Essays—the bane of so many students’ existence. You have to write them for classes, for college applications, and even for job applications. To add to each of these essential applications, many high school seniors and college students apply for scholarships so they can have a chance at graduating debt-free. However, the reality is that when trying to secure financial aid, essays are abundant.
Luckily, there are many scholarships out there that understand the torturous relationship many students have with essay writing and are prepared to offer a quick and easy solution—no essays! With these opportunities, you can pay for college with a few pieces of biographical information and a click of the “apply” button. In 2021, 51% of students graduated with debt. This article is here to help you avoid that debt without the hassle of essay writing.
If it seems too good to be true, you’re not alone in feeling hesitant. Along with exploring the best no-essay scholarships, you’ll also learn about how to maximize your chances, discover other no-essay financial aid, and, most importantly, how to avoid scams.
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What Are No-Essay Scholarships?
No-essay scholarships are financial awards that do not require applicants to write essays. No more 1000-word papers or five-page responses to a generic question. Instead, no-essay scholarships will typically require you to create an account with the provider. The following basic information may also be needed:
- name
- email/phone number
- address
- school
- class year
Some no-essay scholarships might require a sentence, an image, or even a video submission, but these take significantly less time than writing an entire essay. These prompts are also often very open-ended and invite creativity within applicants, so students will have more fun answering them than responding to an essay question.
No-essay scholarships make good on their promise that students will not write essays. Expect the process of applying to take less than ten minutes. Many will take under five minutes. In fact, the largest use of your time will simply be making sure you’re eligible for the scholarship, as opposed to the actual application process.
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Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for no-essay scholarships is probably the biggest factor to consider when applying. While many of these scholarships aim to be as inclusive as possible, there are still certain restrictions.
Nationality & School Location
Most of the listed no-essay scholarships are only available to students attending school in the US so students studying at a foreign university may not be able to apply.
Example: The “Be-Bold” No-Essay Scholarship rewards $25,124 to the applicant with the “boldest profile.” In order to make an account with Bold.org, you must be attending a school in the US.
While we’re talking about location, remember you can also find scholarships based on where you live or where you plan to attend college. Try searching scholarships for your state and see what comes up! For example, you can apply for Arkansas scholarships here.
Race & Ethnicity
Other no-essay scholarships require students of a specific race/ethnicity because they want to support a certain racial demographic. These demographics will often be minority groups who have less access to financial resources.
Example: The Hispanic Empowerment No-Essay Scholarship aims to encourage diversity in academia. In order to apply, you must be Hispanic.
Major & Career Aspirations
In the same vein of supporting students of a certain demographic, some no-essay scholarships will seek to support students pursuing a specific major. Oftentimes, these scholarships are provided by organizations and people who greatly value a certain academic field and want to support students in those fields.
For students who are pursuing professional degrees, master’s degree scholarships may be of interest as well.
Example: The Males in Nursing Scholarship requires pursuing nursing and identifying as male.
Interests
Less of a requirement and more of a recommendation, many scholarships are so-called fan scholarships. These are provided by individuals or organizations who greatly value a person or hobby that isn’t an established academic field.
Example: The 1989 (Taylor’s Version) Fan Scholarship simply requires that applicants be fans of Taylor Swift.
Class Year
Many no-essay scholarships are dependent upon your class year. Some scholarships will be meant for high school seniors, some for undergraduate students, and still others for graduate students.
Example: The Adren Baker Culinary Arts Scholarship can only be awarded to a high school senior or undergraduate student.
Many scholarship websites will have scholarship search engines to ensure you qualify for the scholarships you look up. Check out Scholarship Institute’s scholarship categories by demographics, major, and academic year!
Tips to Maximize Your Chances
1. Research New Opportunities
The first tip is to always be on the lookout for new scholarships. You can’t win no-essay scholarships if you aren’t aware of them. Sites like Bold.org are great because they compile all the no-essay scholarships under one easy category. Other scholarship websites may require a little more digging to find no-essay scholarships with an easy application process.
2. Don’t Miss Deadlines
When going hand-in-hand with research, your timing is important. Most scholarship opportunities will pop up in the spring, so make sure to be especially vigilant during that time. Some scholarships will also report when they go live, so consider setting notifications. Even so, scholarship opportunities are available all the time, so feel free to keep looking throughout the year.
Pro Tip: Apply for a scholarship as soon as you find it. Since these are no-essay scholarships, the process should take you less than ten minutes, and you can ensure a timely application.
3. Check Eligibility
The biggest obstacles to applying for a no-essay scholarship are eligibility requirements. Oftentimes, the application process will notify you if you’re ineligible. Still, make sure to check the requirements to ensure you don’t waste valuable time.
4. Apply, Apply, Apply!
This is the best and most important tip. No-essay scholarships are designed to take minimal effort, so you can mass apply for no-essay scholarships, up to ten or twenty in one sitting. Since many no-essay scholarships are luck-based, applying to a large quantity is the only way to maximize your chances of winning one.
