As a middle schooler, you may not know where you want to go to college or what you want to study. Aside from that, thinking about paying for college can be very challenging and that’s why you are looking to know how to get a scholarship in middle school. Look no more! This article has everything you need to help you secure a scholarship in middle school.
First off, what does it mean to get a scholarship in middle school? A scholarship in middle school is a financial aid granted to a student within the range of grades 6–8, falling under the age range of 11–14, which helps them cover their educational expenses. It is often offered based on academic excellence or financial aid. Scholarships in middle school are not as popular as those in high school or college but they exist.
In this article, I will dive into the various pieces of information you need on how to get a scholarship in middle school.
How To Get A Scholarship In Middle School
1. Start Early
Starting early is always the best thing to do, it saves you from settling for lesser scholarships, gives you more opportunities, and helps you get prepared before the deadlines. It also helps you explore a lot of scholarship types, eligibility, and requirements. You also get to explore so many online websites and search engines.
2. Check The Eligibility Criteria
When you come across any scholarship, make sure to check for their eligibility criteria. You should check if you meet their requirements, such as age, academic performance, and grade level, and also look out for any specific requirements like essays or talent demonstrations.
3. Submit Your Application
After you’ve checked for the criteria of the scholarship you were offered or chose, you then write an outstanding and mind-blowing essay and personal statements that show your goals and achievements. Make sure your application is accurate and up-to-date (meets the deadline). Don’t forget to make the various documents, like your transcripts, available. Once you have done all this, you can then submit your application to the contact or email address provided by the school you are applying to.
4. Follow Up Your Application
Monitor and check on the status of your application if necessary. You might be called upon for interviews or to provide some additional information. So be prepared!
5. Accept Scholarship Once Given
If you’ve been selected among the students for the scholarships, the first thing to do after you’ve received the message is to read and accept the terms and conditions of the scholarship.
Now that you know how to get a scholarship in middle school, let’s dive into the various types of scholarships there are in middle school.
Scholarships For Middle School Students
Looking and applying for scholarships now might be the best thing for you and your parents. It actually gives you future financial aid for college and also saves you the stress of having to look for schools at that time, so it’s better to start early. Here are scholarships researched just for you that you can apply for in middle school.
1. Carson Scholars Fund
Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Eligibility:
- Students in grades 4–11 are eligible for nominations.
- Minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service
The Carson Scholars Fund is a prestigious program aimed at students in grades 4–11 across the United States who demonstrate both academic excellence and strong humanitarian qualities. If you’re selected as a Carson Scholar, you will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be invested towards your future education at a four-year college or university, along with an Olympic-sized medal, a certificate, and an invitation to a regional recognition ceremony. Additionally, your school will be awarded a trophy (or nameplate) to proudly display, highlighting your achievement.
The Carson Scholars Fund’s mission includes encouraging early interest in college and providing financial assistance for higher education. With 94% of Carson Scholars reporting a positive impact on their ability to serve as role models, the program underscores the importance of academic achievements and community involvement. Participation requires enrollment in an accredited public or private school in the United States.
2. Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Scholarship Amount: Awards range from $10,000 to $50,000
Eligibility:
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is a prestigious opportunity for gifted students who are 18 years old or younger and who have completed a significant piece of work in one of these nine categories: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, and an “Outside the Box” category for work that does not fit into the other categories. This scholarship recognizes exceptional achievements across these disciplines, offering awards of $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000.
Whether your expertise lies in a scientific subject like physics or biology, computer science areas such as programming, AI, or robotics, engineering fields like electrical or mechanical engineering. Mathematics subjects such as calculus or geometry, literature, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, or screenplay, musical performance or arrangement, or even the study of philosophy.
This scholarship provides a platform to showcase your talent. For those whose work defies conventional categorization, the “Outside the Box” category ensures your unique contributions are also recognized.
3. Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program
Scholarship Amount: Up to $55,000 a year for college
Eligibility:
The Cooke Young Scholars Program offers a five-year, pre-college scholarship designed for high-achieving 7th-grade (middle school) students who show financial need. As a participant, you will receive academic and college advice along with financial support for school, specialized Cooke-sponsored summer programs, internships, and a variety of other learning enrichment opportunities.
Support from Educational Advisers includes helping you identify a challenging high school, engage in strategic four-year planning and goal-setting, and provide funding for academic and extracurricular pursuits such as music and art lessons, supplemental academic classes, and technology needs.
Furthermore, the program offers annual summer programs—which are specifically for Young Scholars—along with year-round community programming and networking opportunities with a community of high-achieving peers.
To date, the program has served over 1,100 scholars, with an impressive 96% enrolling in a four-year college or university and achieving an average cumulative college GPA of 3.5. This scholarship program is a very good scholarship offer you can go for as a middle schooler who wants to know how to get a scholarship in middle school. This is one of the many scholarship opportunities you can opt for.
4. Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Amount: About $250,000
Opens: April 1, 2025
Eligibility:
It is open to students ages 13 to 18 who create an engaging STEM-related video project that effectively communicates the student’s chosen topic.
5. HSLDA Contests
Amount: Varies
Triannual Deadline: August 1 (Photo and Short Stories contests), December 1 (Art and Essay contests), April 1 (Poetry and Video contests)
The Eligibility/Criteria:
It is open to students aged 7 – 19 who create art with influences from American Folk art, American Realism, and the Hudson River School.
Final Words
We have given you the steps on “how to get a scholarship in middle school” and also provided you with information on the various scholarships you can opt for, which you can choose according to how eligible you are for them. I hope this article meets your expectations on how to get a scholarship in middle school.
