NMOST Advancing Young Women in STEM Scholarship, due 3/8/26

To be eligible for the NMOST Advancing Young Women in STEM Scholarship, applicants must: be a high school junior or senior applying for a college program in a STEM discipline, or be a current undergraduate pursuing a STEM degree; be a resident of New Mexico or be currently enrolled at a New Mexico college or university; have a 2.5 GPA; and be a young woman (25 or younger) pursuing a STEM education and/or career.

Apply here.

Seniors - The Chris Eaton Foundation Scholarship, due 3/21

The Chris Eaton Foundation will award three college scholarships totaling $17,500 to outstanding Albuquerque high school graduating student-athletes.  The scholarship amounts are $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second, and $2,500 for third. 

Applicants must have played at least one varsity sport at an Albuquerque high school (this includes EMHS), have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA in high school, will be graduating this spring, and will attend a college or trade school in the fall. Last year’s first place winner was from Highland High. 

These scholarships are awarded in honor of former Sandia High baseball coach Chris Eaton.  More information, instructions for applying, and the application form are available at www.chriseatonfoundation.org.

Seniors - LANL’s Stars STEM Scholarship, due 3/27

Stars STEM Scholarship is a $1,000 award and mentorship program designed to support high school seniors who will be the first in their family to pursue a STEM career. In addition to financial support, recipients receive one-on-one mentorship throughout their academic and early professional STEM journey, including guidance in academic planning, career exploration, and navigating college as a first-generation STEM student.

Eligibility for the 2026 Scholarship Cycle:

• High school seniors beginning college in Fall 2026

• First-generation STEM students (parents may have a degree, but not in a STEM field)

• Minimum 3.0 GPA (transcript required)

• Engagement in at least one extracurricular activity, leadership role, job, or family responsibility

Students can find full application instructions and access the easy-to-fill Google Form on our website:
https://www.tothestarsscholarship.org/

Seniors - The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce Scholarships, due 3/27

The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce is providing 3 types of scholarships for the 2026 Education Excellence Celebration. The Scholarships are designed to provide recognition for educational achievement and award leadership qualities to graduating Hispanic high school seniors that will be attending an institution of higher learning or trade school; and students currently enrolled in an institution of higher education (undergraduate or graduate) or non-traditional adults looking to obtain a degree or certificate. The Scholarship committee will consider the educational achievements, leadership qualities, letters of recommendation, written essays and strong financial need.

Learn more and apply here.

Senior Varsity Athletes - Coach Chris Eaton Memorial Scholarship, due 3/31

Scholarships in the amount of $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 will be awarded. Applicants must be graduating seniors who played at least one varsity sport, have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA in high school and who will be attending college or trade school in the fall.   

Applicants are evaluated based on community service, academic performance, athletic achievements and teamwork and leadership.

Apply here.

Seniors - Woodcock Family Education Scholarship Program, due 4/2

Up to three scholarships of $10,000. Renewable over four years. Applicants must be a Albuquerque Metro resident, including Bernalillo, Valencia, Sandoval and Torrance counties, have a minimum cumulative 3.8 GPA, must have strong math and/or science credentials, career goals in personal statement MUST include those in the field of math or science.

Apply here.

Seniors - Sussman-Miller Educational Assistance Fund, due 4/2

The Albuquerque Community Foundation provides assistance to students to further their education in an undergraduate program who need financial assistance to address the ‘gap’ in financial aid packages. Awards vary based on demonstrated need up to $8,000. Seniors must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5

Apply here.

Seniors - New Mexico Veterans Memorial Scholarship, du 4/2

Supporting New Mexico graduating high school seniors who have an interest in or are familiar with the Medal of Honor Core Values: Courage, Sacrifice, Integrity, Commitment, Patriotism, and Citizenship. Minimum cumulative GPA 2.0.

Apply here.

