When to Apply for Scholarships: A Comprehensive Guide

It’s no secret that college is expensive, but one easy way to offset the cost is by applying for and winning scholarships. There are billions of dollars in free money available for students every year, and new awards are being offered all the time. Scholarships, both federal and privately funded, are one of the best ways to pay for college because, unlike loans, they don’t have to be paid back, and there are plenty of opportunities out there for all kinds of students. So, when should you start looking for scholarships? The short answer is: whenever you can-and before the deadlines. And even though scholarship deadlines vary, looking for what scholarships are available is an anytime conversation.

The Importance of Starting Early

If you think looking for college scholarships is just for high school seniors, think again! There are scholarships available for students of all ages-even elementary school students. Our best advice? Start early and search often. Think of it this way: if you know you want to go to college, why wouldn’t you start looking for ways to earn money to pay for that now? By starting early, you may be able to rack up a few awards before you even enter your senior year. Ideally, you should start applying to scholarships ASAP-even at the beginning of your freshman year of high school. Sure, college may feel like it’s a long way away, but there’s no such thing as starting a college fund too early.

The Federal Student Aid recommends that students begin applying for scholarships during the summer break before their final academic year of high school, but applying even earlier can make them eligible for many scholarships. Submitting applications from an early high school age allows students to become comfortable with applying for scholarships. By the time they come to their junior and senior years, students will know how to apply for college scholarships, how to meet scholarship deadlines, and how to write strong scholarship essays.

Planning ahead for a college education can significantly ease the financial burden later on. Additionally, throughout the year, your child can build their competitiveness for scholarships. There are numerous scholarship opportunities available at different educational levels, so keeping an organized list and understanding application deadlines is crucial.

Scholarship Availability and Where to Find Them

There are many scholarship opportunities available for new college students, but you have to know where to look. From merit-based scholarships to athletic scholarships, Bold.org offers a wide range of scholarships available to students of all education levels and backgrounds. And yet, with so many available scholarships, it can be difficult to find scholarships that you are eligible for.

Read also: UCF Application Strategies

In order to have the best chances of winning scholarship money, students are encouraged to apply for college scholarships with several requirements. The more criteria there are in order for students to apply, the fewer people will apply, making your chances of winning free money that much higher.

Scholarship Finders and Databases

Scholarship finders are an excellent-and free-resource to begin your search. After filling in your profile and basic information, you’ll get results for the awards that you specifically qualify for. This means you don’t have to sift through the rules yourself and waste time on awards that you can’t even apply for. College Raptor’s Scholarship Search Tool does the heavy lifting for you and helps you identify the best awards for you! Bold.org is a great place to start your scholarship search. There, you can find groups of scholarships that are tailored specifically to you. There are categories by state, ethnicity, education level, major, background, identity, hobbies, and so on. In these categories and on the scholarship search page, you can find merit scholarships, need-based scholarships, and a variety of private scholarships that can provide excellent financial aid.

High School Guidance Counselors

Many guidance counselors will have lists of local and national scholarships for students. Your High School: Many guidance counselors will have lists of local and national scholarships for students.

Local Organizations

Many community groups, religious organizations, and businesses often offer scholarships to local students.

Scholarship Deadlines and Timing

The real answer to the question, “When should I start looking and applying for scholarships?” is: Before the due date. But how else can you improve your chances of winning the awards beyond submitting your application before the deadline? Scholarship deadlines will be clearly written in the award’s description. So, when you’re on the hunt for awards you qualify for, make sure to keep track of each of their deadlines in a spreadsheet or planner.

Read also: College SAT Deadlines

Scholarship deadlines are year-round, so there’s no real universal deadline for these types of financial aid awards. Applying after the due date is a surefire way to get a rejection-if you can even still submit your application. Remember, they are not like regular decision college applications where a majority are due on January 1st.

