Scholarships

Scholarships are an important part of making your college career a success! Here are some tips and places to look for scholarships.

Scholarship Scams: Beware!

Not all scholarship services and scholarship providers are out to help students. Warning: Financial aid/scholarships should be a free process. No sponsor can guarantee that you will win an award! Scam artists will ask for a credit card or bank account information and then drain your account or run up charges on your credit card. If in doubt, ask a counselor!

Other Suggestions

The best source of scholarships, aside from the grant opportunities through the federal government (FAFSA), continues to be financial aid from colleges themselves and the local community (Elks Club, Rotary, etc.) Parents should also contact the Human Resources office at their job site to inquire about scholarships available to children of employees.

University and College Scholarships

Each college has its own scholarship fund. Information on this can be found on their websites. For example, go to the San Diego State University site and search for the "President's Diversity Scholarship."

Junior or senior
US resident
Intends to enroll in an accredited college or university in the US within a year of high school graduation
No scholarship essay
$2,000 scholarship awarded monthly
Application and info at: application
Deadline: the last day of each month

Senior
Athlete
Demonstrate good sportsmanship, leadership and/or community/school involvement
Short student essay (up to 350 words)
$2,500 for statewide winners, $1,000 for CIF Section winners
Application and info at: https://www.cifstate.org/parents-students/awards_and_scholarships/spirit_of_sport
Deadline: Seasonal-fall sports November 9, 2026

Senior
Complete four years of high school in the US, a US territory, or on a US military base
Plan to enroll in an accredited four-year college/university in the Fall of 2027
Minimum 3.75 GPA
Official transcript submitted via Common App
Need to have taken: SAT, ACT, AP or an IB exam
Annual family income below $95,000
Two academic recommendations and one counselor report
Short essays relating to perseverance and leadership
List extracurricular activities and honors
Apply through Common App
Scholarship amount varies to fill gap after institutional aid
Application and info at: www.jkcf.org/our-scholarships/college-scholarship-program/how-to-apply/
Deadline: November 11, 2026

Senior
US citizen
Will enroll at an accredited four-year college/university in the US
Demonstrate financial need-will need to upload FAFSA submission summary
Demonstrate leadership, academic achievement, and/or community involvement
Multiple scholarships from $1,000-$7,500/year
Application and info at: www.elks.org/scholars/scholarships/mvs.cfm
Deadline: November 12, 2026

16-25 years old
Minimum 2.5 GPa
US or Canadian citizen
Short responses
Must "like" any Odenza Marketing Group Scholarship posts on their Instagram or Facebook pages
$500 scholarship
Application and info at: odenzascholarships.com/
Deadline: November 15, 2026

9-12th
Minimum 3.0 GPA
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Must have designed an innovative project that makes a difference in the lives of others (e.g. a website, series of blogs, an app, fundraising event, etc.)
Submit an essay describing the goal of the particular project
Letter of recommendation
$500 scholarship awarded every month
Application and info at: www.latutors123.com/scholarships/innovation-in-education/
Deadline: November 20, December 20, October 20 11:59 PM

Senior
Will attend a college, university, or trade school in the Fall of 2027
US citizen or lawful resident
Maximum three-minute public service announcement video addressing" "What should motorists do while driving if they see a law enforcement vehicle that is stopped on the side of the road?"
$500 scholarship
Application and info at: www.andrewflusche.com/scholarship/
Deadline: November 30, 2026

Senior
Will enroll full-time at a four-year college or university in the US
3.0 GPA
Demonstrate involvement in community service
500-word response-see application for prompt
Multiple scholarships $500-10,000
Apply through San Diego Foundation
Application and info at: www.sdfoundation.org/students/other-sdf-scholarships/#fall
Deadline: December 28, 2026

Senior
Plan to enroll in an approved trade-related program at an accredited two-year school or institution in the US
Career goal: carpentry, construction management, electrical, HVAC, plumbing
Cannot be an employee or dependent of an employee of The Home Depot
Short answer responses and optional video but can be beneficial
$1,000 scholarship
Application and info at: webportalapp.com/sp/login/skillpointefoundation_homedepot-pathtopro
Deadline: December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30,

Senior
Plan to enroll in vocational/technical school, junior college or university
No GPA requirement
4 short essay questions
Must include a transcript (can be an unofficial transcript)
Any career goals!
Cannot already have a 4-year scholarship
Application must be typed and mailed in
$1,500 scholarship (100+ recipients) & one winner for a new Ford car!
Application and info at: https://www.salutetoeducation.com
Deadline: February 12, 2027

Senior
US resident including DACA recipients
Will pursue a career in wellness and beauty such as cosmetology, barbering, makeup artistry, nail technology, or esthetics
Submit a 3-minute video responding to one of five prompts
$2,500 scholarship
Application and info at: www.beautyschoolsdirectory.com/cosmetology-school-scholarships
Deadline: March 1, 2027

Senior
Will attend a four-year college or university
Plan to major in marine biology
Transcript (on Student Portal)
List any work experience
List extracurricular activities and/or community service
Short statement indicating "your plans as they relate to your education, career objectives, and future goals"
Statement about "why you should receive this scholarship"
Discuss if you participated in any "programs, research, or activities that are directly related to marine biology"
Two letters of recommendation: one from a counselor and one from a biology or science teacher
Multiple scholarships may be awarded
Application and info: background, scholarship page 2, scholarship page 3
Deadline: April 1, 2027

Senior
Legal US resident
For students interested in Automotive themed major or related field of study
700-1500 word essay describing who you are and how you plan on using automotive education to incite positive change and innovation within the custom car industry.
2 winners each year. One in the Fall and one in the Spring. Each winner $2,500
Application and info at: https://www.americanmuscle.com/scholarships.html
Deadline: June 15th, 2027

Senior
Current or former varsity athlete in at least one high school sport
2.0 GPA
Two essays-1st relating to courage in overcoming stress, anxiety, mental trauma 2nd relating to athletic accomplishments
25 $2,500 scholarships awarded-multiple each month
Application and info at: calhopecourageawardscholarship.org/
Deadline: Application cycle: September-May-scholarships awarded each month

Juniors
Complete six college planning steps for six separate chances at $500
When you finish all six, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $40,000 scholarship
Click here to read about a junior from La Jolla High School who earned a $40,000 scholarship
Application and info at: opportunity.collegeboard.org/
Deadline: Scholarships awarded from January-June