The average student owes 25,000 in student loans. And tuitions across the nation are rising because of leaner state budgets that deny funding to education. Scholarships have always been more attractive than student loans, but the work required to apply for the top most competitive ones are unappealing to most people. If you’re not into writing tons of essays and simply don’t have time spending hours in after school programs, finding Easy Scholarships that don’t require much work are lifesavers. Check out a few of the Easy Scholarships I found that’ll help you avoid huge debts after graduation. Also, in addition to these, be sure to check out the list of Easy Scholarships that I’ve compiled that will substantially increase your cash flow while in school.
Sweepstake Scholarships
One of the Easiest Scholarships to enter are the ones that choose winners randomly. Usually you just fill out a form with some information, be sure you meet any requirements like having to be enrolled at a university within a specific time period and are old enough. Then just sit and wait. Of course, you’d probably want to do this in combination with more traditional Scholarships (the ones where you write essays or join after school clubs), but if you’re really determined, you’d want to enter as many Scholarship programs as possible. Below are a few Easy Sweepstake Scholarships that make funding for school fun and simple.
Wells Fargo
The Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Scholarship is a drawing that gives you the chance to win $1,000 to lighten the weight of a hefty higher education pricetag. They give out 20 Scholarships to high school students and college students each. The Sweepstakes for college students is titled Student Education Resources. Your odds are dependant on how many entries there are, so cross your fingers!
CollegeProwler.com
This is another Easy Scholarship based on a random drawing. They have a new drawing each month so you can apply 12 times in a year. This is available to all students whether in high school or college. It’s also available to adults planning to enroll in college within 12 months. The Scholarship amount is $2,000. There’s no fee for applying so no need to worry about being scammed. If you don’t win one month, just apply the next month and keep applying until you win. You have to be at least 13 to enter so to increase your chances of winning start early! May require a bit of persistence, but it’s real easy.
They also have a college survey Scholarship for college students; all you do is review the school your attending and you’re entered for a chance at one grand. And if you’re a high school student searching for a university and have not completed a profile, just complete one and earn a chance another Scholarship.
EducationStart.org
This Scholarship awards $3,000 to applicants who are selected at random. They have a general Scholarship as well as Scholarships for people pursuing nursing or business degrees. The site is owned by Vantage Media, a vertical performance marketing company, who own a number of similar websites aimed at attracting a particular set of consumers, i.e. students, to universities. They don’t require a fee or ask any credit information so don’t worry about being scammed, but since this is from a marketing company you might get a lot of spam email. If you’re really in a crunch for money this can be remedied with the spam button on most email accounts or simply creating a new email for one-time use. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to give this one a shot.
SunTrust Sweepstakes Scholarship
The SunTrust Off To College Scholarship lets you apply once every drawing period or every two weeks since that’s how long a drawing period lasts. Winners will receive $1,000 toward higher education expenses. You Obviously have more chances of winning this one, but you’d have to remember to keep applying every two weeks. There’s more detail at the website.
The Sallie Mae College Answer Scholarship Sweepstakes
They have two versions of this Scholarship; one for a student worth 1,000 dollars, and another for a parent of a student worth $10,000. They also allow guidance counselors and financial aid officers to enter for a chance to win funds for their school. One person is chosen at random each month to receive the Scholarship. The cool thing about this is that if you hadn’t enrolled in a school within 30 days of winning the Sweepstakes, they’ll send you a check instead. It’s not like most Scholarships that require you to be enrolled in a university in order to receive the money.
Trivia Question Scholarships
What was the first domain every registered? Which band created the first ever App Album? If you know the answers to these questions then a trivia Scholarship might be your ticket to reducing higher education expenses. If not, don’t worry, the trivia Scholarships listed below give you plenty of chances. If you’re tired of searching and applying for those run-of-the-mill essay Scholarships, a different approach to earning free money for school might be the break you need. Listed below are a few Easy Scholarships that simply require you to answer trivia questions for a chance to win. And by the way, the answers are Symbolics and Bjork’s Biophilia.
CollegeProwler
Besides the Scholarship Sweepstakes from CollegeProwler, this site include an app that gives you trivia questions for a chance to win $1,000. If you own a smartphone and feel your fairly knowledgeable about random information, then this might be for you!
Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation
If you’re good with pop quizzes, CKSF is a Scholarship program that allows any student from high school to graduate to earn money by answering pop quizzes. You have to be at least 14 years old, but if you’re a parent you can register and take pop quizes on your child’s behalf. There are no essay’s required, one registration gives you a lifetime of Scholarship oppurtunities. Again, persistence is key.
Zinch
Zinch has a weekly Three-Sentence Essay Contest to those who give the best answer to a given question every week. The questions are pretty simple; like if you found 100 dollars, which charity would you give it too. They give you a maximum of 280 characters to answer (approximately three sentences), and you have to fill out a small form with an About me, an Academics, an Interests and a Contacts section. They announce the winners on their blog and Facebook page every Monday.
Zinch functions as a site for students who feel they’re “more than a test score”. They have a blog with info aimed to assist students with college search, finding majors and college advice from their ambassadors (other college students). All you do is fill out a profile and they’ll try to match you with Scholarships and colleges while keeping it fun and lively.
Easy Scholarships From the Government
Most of these Scholarships are directed toward people who require financial support to some degree. They often have a low GPA criteria, some as low as 2.0, and require nothing but proof of your financial situation. Since education is crucial to the success of any nation’s ability to compete on a global scale, the government offers aid to as many underprivileged students as possible. A college degree will vastly improve anyones quality of life since all the higher paying jobs are within reach, and that in-turn will improve the nations economy as a result.
Federal Student Aid (FSA) offers a general Pell Grant for those in the low to middle income bracket, and will vary depending on need. FSA also offers Grants specific to majors like mathematics, technology, engineering or computer science. And if you’re planning a teaching career and are determined to be in financial need, the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant will fund your college expenses with your agreement to actually becoming a teacher. So if you find yourself in an extreme financial situation, the US Gov. has a lifeline out there for you.
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill was created in 1944 to help returning WWII veterans pay for college and buy new homes. Since then it’s been tweaked and adjusted to add benefits for peacetime servicemembers, an increased monthly stipend and extra assistance for those wounded during war.
After the Sept 11th attacks, the G.I. Bill had been modified to include all fees and tuition for in-state education and a cap of 17,500 yearly to private or foreign institutions of higher education. Other changes include National Guard servicemembers who were on active duty on or after Sept. 11th being able to receive benefits from the G.I. Bill and a monthly stipend of 673.50 to those receiving education from an online university. The Military Scholarships for Spouses program allows any unused portion of the G.I. Bill to be used by their spouses to help pay for college. And if the servicemember has more than 10 years, those benefits can be transferred to a child.
More Easy Scholarships
Another site dedicated to matching students with colleges and scholarships is Cappex . All you need is a profile and a hunger for higher education and you’ll receive info on the colleges and Scholarships that match your criteria. You’ll be able to narrow down your Scholarship search to the ones you feel are most likely to earn you money (those easy ones).
One particular Scholarship is directed towards those whose GPA isn’t the highest yet are fairly active outside of school. The GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship is for students who participate in extracurricular activities (volunteer, community service, clubs etc.) and are deemed to be engaged in leadership activities. They recognize that some of the greatest minds and leaders in society weren’t always that active in academics. Michael Dell and Bill Gates dropped out to pursue their dreams. And of course they have leadership qualities. This is an Easy Scholarship for those whose passions run outside the academic realm.
CollegeBoard
This is another popular site that students use to find Scholarships. They ask you to create an account so they can match you with the Scholarship better suited for you. They’ll also help you find colleges that meet your criteria and they have plenty of articles on college finance. When searching for ways to pay for college, you’ll probably need all the help you can get so this is a good resource.
Where Do You See Yourself in Four Years?
College funding is very important. And if you can avoid student loans, or at least decrease the amount you need from a bank, then you’re on your way to seeing yourself debt-free after college. If you do happen to take out a student loan, be sure to look for ways you can decrease your interest rate. For instance, Wells Fargo will reduce your rate .25 percent if you opt to pay automatically through an account (checking or savings). Also, consolidation is a great way to reduce your payments. Either way, there are plenty of resources out there that’ll help you with your college finance. Just be smart about your money and research!
