As a high school or college student, you’re probably aware that one of the most draining aspects of the scholarship application process is writing essays. Specifically, writing unique essays for each individual scholarship you apply to that you may or may not receive.
However, if the thought of writing dozens of essays is stressing you out —- don’t worry. There’s one type of scholarship that doesn’t require written essays and can be applied for without the stressful and time-consuming effort that comes with writing, editing, and polishing essays.
Enter the no-essay scholarship. As you might have guessed from the name, no-essay scholarships are easy-to-apply-for scholarships that don’t require you to write an essay to be considered. Though it may sound too good to be true, becoming familiar with this amazing type of scholarship could result in you saving a substantial amount of money on your higher education career.
What Is a No Essay Scholarship?
Whether you’re a high school student getting a headstart on the college application process or a returning university student excited for the new semester, it’s important to know what type of funding options are available to you.
Because, let’s face it, a college education is expensive these days. As such, a working knowledge of all of the scholarships, grants, and loans available to you can save you some serious cash.
But, you must be aware of some key differences between the various funding options available to you.
What Are Your Financial Aid Options?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what types of financial options you can expect to utilize for your higher education tuition:
Loans: College and university loans are portions of money you’re given to utilize for your education-related expenses that you’re required to pay back at a later date. Some loans are unsubsidized, meaning they’ll start accruing interest from the moment you receive them, while others are subsidized, meaning you’ll typically have a grace period before interest starts to accrue.
Grants: College grants are portions of financial aid awarded to students based on their financial need. Unlike loans, these financial awards do not need to be repaid.
Scholarships: University scholarships, much like grants, are financial aid awarded to students that don’t need to be repaid. Unlike grants, however, scholarships are awarded to students based on their academic performance and extracurricular achievements.
Scholarships vs. Loans vs. Grants
As you’ve probably realized, receiving as many grants and scholarships as possible —- as opposed to loans —- is the best way to save money while pursuing higher education. However, not all financial aid is created equal. In particular, scholarships have varying degrees of requirements you must meet in order to qualify for consideration.
Thankfully, for those of you who are short on time and battling a heavy workload, the scholarship application process doesn’t have to be draining. No essay scholarships, also known as sweepstakes or no-brainer scholarships, are scholarships that you can apply for without writing an essay.
Scholarships Without Essays
Typically, organizations offering no-essay scholarships will take criteria such as academic achievements, extracurricular experience, and other student accomplishments into account to determine who will receive their financial aid awards.
In some cases —- especially when it comes to online applications —- organizations will have no-essay scholarship applicants fill out a simple form. And, whether you’re a high school junior or a college grad student, you know how much less effort that is than having to write an entire essay.
Now that you’re aware of just how easy it is to apply for no-essay scholarships, there’s no excuse not to start blasting out some applications! And if you’re worried about not knowing where to start —- don’t be. We have loads of resources that you can access from right here, so you don’t have to put any extra effort into searching across the internet for the best no-essay scholarships.
Are No Essay Scholarships Legit?
If you’re like most college students, you’re probably wondering if no-essay scholarships are legit. Fortunately, they’re not only legit, but they’re also effortless and uncomplicated to apply for. It’ll probably come as no surprise that some other names for these types of scholarships are sweepstakes scholarships and no-brainer scholarships.
In a way, these scholarships are like contests because it’s kind of like putting your name in a hat and hoping that it gets chosen. And —- if you do win — you’ll be able to put your financial awards toward things like books, tuition, fees, and other education-related expenses.
Tips for Essay-Free Scholarships
However, you should be aware that not all no-essay scholarships are in fact legit. Just like in many other industries, scammers are posing as credible organizations in attempts to dupe students and steal private information. Fortunately, there are some key strategies you can utilize to steer clear of any suspect no-brainer scholarships out there.
Here are a few ways to make sure that the scholarship you’re applying to is legit:
Scholarships do not come with fees. The only thing you might have to spend on is a postage stamp. So, make sure you say “no way” to a no essay scholarship with an upfront fee.
