Scholarships by Type

Scholarships.com offers you the best, most up-to-date and dynamically searchable scholarships to help you finance your college education. Searching for scholarships by type is a good way to start, though we recommend the first thing you do is conduct a free college scholarship search. Even if your financial aid letter came and you don't have to pay the full "sticker price", you're still responsible for footing the rest of the bill - which could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Before you take out any loans, spend some time searching for and applying for free scholarship money.

Student-Specific Scholarships

There is a scholarship for almost anything you can imagine. Whether you're a single mom or have strong religious convictions, have a passion for thinking "green" or love to dance, chances are there is at least one scholarship out there that you're eligible for. Make a list of your personal, unique attributes, and investigate the major organizations, local groups, and private corporations that may have educational funding. Cancer societies, for example, offer a large number of cancer scholarships for college students with a history of cancer. No matter what you enjoy doing or what makes you stand out, there will be a scholarship to reward you for simply being you.

The most common student-specific scholarships are scholarships for minorities. The Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship, for example, provides funding specifically to minority students pursuing a BS, MS or PhD in a technical science or engineering discipline. Also, scholarships for Hispanic students have become more available as Hispanic advocacy groups have begun to raise awareness about low numbers of Hispanic students going to college. International students should also feel confident about applying to American colleges, as there are existing scholarships reserved for them.

Unique Scholarships

Unique scholarships compensate unique hobbies, such as duck calling or speaking in Klingon, and are less competitive than needs-based or more high-profile scholarships. For example, not many people have a passion for creating prom attire out of duct tape. Consider your special qualities, and look into contacting local organizations that fit your profile. If you are looking into a field that is unique, look to your community for the field-relevant award you are pursuing. Look beyond your college application and your grades, and you may be eligible for funding in more than one place.

Browse through our list of scholarships by type to see some examples of awards you could be eligible for, and don’t forget to conduct a free scholarship search to see even more awards based on different criteria unique to your profile.

Some Examples:

• Academic Scholarships and Merit Scholarships

  Merit scholarships are often related to academic performance, but can also be given to a candidate displaying exceptional artistic or athletic success and skill, or even a combination of both.

• Community Service Scholarships

  Participating in community service activities as a high school student can be highly beneficial, and not just in acing a college interview. Students who get involved can expect to reap many benefits from their extracurricular work, than those who don't.

• First in Family Scholarships

  The road to a college degree is paved with countless detours for the average student but if you're the first in your family to choose that path, you should expect a road with even more twists and turns. There are scholarship designated to help first-in-family students in their academic pursuits.

• Leadership Scholarships

  Leadership scholarships are given to students with a proven record of commitment to their school, community or extracurricular activities. These scholarships are designed to reward student leaders who have served as heads of clubs, student bodies and more.

• Legacy Scholarships

  There are endless factors to consider when deciding what college is the right fit. So while your parents may have strong opinions on why their alma mater may be "the one," you may have another incentive for considering it - legacy scholarships.

• Military Scholarships

  Whether you are a member of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, there are a number of college scholarships and grants available for service members, veterans and their families.

• No Essay Scholarships

  Whether it's a scholarship sweepstakes, scholarship survey or a quick enter-to-win scholarship, there's one common characteristic shared by this type of scholarship: no essay required.

• Prestigious Scholarships

  Prestigious scholarships are known on a national, and often, on an international level. Winning prestigious scholarships not only cover college expenses, but are phenomenal for resumes and future references.

• Renewable Scholarships

  These scholarships are not a "one-and-done" deal. By meeting certain requirements, winners of renewable scholarships are able to guarantee more long-term, recurring scholarship assistance.

• Scholarships for Average Students

  Not every student is fated to find wild success in the world of academia; however, there are plenty of scholarships for students who will succeed in the real world.

• Scholarships for Men

  Men may be the minority when it comes to availability of scholarships, but here at Scholarships.com, we do have quite a few scholarships in our database.

• Scholarships for Moms

  For women that give, we want to give back. There are scholarships for mothers interested in competing in the corporate world and the like, and going back to school is a viable option.

• Weird Scholarships

  Students with unusual talents and interests often find themselves uniquely suited to art scholarships, creative scholarships, and many others that require "special" talents.

• Writing Scholarships

  To those with a knack for words and writing, there is a plethora of writing scholarships available at the tip of your pen. Scholarships are often awarded based on standard, basic, and fairly universal criteria.