It provides awards from $5,000 to $15,000 for college students and college-bound high school seniors living in the U.S. or Canada. Entering is easy. Applicants simply need to submit a 500-word essay or three-minute video addressing how the death of a parent or guardian affected their life financially and emotionally. Online entries must be 100 percent original and not subject to copyright.

Contact

Life Lessons Scholarship Program
1655 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209
(888) 573-3777
info@lifehappens.org
Scholarship Link

11. National Merit Scholarship

Deadline: None

The National Merit Scholarship Program offers to high school students who are taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). This is done automatically without an extra application. Qualified recipients must:

  • be currently enrolled high school students
  • progress normally toward graduation
  • plan to enroll full-time in college
  • have U.S. citizenship or lawful residency

The highest PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores will reap $2,000 college scholarships.

Contact

National Merit Scholarship
1560 Sherman Avenue Suite 200
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-5100
ScholarshipAdmin@nmerit.net
Scholarship Link

12. National Ten-Minute Play Contest

Deadline: November 1st

Leading to the $1,000 Ted Heideman Award, the National Ten-Minute Play Contest is held yearly by the Actors Theatre of Louisville. It’s for young playwrights who submit a typed, stapled script no more than 10 pages long. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. They must write original plays centered on characters aged 18 to 28. Winners will also have their ten-minute plays performed by the theatre’s Apprentice Company.

Contact

National Ten-Minute Play Contest
316 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 371-095
contest@actorstheatre.org
Scholarship Link

13. Odenza Marketing Group Scholarship

Deadline: September 30th

The Odenza Marketing Group Scholarship is $500. It’s presented every spring and fall semester to high school seniors and college students. They must be age 16 to 25 and need extra funding to attend an accredited post-secondary school. Eligible candidates must:

  • be U.S. or Canadian citizens
  • have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
  • have at least one full year of college remaining

The short online application requires writing a 500-word statement about which global city would most benefit your career.

Contact

Odenza Marketing Group Scholarship
4445 Eastgate Mall Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 560-8775
Scholarship Link

14. Out of the Easy College Scholarship

Deadline: June 15th

The Out of the Easy College Scholarship offered by Penguin Group USA is open to young writers.  Eligible entrants for the $5,000 prize must be full-time matriculated 12th grade students aged 17 and 18. They must be attending high schools in the United States and Puerto Rico. The only required submission is a three-page essay comparing the journey of characters in “Out of the Easy” to your own personal journey preparing for college.

Contact

Out of the Easy College Scholarship
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-2000
schoolandlibrary@us.penguingroup.com
Scholarship Link

15. Replace My Contacts Academic Scholarship

Deadline: April 15th

The Replace My Contacts Academic Scholarship competition is open yearly. It awards $1,000 to U.S. citizens who are enrolled full-time as:

  • high school seniors
  • college freshmen
  • sophomores
  • juniors

Qualified participants must be planning to study full-time at an accredited four-year university in a bachelor’s program. Students simply write a 500-word essay about contact lenses or contacts and their vision for the future.

Contact

Replace My Contacts Academic Scholarship
4119 Mauch Chunk Road
Coplay, PA 18037
(888) 727-5367
customercare@replacemycontacts.com
Scholarship Link

16. Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship

Deadline: January 30th

Digital Responsibility created the Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship because young adults spend an average of 7.5 hours daily using computers and mobile devices. For these $1,000 easy scholarships for college, you simply have to create a 140-character Tweet about the negative effects of too much technology time. Applicants can be:

  • high school students
  • undergraduate stuents
  • graduate students

They must be living legally in the United States.

Contact

Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship
3561 Homestead Road #113
Santa Clara, CA 95051
scholarship@digitalresponsibility.org
Scholarship Link

17. U.S. Bank Scholarship Program

Deadline: September 30th

The U.S. Bank Scholarship Program offers a whopping $20,000. It’s open to U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants who have been accepted for full-time undergraduate study at accredited junior and senior colleges. Participants must complete the “Financial Genius for Life” program. It consists of eight 15-minute tutorials about finance essentials. After passing each module’s quiz, students are entered into the scholarship sweepstakes for random selection.

Contact

U.S. Bank Scholarship Program
7630 Bush Lake Road
Minneapolis, MN 55439
(800) 242-1200
Scholarship Link

18. WyzAnt College Scholarship Contest

Deadline: May 1st

Each year, the WyzAnt College Scholarship Contest sponsors its essay writing competition. Awards are:

  • $2,000 for third place
  • $3,000 for second place
  • $10,000 for first place

Eligible U.S. residents at least 16 years old who expect to attend college in the next two years can enter. Submissions must be well-written essays of 300 words or less. The essays describe a person who has inspired the applicant’s pursuit for education. Finalists are chosen by online popular vote.

Contact

WyzAnt College Scholarship Contest
1714 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
(312) 646-6365
info@wyzant.com
Scholarship Link

19. Verbal Ink Transcription Services Scholarship

Deadline: April 15th

Verbal Ink Transcription Services provides an easy $1,500 scholarship. It’s renewable for four years. It’s open to graduating high school seniors or college freshmen who are enrolling full-time at accredited U.S. higher learning institutions. They must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. To apply, students simply email:

  • a transcript
  • college acceptance letter
  • 500-word essay sharing a story about how language has helped find their voice.
Contact

Verbal Ink Transcription Services Scholarship
11835 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(877) 983-7225
scholarship@verbalink.com
Scholarship Link

20. Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship

Deadline: October 31st

Another of the easy scholarships sponsored by Unigo Group is the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship. For $2,000, students must imagine their school has been overrun with Zombies. They create a short 250-word plan of action to stay alive. This includes the top five things they’d bring for defense. It’s open to high school and college students over 13 years old. They must legally reside in the United States and plan to enroll full-time at an accredited university may apply.

Contact

Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
5300 Meadows Road Suite 320
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
support@unigogroup.com
Scholarship Link

Many legitimate scholarships can be applied for within minutes. However, it’s important that you watch out for scams. Avoid falling victim to con-artists by verifying the authenticity of scholarship programs. Beware any organizations that don’t list ample contact information and exist solely online. Steer clear of scholarship sweepstakes that promise tuition help after you pay up.

Don’t give out personal information that’s irrelevant to the scholarship. Sharing SAT scores and GPAs is fine. Your social security and bank numbers must remain confidential. Stay safe by applying for these 20 easy college scholarship options that are trusted for handing out lumps of financial aid.

GCD Staff

Related:

This concludes our review of the top easy scholarships for college.

Find Your Degree!