How to apply for scholarships
Updated September 10, 2026 · A step-by-step guide for U.S. high school and college students.
To apply for scholarships, build one master profile with your grades, activities, and a reusable personal statement, gather your transcript and recommendation letters, find the awards you actually qualify for, and submit to the largest ones with the nearest deadlines first. Most students who win apply to dozens of scholarships, not a handful, and reuse the same essay with a tailored opening each time. The whole process takes about five minutes per application once your profile exists.
Step by step
- Build one master profile. Write down, once, everything scholarship applications ask for: GPA, test scores if you have them, intended major, activities, honors, work history, household income range, and a 500 to 650 word personal statement. Every application you fill out afterward draws from this. In Scholarly this is the five-minute onboarding; without an app, a single document works.
- Gather the documents providers request. Most national scholarships want an unofficial transcript, one or two recommendation letters, and proof of financial need such as your FAFSA Student Aid Index. Ask recommenders in September so the letters are ready before the first deadlines.
- Find only the scholarships you actually qualify for. Eligibility is the filter that saves the most time. Check citizenship, grade level, GPA floor, income cap, major, and location before anything else. Scholarly does this automatically by matching your profile; on a search site, use every filter available and skip anything with a requirement you do not meet.
- Rank by amount and deadline. Apply to the largest awards with the nearest deadlines first. For high school seniors the biggest national awards close between September and February. See our list of the biggest scholarships for U.S. students for amounts and windows.
- Reuse your essay, then tailor the first paragraph. Almost every prompt is a version of "tell us about yourself and your goals." Keep the body of your personal statement, and rewrite only the opening to answer the specific prompt and name the provider's stated mission.
- Submit before the deadline and keep a record. Submit at least two days early, because portals crash on deadline day. Track the scholarship name, amount, date submitted, and status. Scholarly keeps this list for you in the Applications tab and updates the status as each application is processed.
- Apply in volume and keep going after you enroll. Scholarship winners typically apply to dozens of awards, not three. Because one profile is reused, each extra application takes minutes. Many awards are open to current undergraduates and graduate students, so keep applying every semester.
Timeline for high school seniors
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Summer before senior year | Write your personal statement. Build your profile. Ask two teachers for recommendation letters. |
| August to September | Apply to Gates, Coca-Cola Scholars, and Horatio Alger. File the FAFSA as soon as it opens. |
| October to December | Apply to Jack Kent Cooke, Elks Most Valuable Student, Dell Scholars, and Burger King Scholars. |
| January to February | Apply to Amazon Future Engineer, McDonald's HACER, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. |
| March to May | Local awards from community foundations, employers, and your high school. Compare college financial aid offers. |
Common questions
How many scholarships should I apply to?
As many as you are eligible for. Applying to 20 to 50 scholarships over a school year is realistic when one profile and one essay are reused, and it dramatically raises your odds compared with applying to two or three.
Do I need to file the FAFSA to get scholarships?
For need-based scholarships, usually yes. Many private awards, including The Gates Scholarship and Dell Scholars, require Pell eligibility, which is determined by the FAFSA. File it as early as it opens in the fall.
Can I apply for scholarships if I am already in college?
Yes. Many awards accept current undergraduates and graduate students, including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Generation Google, and thousands of smaller awards from foundations and employers run year-round.
What is the fastest way to apply to a lot of scholarships?
Use a tool that stores your profile and essays once and submits applications for you. Scholarly matches you to scholarships you qualify for and fills out and submits each application after you review and authorize it, on iPhone or in any browser.
Do it faster with Scholarly
Scholarly is a scholarship app for U.S. high school and college students. It turns the steps above into one profile and a swipe: it shows only the scholarships you qualify for, ranked by amount and deadline, and submits the application for you once you approve it. Free to start on iPhone or in your browser.