Updated: April 16, 2025

Literature Scholarships

You’ve never written a paper that’s received lower than an A. You’d rather curl up with a good book than watch television. Your friends regularly come to you for writing advice. Sound familiar? If so, you’ve probably already considered majoring in English or journalism when you enter college but have you added literature to that list? Given your interests, you definitely should!

Continue reading the article below the scholarship list.

25 Literature Scholarships with Approaching Deadlines

  • 1

  • Marjorie Stonehill English Journalism and Creative Arts Scholarship

  • Amount$3,000
  • DeadlineJanuary 24, 2026

No matter your talents, abilities and passions, the Community Foundation of Boone County wants to help you use them to pursue your higher education dreams. Since 1991, CFBC has awarded over $7 million in scholarships to local students. Our donors believe in the value of higher education and how it can change a life. Through their generosity and passion, we are able to offer scholarships to

  • 2

  • Davidson Fellows Scholarship

  • Amount$100,000
  • DeadlineFebruary 12, 2026

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is awarded to gifted and high-achieving students, 18 years old or younger, who have completed a significant project or body of work. With increased award amounts for this year, scholarships of $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 are available to recognize outstanding accomplishments in various fields. Scholarship Details Award amounts: $100,000, $50,000, and

  • 3

  • Hope College Distinguised Artist Awards- Creative Writing

  • Amount$12,000
  • DeadlineFebruary 16, 2026

We do everything we can to make sure that a Hope College experience provides great value at an affordable rate. This focus has earned the College recognition as a Best Value by Kiplinger's Personal Finance and Forbes’ Top Colleges, and inclusion in such books as Colleges That Change Lives and Putting Students First. Our students tell us that the financial aid they received made their dream of

  • 4

  • Hope College Distinguished Artist Awards - Theatre

  • Amount$12,000
  • DeadlineFebruary 16, 2026

Hope honors talented artists in the areas of creative writing, dance, music, theater and the visual arts. You’ll need to audition or submit a portfolio. The Distinguished Artist Award in theatre is for high school seniors and transfer students who intend to enroll at Hope College in the upcoming Fall. Renewable for four years, the Distinguished Artist Awards (DAA) provides eligible incoming art,

  • 5

  • GRCF Ladies Literary Club Scholarship

  • Amount$5,000
  • DeadlineMarch 1, 2026

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation's Ladies Literary Club Scholarship is offered to a resident of Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Allegan, Montcalm or Barry County majoring in Literary Arts at any accredited Michigan college or university. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA. Scholarship recipients are selected by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation (GRCF) and applicants follow the GRCF process.

  • 6

  • Iowa Scholarships for the Arts

  • Amount$4,000
  • DeadlineApril 1, 2026

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs empowers Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. Throughout our generosity, financial aid is offered. Iowa Scholarship for the Arts is an award to help support student's future arts education. Applicants must be outstanding Iowa high school seniors who

  • 7

  • Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship

  • Amount$8,000
  • DeadlineApril 15, 2026

The Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship's mission is to empower exceptional graduating high school seniors from King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties in Washington state by providing financial support for their college education within the state. Scholarship Details Available to graduating seniors from public high schools in certain counties in Washington state Scholarships are renewable for

Literature majors must take a wide variety of classes but typically focus their coursework on a specific topic, like Irish literature or the work of 18th-century authors. Those interested in studying comparative literature – or the literature of at least two cultures or languages – will also have to take a number of foreign language, history and anthropology classes to broaden their understanding. Creative writing is another popular concentration because it allows students to study works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenwriting, to name a few. And the career opportunities after college are just as varied as the subject matter studied: Literature majors have gone on to hold careers in library science, advertising, politics and law.

To complete these studies, access to financial aid is a necessity and there are plenty of places to find it. Start with your school: Michigan State University provides access to some excellent literature scholarships (including opportunities abroad), as do the University of Utah, San Jose State University, San Diego State University and George Washington University. Professional organizations like the Children’s Literature Association and the American Comparative Literature Association are also great places to look for literature scholarships, as there are many membership perks. And of course there’s Scholarships.com! We’ve posted several literature scholarships below but there are plenty more in our database that you will also be eligible for (think: essay scholarships to showcase your excellent writing skills) so complete a free scholarship search today!