Understanding Scholarships for High School Juniors
Updated: December 8, 2023
Published: June 28, 2021
If you could get free money to help you pay for college, wouldn’t you want to? That’s exactly what scholarships for high school juniors are intended to do! For any student who wishes to earn an undergraduate degree, then junior year of high school is when it all starts to get real.
Keep reading to learn about some of the top scholarships for juniors in high school, as well as eligibility requirements for most scholarships.
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What is a Scholarship for Juniors in High School?
Unfortunately, many students think that they can only begin applying for scholarships in their senior year of high school. This means that they have already missed many opportunities to get free money and be granted scholarships during their junior year.
During your junior year (third year) of high school, you’ll be working on college applications. The process begins by deciding where you want to attend and then checking the school’s requirements for admission. Along with admissions requirements, you can get a sense of the cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, and supplies.
Once you have an idea of your budget and the total cost, you can better gauge how much you need to rely on financial aid to help afford the cost of college. As a junior, you can already start applying for scholarships.
Top 5 Scholarships for Juniors in High School [2021]
Here’s a list of nine of the best scholarships for juniors in high school to apply for in 2021. This is by no means a complete list of all of the scholarships available.
However, it’s a good starting point to learn more and begin applying for some or several of these opportunities listed.
The Bill of Rights Institute hosts a scholarship contest with deadlines in April for students to obtain a scholarship. The first place winner is awarded $7,500, runner-ups get $1,500 each, and ten honorable mentions receive $500 each. Judges review the essay prompt and look for the best work that adheres to the prompt, is strongly personal, original, organized, and demonstrates a skilled writing style. The essay is 500-800 words and must include citations. By May 31, winners are announced.
Let Grow’s Think for Yourself Scholarship began in 2018 and provides high school students with scholarship money for college. The first place winner receives $5,000, and runner ups get $1,000 each. Students can choose from a selection of prompts that must be answered in 500-800 words.
To win the Nitro College Student Scholarship of $2,000, you must be a resident of one of the 50 United States or District of Columbia and be 17 or older at the time of entry. The scholarship runs on a rolling basis, with deadlines monthly throughout the year that can be seen on the site.
The Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship awards $1,000 to the winner of the essay contest on a monthly basis. To apply, you must either currently be enrolled or intending to enroll in college in the next calendar year. Students who are looking to attend any type of college, including community college and online colleges are eligible.
The JFK library provides a Courage Essay contest to high school students in the United States who are in ninth through twelfth grade. Essays must be between 700-1,000 words and describe a political “act of courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917.” The first-place winner receives $10,000, second place gets $3,000, and five finalists receive $1,000 each. Eight semifinalists get $100 each and ten students get honorable mentions.
Tips for Applying for Scholarships as a High School Junior
If you’re a high school junior preparing to apply for a scholarship, consider these tried and true tips to boost your chances at earning a scholarship:
- First, perform research to find the scholarships that best align with your interests and strengths. If you choose local scholarships over national scholarships, you will boost your chances at being awarded.
- Read the rules diligently to make sure that you are following them. A small mistake may disqualify you from being considered.
- Know the different types of scholarships. Merit-based scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic or extracurricular success. Need-based scholarships are based on financial need.
- Start early enough to edit your application and get feedback from people you trust before submitting.
- Maximize your chances of winning free money for college by applying to as many scholarships as you can!
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Affordable Education Options
If you’re looking to attend an affordable institution of higher education, then consider applying to attend the University of the People. All of our degree programs are tuition-free, which makes them an affordable choice for anyone looking to earn their degree. At University of the People, our accredited, 100% online programs in Business Administration, Computer Science, Education, and Health Sciences are much more affordable than traditional in-person universities.
Final Thoughts
Scholarships for high school juniors exist so that students can receive the financial aid that they need to help afford a college education.
While it’s possible to wait until junior year to begin applying for scholarships, it’s actually never too early. Once you start high school, there are even scholarships available for freshmen, so you can get a head start on saving up for college.
Best of all, there’s a scholarship for anyone — you just have to do some research to find one that matches your situation!