Scholarships
Senior year is the highest-yield scholarship window — and the easiest to fumble by applying in random order. Prioritize like this:
Check what your state and your likely colleges award for GPA and test scores. These often have the best ratio of money to effort.
Community foundations, parents' employers, unions, and civic clubs see far fewer applicants than national programs.
Pick two or three where you genuinely fit the mission, and do them properly.
Write one 600-word master essay about a specific experience and what it changed. Then write two shorter variants: one about service, one about goals. Almost every prompt can be answered by re-cutting these three.
Most senior awards cluster October through February. Put every deadline in a calendar with reminders 14 days ahead, and submit a week early.
FunSAT's Scholarship Searcher lists real programs with amounts and cycles, and you can save a working list to your account. Find scholarships that fit you →
FunSAT — SAT & ACT prep, college & scholarships. A free browser-based app: digital SAT and ACT practice tests, unofficial score calculators, a built-in Desmos graphing calculator, college admissions chances from official U.S. Department of Education data, and a scholarship search. Start free practice →