Although most high school scholarships are for high school seniors, high school junior year is an excellent time to apply for scholarships, both because many scholarships for high school seniors are also open to high school juniors and also because numerous significant scholarships are, in fact, exclusively for high school juniors, excluding even seniors. That is, this is the second most popular time to apply for college scholarships other than the senior year, and you must certainly start your search at this point. This will also prepare you for the senior year's more rigorous applications later.
read moreScholarships provided on this page are specifically for high school juniors. Check out our other categories, and especially scholarships for high school seniors, as well, so that you can prepare in advance for the scholarships you can qualify for next year too, of course after having applied first for scholarships for high school juniors.
For high school juniors who have taken the PSAT/NMSQT exam. One of the most widely known scholarships for high school students, specifically juniors (though with some exceptions), approximately 8,000 students receive about $2,500 each to be used for college expenses. Some of these, sponsored by corporations, are called Corporate Sponsored Merit Scholarships.
Students are automatically entered into this competition when they take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Students take the exams in the year specified by their respective high school, which usually corresponds to the junior year. Although 8,000 students receive the scholarship, about 50,000 students are recognized as Commended Students, who may receive special scholarships by corporations.
For high school juniors (or seniors) who have been holding a student office. They must have been elected to this office. This includes: student body president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, student council representative, student representative to district, regional or state organization. Each year, there are more than 100 winners, each receiving about $10,000 for College, as well as being fully reimbursed for a seven-day trip to Washington, DC.
While, strictly speaking, these scholarships are for both juniors and seniors, you are highly encouraged to apply in your junior year, so that your application stays open for two years, doubling your changes. For an application, reach out to your 'state selection contact'. In addition to the $10,000 scholarship, you get to observe the national government in action via an all-expense-paid trip to DC.
For high school students who have a vision to transform their community - or the world - through innovative projects that address societal and economic challenges. There are various awards available, many of which are worth $5,000, while top prizes, of which there are many, are $15,000 each, which come in addition to an all-expense-paid trip to the headquarters of Prudential in Newark, NJ, where students acquire skills in coaching to help with their projects.
While this competition is technically for all students between ages of 14 to 18, a demographic that includes high school juniors, the junior year is a great time to apply, given the amount awarded and given how many previous high school juniors seem to have won this award in the past. This is different from the Prudential Spirit of Community scholarships mentioned on our other pages which is smaller in amount and whose national and state honorees are not eligible to apply for this. So time the applications for the two accordingly over different years in high school.
For advanced high school students, including juniors, who have a talent in the arts, or more specifically in one of the following ten disciplines: classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice, and writing. There are various awards, ranging from $250 to $10,000. In addition, nominees for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are determined from among the winners of these awards.
These awards are a great choice for high school juniors to apply for, especially if they have an artistic ability in the disciplines specified by the committee (though seniors and sophomores can also apply). The winners will not only get cash awards, but will also access certain privileges which will help them advance their artistic careers, as well as giving them a shot at being a U.S. Presidential Scholar, the nominees for which are all chosen from among the winners of these awards.
Specifically for high school juniors, this extremely generous scholarship targets those juniors who are academically successful and have an interest in public policy. Applicants must show an appreciation for the characteristics of Calvin Coolidge, the forgotten President of the U.S., most important among which were 'humility' and 'leadership'. Multiple scholarships are available each year, covering the student's full college tuition and fees, as well as room and board, for the entire period of four years of study. Even a stipend of books and supplies is included.
This scholarship is specifically for high school juniors to apply for, despite being one of the most generous scholarships ever, potentially covering up to $100,000 per year for a total of four years of college study. There are no restrictions on college or discipline to study, and even if you are not one of the winners of the biggest scholarships, you can still win smaller amounts.
Exclusively for high school juniors, these prestigious scholarships aim to assist students who are committed to community involvement and have demonstrated both academic achievement and financial need. There are almost 2,000 awards available each year, many worth about $25,000 each. While academic achievement is expected, a high GPA is not needed (2.00 is ok).
While primarily targeting high school juniors, these scholarships have, in recent years, been made available for seniors as well. There is much benefit in applying in the junior year, however, as this will give you a second shot the following year, and you will be able to secure a substantial college scholarship already in the junior year. Also, they have recently added new scholarships, including the Norman Vincent Peale Award, Walter Scott Jr. Award and the Visionary Philanthropy Award.
For innovative and creative high school juniors (and seniors) who submit a two-minute video in which the student outlines the story of his or her life's passion. This could comprise a short film, animation or a simple testimonial. More than 100 scholarships are available every year, each mostly between $5,000 to $25,000. There is also a renewal program, whereby previous recipients can apply for a renewal of their scholarship.
This is a wonderful target as a scholarship for a high school junior to apply for, although, strictly speaking, these can also be applied for by high school seniors, as the actual requirement is an age requirement of being 16 and above. As a junior, you will have two shots at getting these, and will also be able to prepare for the next year's competition. Finally, these scholarships are open to anyone, not just to those associated with Taco Bell employees, who have a separate scholarship to apply for.
For high school juniors who plan to attend an eligible college or university (one of 166 top colleges and universities in the U.S.) and are willing to commit to eight years of military service, four of which being active duty. These are great scholarships that pay full tuition and fees, especially if you're interested in the three different groupings of disciplines of study represented in their criteria.
High school junior year is the best time to apply for these scholarships, as the requirement is to send transcripts including grades of the junior year (and before). There are three tiers of fields, and 85% of the scholarships are awarded to the first two tiers, mostly engineering and other STEM. Quite a few scholarships are also awarded to students who intend to study certain critical areas of the world and critical languages
For high-achieving high school juniors with a service and entrepreneurial focus. While the amount of the scholarship is only $1,000, it should be kept in mind that these are for high school juniors and juniors alone, and lots of awards are awarded every year. Named after Alexander Hamilton, one of our nation's founding fathers, this scholarship also comes with a number of non-cash awards, such as participation in the organization's years-long 'empowerment program', at no cost to the student awardees.
Specifically for high school juniors, these scholarships are highly prestigious and help awardees in multiple ways, in addition to providing them with a cash award. In strategizing for your application, we highly suggest that you go through their list of previous winners, which includes a diverse array of students from all around the U.S.
These highly prestigious scholarships are for high school juniors and seniors with an interest in the sciences, most broadly defined (see below). There are more than 600 scholarships given directly by the foundation at both regional and national levels. The regional awards range from $500 to $3,000 in each of the 21 science categories specified, while the national awards range from $50,000 to $75,000. On top of these, there is also the Special Awards Program, which has an additional $4 million worth of awards, providing cash or tuition scholarships, often by corporations or educational or professional institutions.
While, as the name of the award suggests, these are science-based scholarships, there are many categories of science your entry can qualify for, including behavioral and social sciences, along with math, chemistry, physics, biology, geography, animal and plant sciences, etc. Additionally, the junior year is the best time to apply, followed by the senior year, for you qualify for the greatest number of awards possible (although you may qualify for some regional awards at other grade levels as well).
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.