Introduction
If you’re a student looking to earn a degree, you may be surprised to find out that scholarships are the best way to reduce your overall financial burden. Scholarships can help reduce your time in college by providing financial aid and other benefits. And there are even scholarships that can help pay off student loans or provide funding for graduate school. We’ve put together this list of 100+ scholarships for every passion based on our research and personal experience working with students who have earned these awards over the years:
Helping Consumers Navigate Their Financial Future
As a financial advisor, I help my clients navigate their financial future. I can help you with:
- Financial planning and investing
- Retirement planning
- Taxes and budgeting (including tax preparation)
- Insurance needs–life, disability, long-term care and health insurance policies
I also work with clients on debt management issues like bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy reorganization plans.
Scholarships for Every Passion
Scholarships are available for many different fields, interests and types of students. If you’re passionate about something, there’s a good chance that someone will be willing to pay you to pursue it.
Here are some examples:
- Engineering students can apply for the National Society of Professional Engineers’ annual scholarship competition. The organization gives out more than $300,000 in awards each year to students pursuing careers in engineering or related fields such as computer science or math.
- Students who have been accepted into medical school may be eligible for one of many scholarships offered by pharmaceutical companies like Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc and others; these scholarships range from $1,000-$10,000 per year (upwards of $50K total).
Scholarships aren’t just limited to traditional academic pursuits either–you might also qualify if you’re interested in studying fashion design at Parsons The New School For Design or writing poetry at Sarah Lawrence College!
Scholarships for Women
Women are underrepresented in many areas of study, work, research and education. This is especially true in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). Women make up only 24% of the workforce in these areas.
Women are also underrepresented in politics: they hold just over 20% of congressional seats and less than 25% of state legislative seats nationwide.
Scholarships for Minorities
In addition to financial aid, there are also scholarships available for minorities. The following list includes some of the most common scholarships for minority students:
- African American Scholarship Fund (AASF) – The AASF awards over $1 million each year in over 50 different categories, including music and art scholarships.
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) – HSF offers more than 100 different types of scholarships ranging from $500 per year up to full tuition coverage at an accredited four-year university or college. Some require an essay submission while others require transcripts or GPA information; however, all must be used within five years after graduation from high school as stipulated by federal law regarding Pell Grants.
Social Justice Scholarships
- Social Justice Scholarships
- Scholarships for students who want to work in the social justice field
- Scholarships for students who want to work on social justice issues
- Scholarships for students who want to work with groups that promote social justice
STEM Scholarships
STEM scholarships are for students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math. STEM careers can be very lucrative and are often in high demand. The National Science Foundation reports that there were over 1 million jobs available in 2016 for graduates with degrees related to STEM fields.
These scholarships can be a great way to help cover the cost of your education without taking out student loans or working full-time at an unrelated job during school hours (which may interfere with your studies). Some universities offer their own STEM scholarship programs for undergraduates; others require applicants to apply through external organizations like Scholarships4students Inc., which offers over $5 million annually in scholarship awards for undergraduate students nationwide who want help paying for college but don’t have access to other sources of funding such as financial aid packages from their schools’ financial aid offices–or even parents’ bank accounts!
Life-Changing Scholarship Opportunities from Your Local Community and More
For example, if you’re passionate about social justice and want to help others in need, check out The Unsung Hero Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded annually by the Latino Community Foundation and provides up to $5,000 for student loans or tuition costs.
The American Indian College Fund also offers scholarships specifically designed for Native Americans who are pursuing higher education degrees at tribal colleges or universities throughout the country. Applicants must be enrolled full time at one of these schools with at least 12 credits per semester (or 6-8 credits per quarter) and have a GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4-point scale as well as demonstrated financial need
Apply for scholarships now!
Scholarships can be found in many places and for many reasons. Some scholarships are offered by schools, while others are sponsored by businesses or organizations. If you’re applying for a scholarship, it’s important to know what kind of application process will be required before starting your search:
- Online applications are the easiest and most accessible way to apply for a scholarship because they allow you to submit all of your information at once without having to print anything out or mail it in. You can apply online through sites like Fastweb or Cappex, which have databases filled with thousands of opportunities from around the country (and even internationally).
- Offline applications require that you send in hard copies of any required forms along with any other materials requested by the organization awarding them (such as essays). These may take longer than online ones since they require more effort on behalf of both parties involved–you’ll need postage stamps if mailing them off yourself! But this method does provide greater privacy than submitting everything online would allow; no one else who happens upon these documents will know exactly where they came from unless there’s some identifying information included within them (e-mail addresses tend not come through very well).
Conclusion
We hope this list has been helpful in showing you just how many opportunities there are out there for students to pursue their passions and goals without having to worry about student debt. We also know that applying for scholarships can be a daunting task, but don’t worry!