Seniors -James Knott Memorial Scholarship Sponsored by the New Mexico Manufactured Housing Association, due 4/2

One or two awards up to $1,000 will be given annually. Student applicant MUST live in a mobile/manufactured home.Minimum cumulative GPA 3.0. Attend a 2 or 4 year nonprofit or public educational institution or university full time.

Apply here.

Seniors - James Ledwith Memorial Scholarship Fund, due 4/2

The recipient will be a graduating high school senior from the Albuquerque Metro Area (Bernalillo, Valencia, Torrance, and Sandoval Counties) who has overcome their personal adversity and demonstrates hope, faith and courage, thoughtfulness and service to others, living life, pursuing dreams and enabling oneself.

This scholarship is to be used for post-secondary education at an accredited nonprofit or public educational institution with the intention of pursuing a life dream and/or professional goal. The school may be a two-year or four-year college or university and the student must attend full-time. Applicants need to demonstrate that they are capable of succeeding in their educational pursuits and that this scholarship will help them in this endeavor.

One to two awards up to $2,000 will be given annually.

Apply here.

Seniors - Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque Scholarship Fund, due 4/2

The Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque Scholarship Fund was established with the intent to recognize students with a strong history of community service. One to four awards up to $1,000 will be given annually.

Applicants should be a graduating senior from an Albuquerque metro area high school (includes Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia, and Torrance Counties) who demonstrate strong community service experience and strong academic performance. Preference will be given to those who are planning a career in early childhood development and/or teaching. Preference will be given to those who participate in Key Club activities.

Minimum cumulative GPA 3.0

Apply here.

Seniors - NMCEL 2026 Scholarship Application, due 4/10

Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be academically strong, be well-rounded and participate in a variety of school and community activities. Applicants will be evaluated on the Application Form (serves as the cover page), References, and Written Essay. Three to five scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded.

Learn more and apply here.

Juniors - The Cameron Impact Scholarship, due 5/1

The Cameron Impact Scholarship is impact-driven and open to all applicants who meet the GPA and citizenship requirements, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation or any other background factors.  Integrity, intelligence, motivation, work ethic, and willingness to serve others are the strongest indicators of a worthy educational investment.

·      15 scholarships awarded per annum

·      Four-year, full tuition scholarship (actual dollar amount varies based upon school selection)

·      Freedom in choice of school and area of study

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

·      Accepting applications for the Class of 2027 - JUNIORS;

·      have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.7 or higher;

·      be a citizen of the United States.

*** WE ARE LIMITED TO ACCEPTING A TOTAL OF 3,000 COMPLETE APPLICATIONS.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2026 at 12PM PT (NOON) - OR - when we reach 3,000 eligible and complete applications - whichever occurs first.

***** We are only able to accept and review a total of 3,000 complete and eligible applications - please note that we typically reach capacity prior to the deadline and we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE applicants to submit well before the deadline.

Learn more and apply here. 

Seniors - David R. Woodling Memorial Scholarship for certificate or degree in a metals technology program, due 6/4

The scholarship was established to support students who are or will be attending an accredited nonprofit or public educational institution in pursuit of a certificate or degree in a metals technology program with a concentration in machine tool technology and welding. Seniors must have a 2.5 GPA or higher and who will attend an accredited nonprofit or public educational institution pursuing an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Metals Technology.

Apply here.

Seniors - Andrew Piech Memorial Scholarship for Automotive Technology and related Applied Technologies, due 6/4

Students must pursue a degree or certificate from a nonprofit or public school or an automotive or technical vocational institution, including community colleges. Student may attend school full or part-time.

One to two awards up to $2,200 will be given annually. Awards may be used to cover the cost of attending school including required books, fees and materials.

Apply here.

Albuquerque Community Foundation Scholarships

Albuquerque Community Foundation has over 24 separate scholarship and student aid programs to help New Mexico residents attain their educational goals.

Albuquerque Community Foundation Scholarships

has an online scholarship process. See the full list of scholarships here:  https://abqcf.org/scholarships/

To make your application process easier and more efficient, you will need to take an eligibility quiz prior to receiving the full application. To create a student account, visit the Student Portal. 