Scholarship Seasons

In The Scholarship System, we typically break up the year into 3 scholarship seasons: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Fall: Many scholarships have an opening date in the fall, especially if they’re going to be awarded for the following school year of college. In our experience, major deadline months include October and December. This is the “kick-off” of scholarship season for the following school year. For example, if it is August 2024, then most scholarships will open for the following school year. The holiday break is perfect timing to wrap up final applications for the year.
Spring: Springtime actually tends to be one of the more popular seasons for scholarships, with deadlines ranging anywhere between January and May. The spring semester is really the “high season” of scholarships. There are millions of dollars up for grabs throughout these months. Deadlines seem to be evenly spread throughout January to May. Just know, this is prime scholarship time and your child should certainly be working on them during these months! The end of winter break can be perfect for pinpointing your child wants to apply. They may even be able to submit some applications early. Additionally, spring break is a great time to knock out many of these.
Summer: June and July are the “final stretch” months where everyone is rushing to find final dollars for the fall. We have recently found more and more scholarships with later deadlines, which is great news for students! We actually started our own scholarship fund for our course members in summer 2016 and personally decided to have a late deadline. Still, if they are in need of some extra dollars for the fall, or if you are ahead of the game and your child is going to perhaps the following year or later, then do not ignore the process during June and July because there ARE scholarships out there with deadlines these months!

Strategies for Maximizing Your Chances

The biggest mistake high school and college students make when applying for scholarships? Waiting too long. Do not wait until the night before to start completing your scholarship application. The last thing you want is a technical issue, internet problems, or the last-minute realization that you need a recommendation.

Apply for Everything You Qualify For

Apply for all scholarships you qualify for-large and small. Many students skip over the smaller awards, but these add up if you win a few! Not every scholarship is open to everyone. While some scholarships are available to underclassmen. student, others will require specific qualifications, such as holding a certain GPA, being from a specific state, or meeting a specific financial requirement. However, even if lots of students meet the same criteria you do, you can still stand out with your personal essay.

Stay Organized

Get OrganizedYou can maximize your scholarship search by being organized. Some scholarships require several essays, letters of recommendation, a transcript and standardized test scores. Others may require a creative element, such as as poem or video. Some won’t be so labor intensive, but because each scholarship requires different pieces with varying deadlines, you need a way to keep everything in order, Laskaris says."Early planning, making a spreadsheet and coming up with a potential set of scholarships that you’ll apply to well in advance of the deadline is just going to leave you better positioned to go after these," Laskaris says.Checklists, organizational apps or planners are also useful, Warfield says.

Read also: High School College Applications

Complete the FAFSA

For awards that are need-based, aim to submit those applications after January 1st. These will often require you to have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the next school year to demonstrate your financial need. Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year. The key phrase here is every year. Another area you should be focusing on with a senior in high school? Whether you think you should submit it or not, you won’t want to miss out on this list on the NEW FAFSA CHANGES: 5 QUICK TIPS TO MAXIMIZE FINANCIAL AID.

Don't Give Up After High School

The hunt for scholarships doesn’t end after you graduate high school. Many awards are dedicated to students in college who are going after their undergraduate or graduate degrees and are not open to high school students. College students can continue applying for scholarships all the way through their senior year in COLLEGE. College students can apply during all 3 seasons.

Advice for Different Stages of Education

10th Grade or Younger: If your child is in 10th grade or younger, you may be surprised to they should be looking for scholarships. As I mentioned earlier, scholarships are available to children as young as 4 years old. While this may seem a bit early, it’s helpful to start looking now so you and your child know what you are getting into.
Junior Year: Junior year is the year of test-taking, college visits and so much more! This is also the time to start the scholarship search, as the junior and senior years are crucial for applying for scholarships. Just think: next year will be consumed with final test-taking, applying to colleges, FAFSA, AP classes, and more. While you’d think they will have time ‘next year’ to search for scholarships, their plate will only become fuller. So if you are considering waiting, don’t. The summer after their junior year is when they should start committing 2+ hours per week to the process.
Senior Year: Senior year is here! While there are plenty of items on both your and your child’s to-do lists, forgive me for sneaking just one more in - scholarship applications. While most students wait until the spring semester to start applying for scholarships, the early bird gets the worm. And that is certainly the case with scholarships! Already in the spring semester of their senior year? There are deadlines as late as July for the fall semester of college. While junior year and younger are focused primarily on getting involved and building competitiveness for scholarships, senior year should really be focused on fine-tuning their scholarship materials, developing a consistent system for applying, and knocking out the applications. It’s crunch time.
College Students: You are probably thinking, “Yeah right. My child already complains about how busy they are! There is no way I can add this on their plate!” If that’s the case, have them focus on scholarships over their breaks. If your child can cram during winter, spring, and summer break, they will then be able to focus on their studies throughout the school year. And best of all, it’ll actually HELP them focus during the school year because they won’t have the added stress of paying the bills each semester! And, just like seniors in high school, college students also need to focus on FAFSA because they have to resubmit it each year.

