The Best Scholarships for High School Juniors: Class of 2026

While it's never too soon to begin your college scholarship search, many United States students begin looking for scholarship opportunities their junior year of high school. Your junior year will be busy, filled with campus visits, college-admissions prep work and deciding what you'd like to go to college for. JUMP TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR JUNIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2026

How to Find Scholarships for High School Juniors

Instead of wondering how you'll pay for college, do something about it. Students in the 11th grade are generally busy with studying, writing, researching colleges, extracurricular activities and maintaining a social life; it may feel like you don't have time to add applying for scholarships to your schedule. To make the scholarship-application process easier, create a free Fastweb profile. From this you'll be matched to scholarships that fit YOU. You'll also want to establish a weekly scholarship application goal for yourself at the beginning of your junior year of high school. Stick to your scholarship plan; challenge yourself. Stay on top of the scholarship deadlines and keep applying. The more you apply for, the better your odds. Before you know it, it will be your senior year! There are many college scholarships for high school juniors! Scholarships of the Class of 2025 range from small, school-specific awards to national contests and competitions that give away big scholarship money. These scholarships can be competitive and targeted toward student accomplishments, merit scholarships with eligibility requirements, and financial aid for students that demonstrate financial need.

Scholarships for High School Juniors Class of 2026

Below are some of the best scholarships for high school juniors to apply for in 2024 and 2025:

Goodwall #ScholarshipNow Challenge

Deadline: 7/31/24
Award Amount: $2,500
Participate in the #ScholarshipNow challenge for a chance to win $2,500! To participate, download the Goodwall app and simply share a video telling us how winning this scholarship would help you achieve your educational goals, on the hashtag #ScholarshipNow.

Summer 2024 Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes

Deadline: 9/30/24
Award Amount: $1,000
The Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes is open to registered Fastweb members who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and who are at least sixteen (16) years of age. You must log into your Fastweb account to obtain your personal referral link. For each person who registers for Fastweb via your personal referral link during the Promotion Period, you and your referral will be entered as a pair into the current drawing.

Leaders Save Lives Scholarship

Deadline: 8/31/24
Award Amount: $1,000 - $2,500
The Leaders Save Lives Scholarship Program is open to high school and college students. You must host an American Red Cross blood drive while school is out of session and collect a minimum of 25 pints of blood to be eligible for this award.

RealtyTrac Scholarship

Deadline: 8/31/24
Award Amount: $2,500
The RealtyTrac Scholarship is available to students between the ages of 16 and 26. To be considered, you must submit an 800 - to 1200 - word essay on the following topic: "Breaking into Real Estate: How To Get On The Property Ladder in 2024." Students residing in Rhode Island and Michigan are ineligible.

Cameron Impact Scholarship

Deadline: 9/5/24
Award Amount: Full-Tuition The Cameron Impact Scholarship is available to high school juniors. You must have a minimum 3.7 GPA and be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this award. You must also excel in a broad variety of extracurricular activities, demonstrate active participation in community service and in civic - minded arenas, and be a motivated leader with a strong work ethic and social acumen.

International Public Policy Forum Contest

Deadline: 10/22/24 Award Amount: $500 - $5,000 The International Public Policy Forum Contest is open to high school students with an interest in debate or forensics. To be considered, you must form a team of at least three students from the same high school to prepare a 3,000 - word essay that affirms or negates the following topic: "Resolved: Equitable access to pharmaceuticals should be prioritized over protecting intellectual property rights."

Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition

Deadline: 10/31/24
Award Amount: $35,000 The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is open to high school students. To enter, you must write and record a three - to five - minute audio essay on the following topic: "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"

Rubincam Youth Writing Competition

Deadline: 12/15/24
Award Amount: $500 The Rubincam Youth Writing Competition is available to high school students. To be considered, you must submit a genealogy in a biographical narrative format for one family line; include four generations, beginning with you, as the first generation.

Carson Scholars Program

Deadline: Varies
Award Amount: $1,000 The Carson Scholars Program is open to students in grades four through eleven. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service to be eligible for this award. Interested students MUST be nominated by an educator at their school. Only one student from each school is able to apply.

American Legion National Oratorical Contest

Deadline: Varies
Award Amount: $20,000 - $25,000 The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students who are under the age of 20 and are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. To be considered, you must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on a citizen's duties and obligations to our government. A complete list of topics are available on the Legion's Web site. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000 scholarship. Check out these Four Scholarship Tips via this Instagram Reel: High school seniors can find a scholarship list, too!