Scholarships
By Carol Katarsky
Updated On
If you're drowning in scholarship essays, let us toss you a life raft: Here are seven scholarships that don’t require you to pen any long prose. Some of these do require you to submit some information about yourself and, in some instances, answer some questions or complete a few easy tasks. The key to success with these — and all scholarship applications — is to follow the instructions and submit your application before the deadlines. No essay scholarships are one of the quickest ways to secure money for your college tuition. They're usually incredibly easy to apply for, primarily because there's no essay component. Unlike typical scholarships, which are merit-based or need-based, no essay scholarships operate more like a sweepstakes or giveaway. Participants enter the scholarship contest and hope their name is drawn. Many scholarship programs pick a new winner monthly, while some operate on an annual basis.What are no essay scholarships?
If you want to avoid student loans or supplement your financial aid package, apply for these no essay scholarships for some easy cash.
Easy, no essay scholarships to add to your scholarship search
1. Nitro College Scholarship—$2,000
Next Deadline: End of the month, offered every month
The $2,000 Nitro College Scholarship is an opportunity for anyone enrolled in an accredited college or university for theupcoming school year. We know that college is a big step forward in achieving your goals and we want to help you get there using all the tools Nitro has to offer.
All you have to do is complete the no-essay application. It takes less than three minutes. Double your chances to win by having your parents or guardians apply, too!
2. You Deserve It Scholarship — $2,222
Deadline: End of the month, offered monthly
Sign up for a free account at ScholarshipOwl and you'll be entered for a chance to earn this scholarship.
Each month, the company selects a scholarship winner who can use the $2,222 scholarship for the upcoming school year. (Get it? 2222? For the year? Anyway...)
To be eligible, you have to be at least 16, a legal resident of the U.S., and enrolled in either an eligible high school or college/university. The form is simple: Just your name and contact info. But read the fine print—there's a checkbox that allows them to share your info with certain partners, but you don't have to click it to be eligible.
Bonus: ScholarshipOwl helps students find and apply for other school scholarships, so once you have an account to apply for their scholarship, it's worth looking a their scholarship page to see if you think they can help you find other opportunities. But you absolutely aren't required to use their services to be eligible for the You Deserve It scholarship.
3. Niche's $2,000 No-Essay College Scholarship
Deadline: End of every month, offered monthly
This $2,000 award is given out every month. To apply, just submit an application with some basic identifying information, your GPA, and SAT/ACT scores. Winners are determined by random selection, and you can submit a new application every month.
This scholarship is open to high schoolers, adults heading back to school, current college students, graduate students, and anyone else looking to attend college or graduate school within the next 12 months. Click here to apply for the scholarship.
4. The $1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship
Deadline: End of the month, offered every month
The $1,000 Cappex Easy College Money Scholarship has no essay and no minimum GPA requirements. To be eligible, you must be enrolled in high school or college or plan to enroll in college within the next 12 months. Simply complete an online Cappex profile and answer a short survey. You can apply for the scholarship every month.
5. CollegeXpress $10,000 Scholarship
Deadline:Rolling entry, offered annually
Do you have a first name? An email address? If so, and you use them to register for a free account at CollegeXpress, you could win a $10,000 scholarship.
Ok, ok, there are a few more requirements in the fine print. You also have to be at least 13 years old and enrolled in one of the site's 900+ participating colleges and universities for the upcoming school year.
Once you have an account, you can use the site's resources to research participating colleges and other scholarship opportunities. Or you can skip that and wait to see if you get a call about a big check.
6. DoSomething.org's $2,500 No Essay Scholarship program
Deadline: End of the month, offered every month.
DoSomething.org, a digital organization involved in hundreds of community service campaigns worldwide, offers two $2,500 no essay scholarships, available here. Applicants are free to apply to both scholarships.
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you have to be 25 years old or younger, a citizen of the U.S. or Canada, and complete the campaign associated with the scholarship. This isn't as time-intensive as it may initially seem, as some campaigns take just five minutes to complete.
7. Tallo's $1,000 'Interviews, Jobs, And Stuff' no essay scholarship
Deadline: End of the month, offered every month.
All you have to do to apply for Tallo's $1,000 scholarship is create an account, answer a few questions, and submit!
How to spot no essay scholarship scams
While there are a lot of legitimate no essay scholarship opportunities to go after, there are some companies with ill-intentions.
To avoid falling prey to scholarship scams:
- Never give out your banking information, social security number, or driver's license number.
- Search for past recipients online. Many organizations have a dedicated ‘past recipient’ page on their websites.
- Don't pay to apply for a scholarship. Real offers won't charge you anything to apply for or obtain a scholarship.
- Avoid organizations that 'guarantee' a scholarship.
FAQs:
Who can apply for no essay scholarships?
Generally, no essay scholarships are much less strict in terms of eligibility, though it varies from program to program. Many are open to anyone planning to go to college, including high school juniors and seniors, as well as both full-time and part-time college students.
Are there downsides to no essay scholarships?
Because no essay scholarships are usually pretty easy scholarships to apply for, you're likely going up against a wider pool of candidates. So, your chances of winning are a bit slimmer compared to scholarships that have a higher threshold to apply.
We still think it's worth it to apply to as many legitimate no essay scholarships you can find. They don't take much time to submit and if you win, it's essentially 'free money' you can use toward your higher education.
To increase your chances of winning, apply to no-essay scholarships as often as possible. Some scholarship providers will let you apply every month.
Are no essay scholarships legit?
A lot of no essay scholarships come from legitimate programs, but some companies do try to take advantage of high school and college students looking for scholarship money.
Most no essay scholarship programs ask for only your name, email, and phone number. To avoid falling victim to scholarship scams, don't ever give away your banking information, social security number, or driver's license number.
Don't forget to enter now for your chance to win Nitro’s $2,000 No Essay Scholarship.
Remember, scholarship money doesn't have to be paid back, so it's worth your time to apply for as many scholarships as possible. Good luck! If you want to find even more scholarship opportunities, check out our state-by-state guide.
Published in: Scholarships