Questions regarding your application? Contact us.

APS Scholarship Site

APS provides a spreadsheet containing local, statewide, regional, and national scholarships, as well as scholarship search engines and financial aid information. Visit the APS Scholarship site to view a list of scholarship opportunities. 

The NM Educational Assistance Foundation (NMEAF) has Provided a Scholarship Resource Page!

Click here for valuable information about local & national scholarships, the lottery and more!

https://www.nmeaf.org/scholarships

Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors, - Enter the Big Futures Scholarship, Win up to $40,000

Earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships by completing steps on BigFuture. Log in to your CollegeBoard account, complete steps on your dashboard, and earn entries to win. One step completed = one entry in each monthly scholarship drawing. There are scholarship drawings starting January of your sophomore year until February of your senior year.

No essay, no minimum GPA or test score, no citizenship requirements. Just follow the steps for chances to win! The more steps you complete and earlier you start, the more chances you have to win. If you win, your scholarship can be used at any two- or four-year college. If you don’t win, your entry rolls over for the next month.

Register here.

Seniors - Western Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship

December 1 is the priority scholarship deadline for most in-state and WUE schools. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 members, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students.

Through WUE, eligible students can choose from hundreds of undergraduate programs outside their home state, and pay no more than 150 percent of that institution’s resident tuition rate. 

Since full nonresident college-tuition rates may exceed 300 percent of resident rates, WUE increases affordable higher-education choices for students, and minimizes the adverse impacts of student loan debt.

Learn more about the WUE here:

https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/

Bold.org 

Explore thousands of exclusive college scholarships across hundreds of categories found only on Bold.org.

Bold.org is a free scholarship platform featuring thousands of privately funded scholarships across a wide range of majors, interests, backgrounds, and eligibility criteria. New opportunities are added regularly, making it a helpful resource for students seeking additional funding beyond local or school-based awards.  

St. John’s College in Santa Fe Offers FREE Tuition for Lower-Income Students!

The free tuition offer is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – better known as FAFSA – and show a total income of $75,000 or less and “typical assets.” According to the college, they will get the institutional and federal grants they need to cover the cost of freshman year tuition. After freshman year, they will get those same grants, as long as the income or assets don’t change.

Students may also receive grants, loans and work study opportunities to help with the cost of housing and food.

This policy will go into effect for incoming students, beginning in spring 2025.

Juniors & Seniors - Match with Scholarships in Common App!

Last month, Common App announced it has partnered with the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) and Scholarship America to match students with scholarships through their Common App. Their pilot of in-app matching with Scholarship America connected underrepresented students with nearly $5M last year. They’re expanding scholarship opportunities even further.

How do students match?

It’s simple! To get matched with scholarships:

Students should complete their Common App tab, paying special attention to the profile, education, and activities sections.  

Students will be notified of scholarships they match with on their Financial Aid tab. 

Students can then explore their scholarship matches in the Scholarships section of their Financial Aid tab. For select opportunities, like the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship, students can complete the application directly within Common App. For most opportunities, students will need to apply on the provider’s external site.

Who can match?

Students can match with scholarship opportunities before their senior year! By getting a head start on their Common App, they can also get a head start on opportunities to pay for college. Matching with scholarship opportunities is open to students using Common App’s first-year application.

Start your Common App here.

Military Scholarships, due dates vary

Many students don't realize that their spouse and/or parents' jobs could impact their scholarship search! This especially holds true for children and spouses of military service members. 

Create an account and search Fastweb’s scholarship site here

No Debt/No Loan Colleges!

While many schools do include loans as a means of paying for their programs, there are also no loan colleges out there that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need - entirely student loan-free!

