Many providers offer generous $10,000 scholarships. Unlike a loan, you do not usually need to pay the $10K back. And typically you may use the money for college tuition, books, supplies and more.
Some of the scholarship programs that award $10,000 prizes are contests. So, to win, you may need to do something creative. Like submit a video or write an awesome essay on a given topic.
A perfect example is the Unigo 10K Scholarship. To apply you need to imagine a historical figure comes back to life. Then, in 250 words or less, describe who it is and what their favorite mobile app is.
Yet other 10K scholarships are merit awards. These may reward students of specific majors (E.g. agriculture) who also have high grades. Also, having leadership experience and skills will you make you stand out.
There are also need based awards. These scholarships award $10,000 to student’s who need help to afford college. So, for these you may have to fill out a FAFSA as part of your application.
That said, each $10,000 scholarship comes with its own rules on how to qualify. To be eligible, you often need to be a U.S. citizen, and meet the specified age.
Some providers also want to see that you are a current student in an accredited school. You may need to furnish transcripts and even a resume to apply.
Are $10,000 Scholarships the Highest Paying Awards?
The highest paying scholarships are full ride scholarships. These tend to foot the entire bill for college. So, all four years of your tuition, housing, meals, books and supplies.
Ten thousand dollars is still a lot for a scholarship though. Smaller scholarships may award from $50 to $500.
To give you an idea of how far a $10,000 scholarship can take you, look at the cost of attending college.
At last check, undergrad tuition, fees, room, and board were around $17,237 at public colleges. The total cost of tuition and fees are $44,551 at private nonprofit schools, and $25,431 at private for-profit schools.
List of $10K Scholarships
Check out our list of $10K scholarships below. We have awards worth .
Applying for a Stamps Scholarship is easy: just apply to one or more of our partner schools. If you qualify, you’ll automatically be considered for a Stamps award. The majority of our partner colleges and universities don’t require a separate application for the Stamps Scholarship, but the application deadline and award process varies from school to school along with the amount of the award. Expect an interview (or two or three) to be part of the process.
Each September, students in grades 7 through 12 can compete in 28 different categories, including, but not limited to: comic art, fashion, painting, photography, poetry, short story, journalism, and video games. More than $250,000 in scholarships is awarded annually.
U.S. citizens/legal residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter this poetry contest for publication of a book-length collection of poems. Entrants must have not yet published a full-length book of poetry at the time of entry.
Eligible students must:
Reside in either the Tampa (FL) Metropolitan Area or Cleveland (OH) Metropolitan Area
Be a high school senior or older
Have a minimum, unweighted high school GPA of 3.5 and a minimum 1280 SAT (or 28 ACT)
Be a leader or actively engaged in their school and/or community
Demonstrate financial need
Established in 2009, the FDDS program offers American University’s most prestigious, merit-based scholarship. It includes tuition, housing, meal plan, books, mandatory fees, and public transportation. The award goes to exceptional incoming first-year student leaders committed to multidimensional excellence.
If you’re a minority or a woman with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, in need of financial aid and are interested in studying computer science, data science, or a related field in tech, this scholarship is for you! Click to learn more and apply today!
This award is for U.S. graduate students who are enrolled in an urban planning program at one of the following schools: Columbia University, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New School University, or the University of Pennsylvania. Students must demonstrate financial need.
Catch A Break! Scholarship program will be celebrating its 10th year in 2024. CAB! has awarded $1.6 million in scholarships to date. CAB! awards $11,000 per year/renewable for 4 years 15 scholarships available each year
CAB! is also more than just financial support: scholarship recipients receive community support throughout their college years. Each CAB! scholar receives an individual mentor, and there are 3 community events per year to foster social support and networking. Earning a scholarship through CAB! comes with an built-in community.