Important Reminders

Apply, Apply, Apply: The most important thing to remember? Apply, apply, apply. The more scholarships you apply for, the more likely you are to receive some aid.
Legitimate Scholarships Never Require Payment: Legit scholarships will NEVER require payment. Legit scholarships are transparent with applicants about required application materials, deadlines, and timelines. If something seems off, it probably is-so keep searching somewhere else.
Undocumented Students: In most cases, yes. Because of this requirement, undocumented students may be a bit more restricted in what they can apply for. However, if you’re an undocumented student, you can apply for scholarships that do not list a citizenship requirement or ask you to submit FAFSA information. You may be able to apply for certain scholarships that require FAFSA documentation once you’ve completed a state-based financial aid application (if your state offers it).
Gap Years: Potentially, yes. Some scholarships are only awarded to students transitioning directly from high school to college. If you already received a scholarship and are now considering taking a gap year, be sure to communicate clearly with the organization about your plans. We can help!
Scholarship Renewal: It depends. Some are granted only once, while others may be eligible for renewal each term or academic year depending on requirements such as grades, GPA, or the amount of credits you're taking (full-time vs. part-time).
Scholarship Acceptance by Colleges: Are scholarships universally accepted by all colleges? They should be. The organization may also send it directly to your college. If they can’t process it, be sure to talk to someone who represents the private scholarship as well as a financial aid officer at your school to troubleshoot.
Multiple Scholarships: Yes! Each will have different application requirements, so be sure to thoroughly read them before applying.
Essays: It depends on what you’re applying for. If you’re required to write an essay, you should receive clear instructions on how to write and submit it. Check in with the person who wrote you a letter of recommendation to give them a head’s up before submitting it.

Frequently Asked Questions About When to Apply for Scholarships

It's "never too early" to for high school students to seek out scholarships, but on the other hand, it's never too late to find college scholarships! High schoolers, undergraduates, and graduate students all have the opportunity to get financial aid, including various scholarships. But if you have questions about the best time to do so, keep reading for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding when to apply for scholarships.

What is the easiest scholarship to get?

When it comes to getting scholarships, much like is the case with schooling, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. So, while some scholarship applications may be easy to apply for, taking only a few clicks, it isn't necessarily the easiest to win. The broader the scholarship requirements, the more people will apply, especially in the case of easy, no-essay scholarships. These opportunities may be easier to apply for, but the easiest scholarships to get are the ones that have more eligibility requirements because fewer students will be applying.

How should I apply for scholarships?

Scholarships are offered through various mediums. Bold.org is an easy-to-use, free online scholarship program and a great resource for finding online scholarship applications. However, there are other scholarship opportunities available in your local community or through your school. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships in each of these categories so they can get a wide range of opportunities for financial aid. Speak with your school's financial aid office or talk with an advisor who can help you find the best opportunities for you.

When should I start applying for scholarships?

Although there is no "right time" to apply for scholarships, the earlier you begin your search, the better chances you have of finding scholarship applications designed for you with enough time to apply for them. So, in short, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Yes, the option for federal student aid is there, but you shouldn't have to subject yourself to a life of student debt when there is an abundance of financial resources available to you, especially through platforms like Bold.org so, if you've made the decision to go to college, begin your college scholarship search now and thank us later.

College or Scholarships First?

The first half of a student's senior year is usually dominated by college applications, but that doesn't mean scholarships have to wait. Students can start applying for scholarships at the same time as their college applications. Scholarships that aren't school-specific can be applied to whatever school you attend, so you don't need to wait until you're accepted to a college before applying for scholarships.

There are no official scholarship seasons, so if you wait until you are accepted to a school to begin applying, you will miss out on opportunities available earlier in the year. Senior year is an important time for scholarships, so as students lock in what school they want to attend, they are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships as they are reasonably able to.

Staying Ahead of the Game

Staying Ahead of the GameIt's "never too early" to for high school students to seek out scholarships, but on the other hand, it's never too late to find college scholarships! High schoolers, undergraduates, and graduate students all have the opportunity to get financial aid, including various scholarships.

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