Read a list of no loan colleges:

https://thescholarshipsystem.com/blog-for-students-families/a-complete-list-of-no-loan-colleges-and-what-it-means-to-your-student/

We know some students don't apply to college because they are scared away by the perceived cost of attending. That’s why we highlight colleges that meet full demonstrated need (some of which even offset loans with more grant money). These institutions tend to be harder to get into, but for many working class families, those policies open the door to a highly valuable education for a fraction of their stated cost and, in some cases, for no cost at all.

Tuition-Free Higher Education for Every New Mexican!

State helps New Mexicans navigate tuition-free college with new website.

https://www.reachhighernm.com/ is a one-stop resource that guides New Mexicans to learn more about the New Mexico Opportunity and Lottery Scholarships, search and apply to public colleges and universities, and helps students maximize scholarship opportunities.

NM Opportunity Scholarship 

What is Tuition-Free College?

• Full tuition and fees covered at New Mexico public colleges and universities

• Includes part-time and full-time students 

• For students pursuing credit-bearing career training certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees

• Available to all New Mexico residents*

*Per residency standards set by the New Mexico Higher Education Department. 

Questions? You may reach NMHED at fin.aid@state.nm.us or 1-800-279-9777

10 Sites to Kick Off Your Scholarship Search

Going Merry

A popular site recommended by independent college admissions counselors is Going Merry, which aims to simplify scholarship applications for students. Signing up is free, but students can also check to see how much they're eligible for in scholarships without signing up. According to the website, students have won upward of $40,000. "I recommend this for students due to its user-friendly platform, which simplifies the scholarship application process and aggregates numerous scholarship opportunities in one place," Denard Jones, lead college counselor at college admissions consulting company Empowerly, wrote in an email. "It offers a time-efficient approach, allowing students to focus more on their studies and extracurricular activities while pursuing valuable merit aid opportunities."

Scholarships.com

This website helps students discover scholarships they qualify for, organize their matches and apply for those scholarships. The recently redesigned website has helped streamline the process even more, says Kevin Ladd, chief operating officer and co-creator of Scholarships.com and a former U.S. News contributor. Ladd says the platform prioritizes legitimacy, accuracy and ease of function for users."If you found it on Scholarships.com, it is safe to apply for it," Ladd wrote in an email. "We thoroughly vet each one, ensuring it’s legit and there are no fees associated with applying. Daily, we are looking at these and checking them against the URL associated with them, looking at the deadline and dollar amount, filtering, etc. and emailing or calling the provider if necessary to ensure timeliness and accuracy."

Scholly

You may have heard about the Scholly app through the television show "Shark Tank," where founder Christopher Gray shared how he earned $1.3 million in scholarships thanks partly to applying to virtually every scholarship he qualified for. He found that for many of the scholarships he won, he was one of a few applicants or the only applicant. Financial management company SoFi estimates $100 million in scholarship money goes unclaimed each year, and Gray says he created Scholly to help students find that money. Now owned by educational lender Sallie Mae, the app is free and helps students identify scholarships based on their academic profile and demographics. “A lot of students are taking on way more debt than they have to,” Gray says. “That’s mainly because they don’t know these scholarships exist."

Fastweb

Fastweb is another free scholarship search provider that claims to have a database of 1.5 million college scholarships worth over $3.4 billion. Owned by Monster.com, Fastweb also offers college planning resources and financial aid information.

READ: Avoid These 7 Mistakes When Applying for Scholarships. "I like it because it’s got such a huge database," says Monica Matthews, author of "How to Win College Scholarships: Guides for Parents and Students in 10 Easy Steps." Matthews helped her three sons win tens of thousands of dollars in college scholarships through websites like Fastweb. Fastweb is "the most comprehensive website for students to find scholarships," says Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of admissions consulting firm Command Education. Like many scholarship websites, Fastweb may send a lot of emails after you sign up, so Matthews recommends creating an email address specifically for scholarship searches so that your primary email inbox doesn't get flooded.

