Scholarships for High School Juniors

If you haven’t been pushed by your teachers to begin applying for scholarships while you’re still a student in high school, we’re here to remind you that it’s not too late to start! Beginning your search for scholarships your junior year is an opportunity to get ahead of the game. Junior year is filled with a lot of important additions to your educational future. Though many students wait until their senior year to begin searching for scholarships, planning in your 11th year gives you more time and a higher potential of snagging an awesome scholarship (aka saving money!), providing you with a healthy start to your financial future. We’re all about preparation and saving time. Check out our list of scholarship opportunities for high school juniors below!

Jump to this section:

• College Scholarships for High School Juniors
• When to Start Applying for Scholarships
• Can a Junior in High School Apply for Scholarships?
• When Should a Junior Start Applying for Scholarships

College Scholarships for High School Juniors

Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship

Best-selling authors on education, Gen and Kelly Tanabe pay it forward with this $1,000 scholarship for students pursuing their college degree. High school, undergraduate, graduate, and incoming adult students who are currently in school or planning to start school within the next 12 months can apply. Students must also be legal residents of the U.S. Please see the scholarship website for more information.

Amount: $1,000

Christian College Scholarship

The Christian Connector Scholarship is available for students enrolling for the first time as a full-time student at a Christ-centered Christian college, university, or Bible college. High school juniors looking to attend one of these colleges are encouraged to apply as well. Head to the scholarship website to learn more!

Amount: $2,500

ScholarshipPoints $2,500 Scholarship

Monthly, members of the ScholarshipPoints program win a $2,500 scholarship while three members win a $1,000 scholarship. That is a lot of scholarship money up for grabs! Get automatically entered into the next $2,500 scholarship drawing simply by signing up today.

Amount: $2,500

ACF Visionary Scholarship

The American College Foundation (ACF) offers the annual Visionary Scholarship program to aid students in every grade level of high school. The ACF awards vary from $1,000 to $5,000. Financial need is not considered, so this scholarship is available for students of all backgrounds! Check out the scholarship website for more details.

Amount: $1,000 - $5,000

Niche No Essay Scholarship

The $2,000 "No Essay" Scholarship is exactly what it sounds like, a way to get $2,000 for school without having to write an essay. This scholarship is awarded monthly, and you can apply once each month. It is open to both high school and college students. Please visit the scholarship provider's website for full details.

Amount: $2,000

Zest for Cooking Scholarship

Wanting to go to culinary school or very passionate about cooking? If so, the Zest for Cooking Scholarship may be for you. It was created for aspiring chefs who want to continue expressing themselves through their culinary work. Selection criteria include creativity, passion, ambition, and vision. Find out more on the scholarship website.

Amount: $650

Unigo Flavor of the Month Scholarship

July is National Ice Cream Month and Unigo’s “Flavor of the Month” Scholarship is an opportunity for you share what ice cream flavor best reflects your personality and why. It is definitely one of the sweetest scholarships out there. For more details on how to apply, please visit the scholarship website.

Amount: $1,500

Share Your Dream No-Essay Scholarship

This is definitely a one-of-a-kind scholarship. The Share Your Dream scholarship was created for all students who want to share what a day in the life would look like at their dream job by creating a Tik Tok video. Check out the scholarship website to find out how to submit your video for a chance to win.

Amount: $1,000

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations Scholarship

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations Scholarship was created to reward high school students who are doing important volunteer work to advance racial equity and race relations within their school or community. High school students (9th through 12th graders) can apply for this scholarship and learn more about it on the scholarship website.

Amount: $1,000

Nikhil Desai “Perspective Scholarship”

Created for anyone who has had one moment in their life shift their perspective and perception on what it means to live, this scholarship is for students who feel they have a story to share. There is a preference for first-generation Americans or first-generation college students; however, essay quality is the most significant factor. Visit the scholarship website for more details on the scholarship essay and when to apply.

Amount: $1,000

Next College Student Athlete No-Essay Scholarship

This scholarship was created in partnership with NCSA, as an opportunity for students to apply not only for cash, but also being automatically registered for NCSA, which helps student-athletes get recruited by college coaches. Check out the scholarship website to read more about this scholarship and learn how to apply.

Amount: $1,000

Bold No Essay Scholarship

The $25,000 Be Bold No-Essay Scholarship is awarded annually to an applicant with the boldest profile on bold.org. To the organization, being bold means being earnest, determined, and moving. The student whose profile is the most bold, based on these characteristics, will be awarded the $25,000 scholarship. Check out the scholarship website for more information on this scholarship.

Amount: $25,000

When to Start Applying for Scholarships

A good time to start applying for scholarships is junior year. There are many scholarships available for graduating high school seniors; in addition, many seniors are awarded scholarships based on their achievements leading up to their senior year. This is especially the case with some highly competitive awards like the Coca-Cola Scholarship. Searching for scholarships during your junior year will help you get a grasp on the opportunities that you might be eligible now or within the next year. However, searching earlier than junior year isn’t a bad idea either.

Can a Junior in High School Apply for Scholarships?

Absolutely! Be sure when you are conducting your scholarship search, to check eligibility requirements for the application. Some are available to students as young as 13 years old (like our $10k scholarship), and the possibilities are quite endless when it comes to scholarships. They are available for students at various ages and varying levels of education.

When Should a Junior Start Applying for Scholarships

Now! Most students wait until their senior year to begin even searching. Get ahead and begin your search today! Your best course of action may be meeting with your high school counselor or a close teacher and asking for help in starting your scholarship search. There are plenty of scholarship search engines and resource hubs (like StudentScholarshipSearch.com) that can help you get ahead, and stay ahead. Your future self will thank you!

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