List of Scholarships for High School Seniors

In these times of economic uncertainty, acquiring higher education is the best way to assure gainful employment. Getting higher education however isn't easy with rising cost of tuition fees making it difficult for a large percentage of the population. For students from low income families scholarships are the most viable option of continuing education as the financial reward received in the form of scholarship need not be repaid. If you are looking for education scholarships, one of the resources for information is the financial aid office of your college, they will have a list of scholarships for high school seniors. It is advisable that you find a scholarship program which has an eligibility criteria for which you qualify and then apply, also make sure that you apply for as many scholarships as you can. Applying for many scholarships will increase the chances of getting one and the financial reward will be worth the effort.

List of Scholarships

Discover Scholarship Program
This program awards up to USD 250,000 annually and has helped many students with their goal of achieving higher education. The Discover program awards up to 10 scholarships each amounting to USD 25,000 every year. One of the academic eligibility criteria requires students to have a 2.75 GPA for the 9th and 10th grade. Students are also required to showcase leadership qualities and commitment to community service to qualify for the rewards program.

John F Kennedy
Students are required to write a thousand word essay depicting political courage, the essay should be based on the John F Kennedy's book 'Profiles in Courage'. Unlike most other essay based scholarships which offer small rewards, the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage award is for a cool USD 10,000. Students should write a creative and original essay based on their understanding of the book.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation
This is one of the merit based scholarships for high school seniors and students can enter the program by taking the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or Preliminary SAT. Students who are looking to enroll in full-time courses are only eligible for this program. Other selection criteria involves recommendation letters and leadership qualities possessed by the student.

AXA Achievement Program
This scholarship program by the AXA foundation focuses on the student's personal accomplishments when giving out rewards. A student for each state is chosen for the scholarship award which ranges from USD 25,000 to USD 10,000. The AXA foundation gives away more than 1.3 million dollars worth of scholarships every year, more information about application deadlines is available on the AXA equitable website.

AFSA Scholarship Program
The American Fire Sprinkler Association scholarship program offers 10 students USD 2,000 each under its high school senior scholarship contest. To be eligible for the program students are required to give an online test. The test involves reading an essay and answering 10 multiple choice questions. Students who are US citizens or legal residents can apply for this scholarship program.

The federal Government also offers education grants to students from low income families. These need based scholarships have helped many students across the nation irrespective of their ethnic background. One of the requirements for qualifying for these grants is filling the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Some of the federal education grant programs are:

• Pell Grant
• SMART Grant
• Teach Grant
• Academic Competitiveness Grant

Several business organizations also offer scholarships to deserving candidates and these programs generally extend for specific fields of study or are applicable to accredited colleges. Here is a list of scholarships for high school seniors:

• Toyota Community Scholars Award
• Coca Cola Scholars Foundation
• Gates Millennium Scholars Program
• Bank of America Scholarship
• Jim McKay Memorial Scholarship
• Youth Foundation Scholarship

A scholarship is a better option than a student loan as you do not have to repay the financial aid received. Lot of people don't apply for scholarships as they think it's too much work but be assured the financial reward is well worth the effort.