BigFuture

A platform created by the College Board, BigFuture allows students to search for scholarships and get help paying for college. The website claims to have a database of more than 24,000 scholarships that award more than $1.5 billion annually. The website allows students to create a profile and get matched with scholarships they qualify for. "I recommend it to high schools because it offers a reliable tool for accessing essential information on both self-help and gift aid search processes," Jones says.

RaiseMe

The majority of scholarships are awarded to high school seniors, but RaiseMe advertises scholarships available to students as early as their freshman year. The website matches students with micro-scholarships, which RaiseMe defines as "a small grant that you can earn during high school or community college and put towards tuition at a four-year college or university." Students must create a profile on the website and enter their grades, hobbies, honors, awards, community service and other achievements. From there, they can potentially earn money from one of the 300 colleges that RaiseMe partners with. On average, students who use RaiseMe and meet standard eligibility requirements for a college earn $25,000 in micro-scholarships over four years of high school, according to the website.

Appily

Previously known as Cappex, Appily is another free resource that allows students to search both schools and scholarships that they qualify for based on their personal profile and demographics. You can search for scholarships based on your year in school, and after you complete a short questionnaire, the site filters schools and scholarships that may be applicable.

Read: A Guide to Scholarships for International Students."This platform provides a comprehensive scholarship database, aiding students in identifying financial aid opportunities to support their search for affordability in a personalized way by matching opportunities with student preferences," Jones says. "It also features college reviews from actual students, offering valuable insights into campus life, academics and extracurriculars."

Niche

Along with searching for scholarships, Niche.com allows students to gain a sense of a school's "personality" by reading student reviews, Hartley says. Similar to other websites, Niche matches students with scholarships that match their qualifications and provides essay-free scholarships, which some students may prefer.

Unigo

Unigo is another website that pairs students with scholarships that fit their profile. The website has more than 3.6 million athletic, merit-based and company-sponsored scholarships and grants in its database, as well as 650,000 college reviews, statistics and other data points to use when vetting schools. Users can check each month to find new scholarships that fit their profile, with some applications taking just a few minutes to complete.

Scholarships360

After struggling to find scholarships on their own, brothers Will and Brian Geiger launched Scholarships360 in 2010 to help students find money for college. Since then, the website has offered a free database of thousands of scholarships that can be filtered by grade and demographic, plus scholarships that are easy to apply for and don't require an essay. A new site feature is that all scholarships are now 'ungated' so that students don't need to sign up," company CEO Will Geiger wrote in an email. "We think that this makes Scholarships360 particularly student-centric as students can go directly to the scholarship website. They can also use our app to check their eligibility and get matches."

Cappex

Cappex is a website that matches students up with potential scholarships and also helps them discover and learn about different colleges.

Cappex, like Fastweb and Going Merry, will recommend colleges for students to apply to based on their profile. It also has a comprehensive database of colleges with information about the average net price of a college, acceptance rate, application deadlines and post-grad statistics to help you choose which college is a good fit. 

The website makes a point to educate students about the college process. It has quizzes that help students understand what college majors they might be interested in and explains specific majors. Discover Cappex here:

https://www.cappex.com/

Fastweb Scholarship Search by Interest

Today's students have many interests and Fastweb has scholarship opportunities that match. These new articles bring together some of the most popular interests for students today:

College Athletic Scholarships

Click here

Scholarships for Studying Abroad

Click here

Military Scholarships

Click here

Fastweb’s National Scholarship Directory has more scholarships by category. There are opportunities for all student interests at all school levels:

National Scholarship Directory

Click here

Sallie Mae’s Scholarship Search

Scholarship Search connects students to scholarship opportunities based on their hobbies and interests. The database now has more than 6 million college scholarships worth up to $30 billion!

Breaking Down the Types of Scholarships Available to Students

Unlike loans, scholarships do not need to be paid back and they often focus on different aspects of a student’s background, from academic achievements to athletic talents. College Ave compiled a list of the different kinds of scholarships that are available to students beyond filling out the FAFSA.

Read more here