You should fill out any application yourself even if it’s only a simple form. You want to control who you give your information to.
Awards that don’t ask for essays aren’t always sure wins. . If a company claims to guarantee you a scholarship, think twice.
Check the source. Some scammers may want to sell your contact info. Look to see how they notify winners and what kind of track record they have
Are There No Essay Scholarships for High School Students?
If you’re a high school student, you’re probably wondering if you should be applying for no essay scholarships as you ready yourself for your higher education career. Thankfully, as a high school student, you have access to a wide variety of easy scholarships that require no essay just like your college-aged counterparts.
Even if you’re only a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you can start applying for no essay scholarships that will help you pay for your college education. Given the many different organizations out there offering no essay scholarships, you can start investing in your college career without having to add too much to your high school workload.
Scholarships With No Essay
To make the most out of your efforts, it can help to be mindful of which no essay scholarships you’re applying for. However, which ones are right for you will depend on your unique workload and availability as a high school student.
For example, if you’re struggling to keep up with your current high school workload, you may want to spend your time applying for simple no essay scholarships that only require you to fill out a simple application form. Conversely, if you don’t currently have a lot of commitments, you may want to spend your time applying for no essay scholarships that require extra tasks, content, or information.&
Typically, the scholarships you’ll be eligible for as a high school student will depend on a variety of unique factors about yourself.
Some key types of scholarships you can apply for as a high school student include:
Scholarships for academic achievements
Scholarships for students from minority groups
Scholarships for sports
Scholarships based on location
Scholarships for family members of military professionals
By homing in on your unique accomplishments, interests, and attributes, you have an opportunity to find a wide range of no essay scholarships that you can potentially win. This being the case, you should apply for all of the no-brainer scholarships at your disposal even if you don’t think you have a chance of being awarded.
By being proactive and taking advantage of these scholarships as a high school student, you have the opportunity to save a significant amount of money on your higher education.
What’s Different About Scholarships With No Essays?
Typically, those who receive no essay, or sweepstake, scholarships can show organizations that they’re in financial need or have achieved laudable academic or extracurricular accomplishments.
Educational institutions can be a great resource for finding legit no-brainer scholarships to apply to. You can also tap into resources, such as the National Center for Education Statistics and Federal Student Aid. Beyond this, credible websites like Unigo are amazing, consistently updated resources that can simplify and streamline your process of applying for no essay scholarships.
Essay Scholarships vs. No Essay Scholarships
Obviously, the biggest difference between no essay scholarships and other types of scholarships is the fact that applicants don’t have to write an essay to be eligible for a financial award. However, this doesn’t mean that all no essay scholarships only require a form.
While some no essay scholarships only require you to fill out a simple application form and truly resemble a sweepstake, others do require additional content, information, or actions. This could be anything from a personalized video to a social media post tagging the organization providing the award.
However, if you’re interested in spending as little time and effort as possible applying for academic scholarships, you can easily find what you’re looking for with no essay scholarships. By understanding the key differences between different types of scholarships, you can significantly streamline your overall scholarship application process.
8 Scholarships Without Essays You Should Apply For In 2024
Ready to save a sizable amount of cash on your college tuition? If so, check out these easy, no-essay requirement scholarships that could drastically reduce your higher education out-of-pocket costs. Just fill out a short form in a few minutes and apply to as many as you want to increase your chances of earning one.
Niche Monthly Scholarships
Ascent Community Champions Scholarship
Nitro College Scholarship
ScholarshipPoints $1,000 Monthly Scholarship
DoSomething Scholarships
ScholarshipOwl You Deserve It Scholarship
Cappex Easy Money Scholarship
CollegeXpress Monthly Scholarship
When You Should Apply for No Essay Scholarships
Whether you’re just starting high school or you’re well into your college career, the truth is it’s never a bad time to start applying for no essay scholarships. While many high school students wait until their junior and senior years to start the scholarship application process, high school students can start applying as early as freshman year.