Don’t worry! These scholarships are not just for high school and undergrads. If you’re a graduate student, you’ll want to check out these graduate student scholarships!
How to Avoid Scholarship Scams
Unfortunately, scholarship scams are a prevalent threat, especially for students worried about paying for college. Scammers will often promise a high amount of money for little effort, and with the presence of legitimate no-essay scholarships, it can be hard to make the distinction. To make sure you feel confident in identifying scholarship scams, here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission:
1. Don’t Pay
The number one red flag for scholarship scams is a request for payment. Scholarships will never ask you to pay a fee. This goes against the very concept of a scholarship which is to give away money for achievement and financial need. If you need to pay anything, it is a scam.
2. Don’t Give Financial Information
Similar to not paying, don’t give out any sensitive financial information. Credit card numbers, bank account details, social security numbers, etc. Reputable scholarships will always ask for financial information after you have applied and won a scholarship. This is solely for the purpose of depositing money into a bank account, so make sure you’re never giving away information that an entity could use to deplete your funds.
3. Google the Scholarship
A great way to check the legitimacy of a scholarship is by looking it up. Many scholarship scams rely on email and text messaging and often lack a dedicated website to support their deception. Reputable scholarships will have well-established websites with lots of engagement and a team of real people who work to make the scholarships possible.
Even if a scholarship scam has a website, be sure to check their “About Us” page and consider the quality of their content. Organizations that are giving away money will be profitable enough to invest in a high-quality website.
4. Real Scholarships Don’t “Guarantee” Anything
While scholarships aim to support as many students as possible, they understand it is not financially possible to do so. They will never guarantee that you’ll win the scholarship or that you’ll gain a specific number of dollars.
Scammers will try to prey on students’ uncertainty and desperation by promising lots of money or guaranteeing entry into valuable seminars or courses. Always take a step back and examine the fine print of each scholarship before applying. Keeping your personal and financial information safe from scammers is more important than the promise of free money.
5. Look Out For Specific Phrases
If these tips feel too vague, here are some common phrases that scammers will use (source: Federal Trade Commission).
- “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”
- “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”
- “I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship.”
- “We’ll do all the work. You just pay a processing fee.”
- “The scholarship will cost some money.”
- “You’re a finalist [for a contest you never entered].”
Anytime you see these phrases (or a variation of these phrases), it is recommended that you delete the email/text message immediately.
Familiarize yourself with the top scholarship websites so you can avoid scams from fake scholarship organizations!
Other No-Essay Financial Aid
While scholarships are one of the easiest and most accessible forms of financial aid, there are other easy resources to support you!
The first thing you need to do is fill out the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). As the name implies, it is free to fill out and will automatically qualify you for government aid. It also doesn’t require any essays. For students looking to apply to need-based financial aid, check out this list of middle class scholarships as well.
- School Need-Based Financial Aid: This depends on the school you attend. Many well-funded schools will automatically provide need-based financial aid based on your FAFSA. You don’t have to do anything and will automatically be charged less for tuition and related expenses.
- Government Grants: By filling out the FAFSA, you will automatically qualify for certain government grants. These do not need to be paid back, unlike student loans. A common government grant is the Pell Grant.
- Student Loans: You can always request loans from the government or a private provider without writing scholarship essays. The only thing to consider is that you must pay loans back, and interest will be charged.
- Bank Student Scholarships: A bank student scholarship is an easy way to gain financial support without the additional burden of essay writing. Check out this no-essay scholarship offered by Citizens!
- Federal Work-Study: Based on your FAFSA, you may be eligible for the federal work-study program. This allows you to earn money for unpaid activities (e.g. volunteering). While this doesn’t require an essay, you will need to put in consistent effort to continue earning money.
Check out Scholarship Institute’s scholarship blog for more information on financial aid, tutoring, and college!
Frequently Asked Questions About No-Essay Scholarships
1. Can Graduate Students Apply for No-Essay Scholarships?
Yes, any college student can apply for a no-essay scholarship, even graduate students! Just make sure to check all the eligibility requirements.
2. Is the “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship Legit?
Yes, it is a legitimate scholarship provided by one of the largest private scholarship providers. No-essay scholarships worth more than a couple thousand are far and few between, so you should definitely apply for the “Be Bold” scholarship!
3. What is the Easiest Scholarship to Get for High School Students?
No-essay scholarships that require only an account creation are the easiest scholarships to apply for, no matter your class year. Some examples include the Nitro Scholarship and the Keep Going Forward Scholarship.
Apply for no-essay scholarships today and make your scholarship applications a bit simpler!
Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes, holding a B.A. in English Literature from George Mason University, showcases her expertise in writing and communication through her influential articles for Scholarship Institute. She focuses on creating review articles and recommendations that guide students in exploring educational funding.
