Applying for Scholarships 

• Harvard Crimson Essay Contest (Register by Feb. 10; Submit Essay by Feb. 23) — Opportunity to win an internship with the Harvard Crimson. Try the code ESSAY4EDU to secure a registration fee of $12 instead of $15.

• Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (Feb. 28) — paid summer job program for DC youth. Click here to apply.

• DC-CAP University Partners Scholarship (Due Feb. 28): Students can register here. To create your account, click on "Check Eligibility". Here are the eligibility requirements: DC residency, 2.7+ GPA, and the ability to complete the FAFSA & DC-TAG. Please note, DC CAP prioritizes financial need in its application process. Students can register today. Here's the list of University Partner Colleges that offer nearly full-ride scholarship opportunities.

• American Chemical Society Catalyst Scholarship (Due March 1) — a renewable $10,000 scholarship for seniors with demonstrated financial need planning to pursue a degree in chemistry or a related field.

• Greater Washington Urban League Scholarship (Due March 2) — Up to $8,000 scholarship; requires a 2.5 GPA, essay, demonstrated financial need, and an intent to pursue a Bachelor's degree. Seeking applicants in the DMV area of Black/African American, African, AfroCaribbean, and/or Afro-Latino descent.

• Broad Futures Summer Internship Program (Due March 6) — A paid summer internship program, specifically for students with IEPs or 504 plans.

• Horatio Alger Scholarship (Due March 15) — For students with a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA and a family AGI of under $65,000.

• Central Scholarships (Due March 15) — Offers an average of $4,000 for MD residents with a 2.8+ GPA planning to attend an accredited college, university, or community college in the upcoming academic year.

• DC/Maryland Black College Expo (March 28, 10 am - 3 pm) — An opportunity to connect with over 50 colleges, trade schools, and certificate programs; offering on-spot admissions and waived application fees; also offering a scholarship opportunity for attendees. Click here to learn more and apply for the scholarship! This is a ticketed event; tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

• ScholarCHIPs Scholarship  (Due March 31) — Scholarship specifically for students with an incarcerated parent. Click here to apply.

• Sharon White & JD Scholarship (Due March 31) — Scholarship designed to support an African American student who stutters and will graduate from a Washington, DC High School; must have been diagnosed with childhood-onset stuttering, reside in D.C., and have at least a 2.5 GPA.

• Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship (Due April 5) — Scholarship awards ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per year, over four years, for students with families of household incomes of $65,000 or less per year.

• Alfred Street Baptist Church Foundation Scholarship (Due April 18) — scholarships can range from $1,000-$30,000, awarded to students who are U.S. Citizens, accepted to and committed to attend a four-year college or university in the fall of 2026, and demonstrate financial need. 

• Thurgood Marshall College Fund McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship (Due April 24) — Scholarship award of $15,000; 2.7+ cumulative GPA requirement, must also intend to enroll at an HBCU for the 26-27 academic school year

• Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund Scholarship (Due April 30) — 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher, completed FAFSA, and two letters of recommendation required to apply.

• 🛎️ Coming Soon!: Abramson Scholarship (Opens Feb. 2026, Due April 1) —Scholarship award of up to $14,000 disbursed over 4 years; eligibility requirements: D.C. high school senior planning to attend a four-year college, min. 3.25 GPA, demonstrated financial need, and a demonstrated commitment to community service. Students who are not U.S. Citizens are encouraged to apply!

• Dollars4College Newsletter (varying deadlines) — Please see this newsletter for scholarships for DC students.

• HBCU Money Guide (varying deadlines) — Discover 4-year & 2-year full-ride scholarships, free pre-college summer programs, and paid internships

• Scholarship America  (varying deadlines)  — A catalog of several different scholarship opportunities.

• Scholarships.com (varying deadlines)  — Search this website for scholarship opportunities specifically for high school seniors, sorted by deadline.

• Matriculate (rolling admission) — FREE virtual college advising program that connects high-achieving low-income students with a near-peer college mentor who works one-on-one with students throughout the college and financial aid processes.

• College Board Opportunity Scholarships (ongoing) — $500 for each step, $40,000 once all are completed. Gives six different steps in the application process; students complete each step, notify College Board, and are entered into the drawing.

• List of Fly-In Programs (various due dates) — fully-funded opportunities to visit a college this fall. Please note that most due dates are over the summer and require an official transcript, so if you choose to apply for one, please try to secure your transcript before the end of the school year.

National Scholarship Websites

• Cappex: curates lists of scholarships for BIPOC, first-generation, low-income, undocumented, LGBTQ+, and other represented backgrounds.

• Fastweb: a free scholarship search platform for national scholarships

• Going Merry: A free, one-stop scholarships platform that matches students with scholarships and can bulk-apply for multiple scholarships, which share similar essay prompts, using one application.

• Niche: a free scholarship and college search platform 

• Scholarships.com: a free database that matches students to scholarship opportunities based on their profile

• BigFuture: powered by CollegeBoard, BigFuture allows students to explore scholarships while providing educational resources about searching for and paying for college

• Bold.org: a free scholarship search engine which allows users to search by education level, category, and application criteria 

• Ace Tools: curates lists of scholarships for students interested in architecture, construction, or engineering (A/C/E)