What’s important for you to be aware of —- regardless of what point of your educational career you’re in —- is the unique deadlines of each scholarship. There are scores of different organizations out there offering scholarships. Just like some require essays and some don’t, some have short, strict deadlines while others allow students to apply year-round.
Keeping the fact that each scholarship application is different in mind, it’s always a good idea to start the scholarship application process as soon as possible. This allows you more time to apply to more no essay scholarships which will ultimately increase your chances of securing a substantial amount of financial aid.
Scholarships for High School Seniors: No Essay
If you’re a high school student worrying if you’re too young to start the scholarship process, you don’t have to be. Though it’s not as common, young high school students are more than welcome to take advantage of a wide variety of no-brainer scholarships whose application processes don’t take substantial amounts of time or energy.
Scholarships for College Students: No Essay
If you’re already a college student, there’s no reason for you to think it’s too late to apply for no essay scholarships. You’re eligible to apply to scores of no-brainer scholarships throughout your college career. In other words, you can take advantage of opportunities to decrease your college tuition without having to add to your likely already heavy college workload.
So, no matter what point in your academic career you find yourself in, it’s always a great idea to explore your options and start applying for all of the low-effort no essay scholarships you can.
At Scholarships360, our mission is to help students find and fund their postsecondary education. We know that students have a variety of educational and career interests and aspirations. That is why we are offering the “Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship. This scholarship aims to support all current postsecondary students, regardless of the type of education they are pursuing. Thus, no matter your own unique educational path, we hope you apply for this $500 scholarship. In order to apply for the “Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship, students must submit an essay about their career ambitions. As it is our goal to help out all types of postsecondary students who are actively looking for ways to fund their higher education journey, this $500 scholarship will be awarded to students based on both the quality of their essays and quantity of scholarships applied for on the Scholarships360 platform.
The $25,000 “Be Bold” Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile.
To us, boldest does not mean “best”, or “most accomplished”. Being bold means being:
– Earnest
– Determined
– Moving
The scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.
Furthermore, this scholarship will be similar to the many easy scholarships available on Bold.org in that it will favor students who apply earlier—who are bold and seize the day without procrastinating.
When people start seeing dollar signs, they can become blind to the more important things in life.
We each get a precious, short time on earth, and there can be tremendous pressure to spend the majority of it focused on money. This scholarship exists to help a student or graduate worry a little bit less about money each month, and to help them get a bit of time back to focus on the important things.
ScholarshipOwl prides itself on making applying for scholarships easier than ever.This sweepstakes is available for all U.S. students who are ages 16 and older and are high school or college students. Each month a monetary award is offered. Click here to learn more and apply today!
The $2,000 No Essay Scholarship is an easy scholarship with no essay required! The scholarship can be used to cover tuition, housing, books, or any education-related expenses. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced in Niche’s e-newsletter and on the Scholarship Winners page. You can apply once each month, with a new winner selected every month.
Check out Niche’s $2,000 March Scholarship. No essay is required. Apply today!
This scholarship is available to high school seniors from select states. The Student-View Scholarship is a unique opportunity for high school seniors. It is open to all students regardless of academic achievement or financial need.
The MUD Makeup Scholarship is available for new or current cosmetology, esthetics, or makeup students who have not completed more than fifty percent (50%) of their coursework. Student must be attending or enrolled at a MUD Partner School. Click here to learn more and apply today!
Crossword Hobbyist offers a scholarship to a current or incoming undergraduate student who will be enrolled for the upcoming fall semester. Instead of a typical essay, Crossword Scholarship applicants create and submit one 15×15 newspaper-style crossword puzzle on the provider site. Learn more and apply today!
As part of our efforts to “Build People and Deliver Joy” Frozen Dessert Supplies is happy to present the following scholarship opportunity: FDS will award $500 to two college students each year. Applying for this scholarship is simple. All you have to do is send in a 15 second video that is engaging in some way. The video can be witty, inspiring, interesting, or artistic. It must be 15 seconds or shorter, and must involve frozen dessert/coffee. Applicants must be high school seniors, or currently enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education. Winners will be chosen on August 31, 2023. (Funds will be sent directly to your school.)
