Although most scholarships awarded to high schoolers are for high school seniors, or at least require you to be a junior, it is possible to apply for and secure a scholarship as a high school freshman. While many of these tend to be rather specific, awarded to one or two students across the nation, or require certain rare conditions, we have listed here only the most relevant scholarships, hand-picking those that will be of interest to the greatest number of high school freshmen, saving you valuable time in the process. You no longer have to go through thousands of resources, only to end up not being able to find a single scholarship that you can actually apply for as a freshman. Scroll down and start your search!
read moreScholarships provided on this page are specifically for high school freshmen. We have hand-picked every scholarship listed here, so that it is the most relevant for the utmost number of high school freshmen (excluding those requiring residence in a certain state, membership, special conditions, etc.) Browse through our other pages for more scholarships for high school freshmen.
For students who have been deeply involved in their community and people around them, especially those who are able to demonstrate having made significant difference to people and the environment. There are approximately 20 awards each year, of various levels, the highest ones being in the range of $10,000 each, to be used for higher education.
Many high school freshmen have traditionally received these scholarships, although higher levels can also apply (see testimonies on their website). There are three main criteria to get the scholarship, the most important of which being that the applicant must have shown leadership in organizing an outstanding service activity that has significantly benefited society..
For students who have successfully completed a significant project in one of the several pre-determined scholarly categories. For high school students, these categories are: (i) STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and (ii) humanities (literature, music and philosophy). There are approximately 20 awards every year, at $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000.
While, strictly speaking, these scholarships are for grades 9 to 12, many high school freshmen have traditionally been awarded one of these prestigious awards. Check out their website for the criteria, most important of which is for your work to have the potential to make a positive contribution to society (e.g. a new idea, an exceptional performance, a great discovery).
For young students who have proven their contributions to community service. First, local honorees are selected, followed by selection of two state honorees. Awards range from $1,000 to $6,000, depending on the level at which the student has become an honoree. State and national awardees also get an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, as well as an additional $5,000 (for national honorees) to be donated to a non-profit charity of their choice.
While this award is an excellent choice for high school freshmen, it is technically open to any student in grades 5 through 12. The freshman year in high school is still a great time to apply, for various reasons, such as the fact that many freshmen have traditionally received this award, and that Prudential has other scholarships that you can apply for, such as the Emerging Visionaries Scholarship (see our page for juniors), whose application should be in another year, as you cannot get both in the same year.
For optimistic high school students who can either deliver a good speech on a specific topic or write a great essay, again on a pre-determined topic, usually related to optimism. For example, the two recent topics for the oratorical and the essay competition have recently been the following respectively: "How to Change the World with Optimism" and "Optimism: How it Connects Us". Scholarship amounts vary, such as $1,000, $1,500, $2,500 and $22,500.
Whereas, strictly speaking, these scholarships are for any high school student, including some that are even in middle school, the freshman year in high school is likely the best time to apply, considering their previous freshman winners, as well as the fact that the competition helps you practice your writing and/or speaking skills, which could be handy in future years when applying for additional scholarships.
For young people, including high school freshmen, who have made efforts within the past 12 months towards eradicating hunger. They must have been in at least one volunteer and unpaid work within this period of time. Dozens of awards are available, with national winners earning at least $10,000 that can be used for future education (in addition to a $5,000 that can be donated to a hunger-related charity of their choice and an all-expense paid trip).
While these scholarships are technically for any student between the ages of 5 to 25, the freshman year of high school is an excellent time to apply and many past winners seem to have applied at this grade level. The funds will simply be placed in a 529 plan, for you to use in the future for College, likely increasing in amount by then. The all-expense-paid trip takes place on Marco Island, Florida.
For high school students at all grade levels, although freshmen have particularly been successful recently. While the application requires an essay, the topic is very general, i.e. on 'Why college is important to me', and is expected to be about 500 words. The scholarship amounts vary between $1,000 and $2,500. You will also need to complete an application form and add your high school transcripts, although there is no GPA requirement.
While this scholarship resource is for all high schoolers, the freshman year is one of the best times to apply for it, both because this will give you additional shots in the future and because most of the recent winners have been freshmen. In addition, given the amount, it is important to focus on these earlier on in high school, so that you can focus on scholarships with higher amounts later in the junior and senior years.
For students with artistic ability who redesign the Google logo for millions to see on Google.com, often on the basis of a pre-determined competition theme. Recent themes have included, "a future where anything is possible", "my best day ever", "what inspires me," etc. The national winner gets $55,000 in scholarships, in addition to $50,000 in tech for their school. There are various other awards for national and state winners, mostly at $5,000, in addition to non-monetary awards, such as Google hardware, and, most recently, special awards for Doodles that focus on sustainability, local community, playfulness and deep imagination.
While these scholarships are for any K-12 student, the freshman year in high school is a great time to apply, so you can reapply in the future, if needed, as multiple entries in the same year are not allowed. You can create your Doodle using any material you would like, including crayons, found objects, or virtual reality paintings, as well as utilizing audio or video technology
For high school students, grades 9 to 11, who excel academically and are also devoted to community service. Each scholarships is only worth about $1,000, but numerous scholarships are awarded, often without a cap. Students must have a recommendation from their principal, as well as a teacher.
These scholarships are perfect to apply for as a high school freshman. In fact, many apply for these even in the middle school, as, unlike the other scholarships listed on this page, these target younger students. As such, high school seniors do not qualify, and although the amount is low, since there are many scholarships available, it is a good one to target as a high school freshman
Targeting young high school students, these awards have several different sub-categories, most notably including (i) MyImpact Challenge Scholarships (worth at various levels, such as $1500, $2,500, $5,000, $7,500, $10,000), (ii) We the Students Essay Contest (anywhere between $500 to $5,000) and Think the Vote Scholarships (worth $1,000), along with other student fellowships. There are also some special scholarships exclusive to certain states.
Numerous high school freshmen have traditionally won these scholarships; their stories are covered on the Bill of Rights Institute's website. It should be noted though that some categories are open to students even younger than freshmen. Some categories require writing a very short generic essay, often related to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
NSHSS has numerous scholarships available for ideal for high school freshmen to apply for. These range from $500 to $2,000. Each has a different requirement of its own. For example, their 'research and academic paper' scholarship awards students writing a paper on a given topic, while their '18 Under 18' scholarships expect you to create a very short video, summarizing your passionate contribution to society and how you intend to use your passion for the greater good of the people around you or in the world in general.
Rather than being a single scholarship, this is a group of different scholarships that all have their own set of criteria and requirements, often very simple to satisfy. Most of these scholarship categories are for high school freshmen, along with some other grades in general. You should apply for all that are applicable. Although the amounts are on the lower side, this is a good beginning and provides you with much-needed practice for the scholarships journey already as a freshman.
On this page, you will find numerous scholarships that are specifically for high school seniors. This is when you qualify the most number of scholarships! Do not wait longer!
SHOW ME ↓This page is dedicated to scholarships that are for high school juniors, of which there are plenty. Some of these can be applied for by high school seniors as well.
SHOW ME ↓Here, you can find scholarships for high school sophomores, although some of them are available also to high schoolers at other levels. Start early!
SHOW ME ↓There are also scholarships are for high school freshmen! These are not as many in number as other grade levels, but provide a reason to start early.
SHOW ME ↓It is not too difficult to fully fund your college dream via scholarships. Once you have identified the right opportunities/matches among countless resources, an endeavor highscholarships.com makes easy for you, statistically speaking, even if you had a low success rate, you can fully fund a private college education.