$10,000 Scholarships

Are There Really $10,000 Scholarships? Many providers offer generous $10,000 scholarships. Unlike a loan, you do not need to pay the $10K back. And, you may use the money for college tuition, books, supplies and more. Some of the scholarship programs that award $10,000 prizes are contests. So, to win, you may need to do something creative. Like submit a video or write an awesome essay on a given topic. A perfect example is the Unigo 10K Scholarship. To apply you need to imagine a historical figure comes back to life. Then, in 250 words or less, describe who it is and what their favorite mobile app is. Yet other 10K scholarships are merit awards. These may reward students of specific majors (E.g. agriculture) who also have high grades. Or, whose record of leadership stands out. There are also need based awards. These scholarships award $10,000 to student’s who need help to afford college. So, for these you may have to fill out a FAFSA as part of your application. That said, each $10,000 scholarship comes with its own rules on how to qualify. To be eligible, you often need to be a U.S. citizen, and meet the specified age. Some providers also want to see that you are a current student in an accredited school. You may need to furnish transcripts and even a resume to apply. Are $10,000 Scholarships the Highest Paying? The highest paying scholarships are full ride scholarships. These tend to foot the entire bill for college. So, all four years of your tuition, housing, meals, books and supplies. Ten thousand dollars is still a lot for a scholarship though. Smaller scholarships may award from $50 to $500. Also, the average scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000. And the max you can get from a Federal Pell Grant is now $6,095. To give you an idea of how far a $10,000 scholarship can take you, look at the cost of attending college. At last check, undergrad tuition, fees, room, and board were around $17,237 at public colleges. Or, $44,551 at private nonprofit schools, and $25,431 at private for-profit schools.