Easy Scholarships to Apply for 2023

Scholarships are one of the best ways for students to pay for college. While many scholarships require extensive applications and essays, others are more straightforward to apply for. While easy scholarships shouldn’t be the only scholarships you apply for, they are a valuable part of your scholarship search strategy.

You can apply to easy scholarships quickly, as they have few eligibility requirements and require only a brief essay (if they need any writing). Easy scholarships are often offered every month, which means you have multiple opportunities to apply.

Also read: Howard University Graduate Programs

Jump ahead to:

• Top easy scholarships in 2022
• Other easy scholarships
• Tips for students applying for easy scholarships
• Downsides to easy scholarships
• Additional scholarship categories
• Frequently asked questions

Keep reading to learn everything you need to find and win easy scholarships this year!

Top easy scholarships in 2023

$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, and graduate students
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: June 30, 2023

$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay

• Eligibility: High school, college, community college, and graduate students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

Niche $50,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

• Eligibility:  High school, college, and graduate students
• Amount: $50,000
• Deadline: December 14, 2022

$40,000 BigFuture Scholarships

• Eligibility: Open to US-based high school students in the class of 2023– no essay, minimum GPA, test score, or citizenship requirements.
• Award: Up to $40,000 per month
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

$2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship

• Eligibility:  High school and college students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

$2,000 Student-led Virtual Tour Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

The Happy Holidays Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

“Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
• Amount: $25,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: May 1, 2023

$5,000 Christian Connector Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be current high school freshmen, sophomores, or juniors interested in attending a Christian university or college.
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

$2,500 December ScholarshipPoints Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: December 31, 2022

$5,000 Graduate School Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all current and prospective graduate school students
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

$2,000 College Repayment Grant

• Eligibility: Open to college graduates who are paying back student loan debt. Parents who took out student loans for their graduating children are also eligible!
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

Annual Protestant Faith-Based College Scholarship

• Eligibility: Current high school freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in attending a Protestant university or college.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: May 31, 2023

Annual Catholic College Scholarship

• Eligibility: Current first-year high school students, sophomores, or juniors interested in attending a Catholic university or college.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: May 31, 2023

Lounge Lizard Web Design Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors through graduate students who submit a web design
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: February 19, 2023, and October 2023

CJ Pony Parts Scholarship Video Contest

• Eligibility: High school seniors who create a three-minute long video essay answering one of the given prompts about Mustang cars
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: October 15, 2023

Coca-Cola Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors who show potential for outstanding leadership in their schools and communities
• Amount: $20,000 for undergraduate study
• Deadline: October 31, 2022

Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Contest

• Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12
• Amount: $1,000 to $30,000 
• Deadline: October 31, 2023

Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who are 14 or older
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: October 31, 2023

Young Filmmakers Contest 

• Eligibility: Students in grades three up through age 25 who submit films of 3 to 8 minutes about our earth and sustainability 
• Amount: $200 to $2,000
• Deadline: June 25, 2023

Also read: Howard University Graduate Programs

Other scholarships

Discover Student Loans Scholarship Award

• Eligibility: Residents of the United States (including D.C. and the U.S. Territories) who are 16+ years of age
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: January 31, 2023

The 1st Financial Bank Financial Goals Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students who are in college and 18+ years old
• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

The “No Sweat” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students who are at least 13 years old
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

Education Matters Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who are 14 or older
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

Top Ten List Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who are 14 or older
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

Unigo $10k Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who are 14 or older
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2023

I Have A Dream Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to all students who are 14 or older
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: January 31, 2023

Tips for students applying for easy scholarships

Apply early and often

The best strategy for applying to easy scholarships is to cast a wide net. You’re less likely to win any given easy scholarship because the application is “easy,” and there are more applicants. So, the best way to help your chances is to apply to many opportunities since each application takes minimal time and effort. 

Applying to easy scholarships is great, but you should spend a good amount of time on more involved applications. You have a much better chance of winning scholarship money with a well-crafted application to an opportunity that suits you than a random drawing, which is how many easy scholarships pick their winners. If you’re looking for a place to start looking for more specific scholarships, try out our free scholarship search tool to browse custom-matched, vetted opportunities, updated daily!

Expect a lot of emails.

Easy scholarships are a great way to put your name in the ring for scholarship money without taking too much time on your applications. But remember that each opportunity you apply for will request your contact information. Most of the time, you will sign up for a mailing list with each application you submit. You might get monthly, weekly, or even daily emails from the scholarship organization.

Many people use two separate email accounts: one for personal communication with friends, family, and professional relationships, and another to manage the emails they receive from businesses, from their banks, and from newsletters they subscribe to. Making a separate email can be a great way to manage the influx of mail you will begin to receive if you apply for a lot of easy scholarships.

Consider no essay scholarships.

If you’re in the market for easy scholarships, don’t neglect our list of no-essay scholarships for college. Our easy scholarships involve little in the way of application materials, but some of them have a short essay or response. These no-essay scholarships don’t require any reaction, and you can easily sit down and apply to many of them.

Be wary of scholarship scams.

There are a great many scholarship scams out there, but they are especially common among easy scholarships. Remember to do some investigation before you send off your application to any organization. You should never submit personal information that could be used for identity theft and never pay an application fee to enter a contest. For more information on the matter, check out our article on how to avoid scholarship scams.

Downsides to easy scholarships

The biggest drawback of easy scholarships is that many students can apply. This means your chances of winning are lower than scholarships with essays and other specific criteria. Many of these scholarships are more similar to a contest than a true scholarship competition based on merit or talent. You may also be opting into receiving marketing materials and offerings from the scholarship providers, so be aware of that if you are asked to opt in!