High school freshman are starting to think about college. They may not know where they want to attend or what they want to study, but they know they are going to college. But, how will they pay for it? Here are scholarships open to high school freshmen.

Congressional App Challenge
Sponsor: Internet Education Foundation
Amount: Varies
Closing Date: October 26, 2026
Description: Challenge is open to U.S. students in middle school or high school who live in a Congressional district that is participating (check website for details). Applicant must create any type of app they like on any platform they like.

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)
Sponsor: National Center for Women & Information Technology
Amount: Varies
Closing Date: October 27, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to U.S. high school and college women with an interest in computing and technology. College students must attend an NCWIT Academic Alliance institution and major or minor in computing.

$2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsor: Niche
Amount: $2,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to high school, college, and graduate students and those planning to enroll within 12 months. Applicant must be a legal resident of the United States or an international student with a valid visa. Applicant must log in to Niche or create a free account to apply for the scholarship.

Appily Easy College Money Scholarship
Sponsor: Appily
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students 13 years of age or older who will be attending college in the future. Applicant must create a Appily profile (if they don’t have one already), share about their extracurricular, leadership, and volunteer activities, and then search Appily for scholarships.

Beyond School Walls Scholarship
Sponsor: Delete Cyberbullying
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to high school students (9th-12th graders), college students, and graduate students attending or planning to enter an accredited U.S. college or university. Applicant must submit an essay on a topic related to cyberbullying.

School Survey Sweepstakes
Sponsor: Niche
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Sweepstakes is open to current high school students, high school alumni who graduated within the last four years, and the parents of those students or alumni. Individual must take a survey on a United States high school.

Video Contest Scholarship for Creative Students
Sponsor: IvyPanda
Amount: Up to $1,000
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to current high school, college, and university students worldwide. Applicant must submit a video on a given topic related to ChatGPT, AI, or tips for creating a productive study environment.

Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition
Sponsor: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Amount: Up to $35,000
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Program is open to students in grades 9-12 who are enrolled in a public, private or parochial high school or home study program in the United States, its territories and possessions. Applicant must submit a 3-5 minute essay on this year’s theme: “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.”

Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
Sponsor: Unigo
Amount: $2,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students 14 years of age or older who are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia who are currently enrolled (or plan to enroll in the future) in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education. Applicant will need to submit a short response to a given prompt related to zombies.

Save the Frogs! Art Contest
Sponsor: Save the Frogs!
Amount: $100.00
Closing Date: November 1, 2026
Description: Contest is open to anyone, regardless of age, with a talent for art. Applicant must submit a cool frog piece of art.

Young Writers Awards
Sponsor: Bennington College
Amount: Up to $500
Closing Date: November 1, 2026
Description: Students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades can enter in one of the following categories: poetry (a group of three poems), a short story, or a personal or academic nonfiction essay. All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher.

Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award
Sponsor: From the Top
Amount: Up to $10,000
Closing Date: November 9, 2026
Description: Award is open to classical instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers between the ages of 8 and 18 who have not yet entered college during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Youth Art Contest
Sponsor: Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
Amount: UP to $200
Closing Date: November 13, 2026
Description: Contest is open to students 18 years of age or younger who are directly or indirectly affected by cancer. Applicant must submit an original piece of artwork or photo.

Fields of Corn Photo Contest
Sponsor: National Corn Growers Association
Amount: Up to $500
Closing Date: November 17, 2026
Description: Contest is open to legal residents of the United States. Applicant must submit a photo that helps tell the story of farming field corn in America.

No Sweat Scholarship
Sponsor: Cirkled In
Amount: $2,500.00
Closing Date: December 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students 13 years of age or older who are legal residents of the United States or the District of Columbia. Applicant must create a free Cirkled in account.

Tommy Tranchin Award
Sponsor: The Dallas Foundation
Amount: Up to $3,000
Closing Date: December 31, 2026
Description: Award is open to North Texas students in grades 8-12 who have a physical, emotional, or intellectual disability.

Paradigm Challenge
Sponsor: Project Paradigm
Amount: Up to $100,000
Closing Date: May 1, 2027
Description: Challenge is open to students aged 4 to 18 years of age worldwide. Applicants may work in a team or alone to use kindness, creativity, and collaboration to help solve real-life problems.