There’s Still Time to Apply for These Scholarships: Part Two

If your child is a senior in high school, you’ve probably devoted a considerable amount of time to thinking about their college tuition. Perhaps you’ve been saving up since they were born; perhaps you’ve already co-signed for some student loans. But however you and your child are planning to cover the cost, it’s always nice to have a little extra help.

The early spring semester, when college applications are (thankfully!) over and AP tests are still in the distant future, is a perfect time to apply for scholarships. Last week, we featured four notable scholarships with application deadlines between February 15 and March 13. There’s still time to apply for those, if you and your child hurry, but they aren’t the only options by a long shot. In this second installment of our spring scholarships feature, we present four more scholarships with application deadlines as late as August.

1. Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

Award: $1,000

Decision Factors: Essay Contest

Deadline to Apply: April 14, 2015

The Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest, sponsored by Penguin Books, is meant to encourage young people to read classic literature. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must compose a two to three page essay on a designated literary work, using one of six prompts. This year’s classic is George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, as published by Signet in a combined edition with its musical adaptation, My Fair Lady. The contest is a great opportunity for students who enjoy the literary and dramatic arts.

Qualifying essays must be submitted on the student’s behalf by an English teacher, along with a cover letter on school letterhead (if applicable) providing basic information about the student. The contest is open to eleventh as well as twelfth graders, and homeschool students in the appropriate age range may also apply. You can learn more and view the essay prompts here.

2. Making the Future Scholarship

Award: $5,000

Decision Factors: Design Project Contest

Deadline to Apply: March 31, 2015

The Making the Future Scholarship Program, created by the Cognizant corporation, is intended to encourage students with interest in the STEM fields to develop their abilities and pursue their passion. To qualify, students complete an engineering or design project, creating a tangible product which does something or serves some purpose. In addition to the usual robotics, electronics, and computer science options, students can also submit projects within physical computing, 3D modeling and printing, computer graphics, and graphic design.

To apply, students must create a video presentation documenting their project and upload it to Vimeo, and they must submit an application form which includes a link to the video presentation. You can get more details, and the application form, here.

3. American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program

Award: $2,000

Decision Factors: Quiz on Automatic Fire Sprinklers; Random Drawing

Deadline to Apply: April 1, 2015

The American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program – more specifically, its High School Senior Scholarship Contest – is part of a campaign to raise awareness about fire preparedness and the proper use of automatic fire sprinklers. To enter, students must simply fill out a registration form, read an informational essay, and take a ten-question online quiz over the material in the essay. The quiz is open book. For each correct answer, students get one entry into a drawing for one of ten $2,000 scholarships. You can learn more and access the application materials here.

4. Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Program and Sweepstakes

Award: $1,000

Decision Factors: Random Drawing

Deadline to Apply: August 13, 2015

The Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Program is a promotional program designed to interest students in banking options and student loans from Wells Fargo. (However, enrollment in the program does not require signing up for any other Wells Fargo services.) The CollegeSTEPS Program’s benefits consist of financial advice for students and parents, as well as tips on applying for and managing student loans.

When students enroll in the CollegeSTEPS Program, they are automatically entered into a sweepstakes which awards hundreds of $1,000 scholarships per year. Students are selected via random drawing; half of the awards are given to high school seniors, and half are given to college students. You can learn more here.

 

And of course, these are just a few of the many scholarships your child could still be applying for. You can find more scholarships at scholarshipamerica.org or through a personalized search from the College Board.