How to Find Scholarships For Low-Income Students

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and is not equivalent to the services of a licensed lawyer. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help, and does not offer legal services. Third party news articles mentioned on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of the company, or the current services that we offer.

How to Find Scholarships For Low-Income Students

Unsuccessful efforts to afford higher education can put a lot of strain on students, especially those with a tricky financial situation. Luckily, many scholarships and grants are designed to help financially disadvantaged students afford higher education. Are the costs and mandatory fees of the school you’re enrolled in or plan on attending giving you headaches? This complete guide will help you find and apply for scholarships for low-income students so that you can pursue your diploma or degree worry-free!

Are There Any Scholarships for Low-Income Students?

Low-income students can qualify for a plethora of scholarships based on their demonstrated financial needs. Financial need is the difference between a student’s estimated family contribution (EFC) and the total cost of school attendance.

Some scholarships are both need- and merit-based, which means that students need to excel at their education and demonstrate financial need to earn them.

Other Scholarships for Low-Income Students

Aside from need- and merit-based scholarships, low-income students can get awards for:

No-Essay Scholarships for Low-Income Students

Another option for low-income students is to apply for no-essay scholarships—raffle-like awards with small prize pools. Application requirements for no-essay scholarships typically aren’t complicated and require the applicant to enter some basic information about themselves—such as their full name, the name of their school, the field of study they’re pursuing a degree in, etc.

The application process for most of these scholarships is repetitive and tiring, but our app can help you automate it! to apply for all no-essay scholarship opportunities available and maximize your chances of winning!

Where To Look for Scholarships for Low-Income College Students

If you don’t know where to start looking for scholarships for low-income college students, here are some ideas:

  • Your future school’s financial aid department
  • Organizations dedicated to helping financially disadvantaged students, such as:
    • Equal Opportunity Schools
    • The Education Trust (EdTrust)
    • College Possible
    • MDRC
    • National College Access Network (NCAN)
    • OneGoal
  • Your religious group
  • Organizations devoted to helping women in college, if applicable—such as:
    • American Association of University Women
    • Women Leaders in College Sports
    • Association of Black Women in Higher Education and Sisters of the Academy (for black women)
    • American Council on Education—National Leadership Forums
  • Foundations dedicated to minorities, if applicable

How To Qualify for a Scholarship as a Low-Income Student

Most scholarship requirements for low-income students require the applicants to:

  1. Have an estimated family contribution or total family income under a specific limit
  2. Complete the:
    1. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or its state equivalent
    2. College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile
    3. Individual scholarship application
  3. Submit their:
    1. Scholarship essay or personal statement
    2. Letters of recommendation
    3. Resume
    4. SAT and ACT scores

Awards for Low-Income Students You Need To Check Out

Deciding between all available opportunities can be tricky, so here is a breakdown of some of the best awards for low-income students to help you make a choice:

AwardPrizeRequirements
Federal Pell Grant and its supplements
  • From $650 to over $10,000
The applicant must be pursuing their first bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree
Unmet Need Scholarship Program
  • From $1,000 to $3,000
The candidate’s family must have a combined annual family income of less than $30,000
Horatio Alger National Scholarship
  • Up to $25,000
The applicant must:
  • Be a high school senior planning to attend college
  • Demonstrate exceptional financial need with a family income of less than $55,000
  • Be involved in extracurricular and community service activities
  • Have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0
Dell Scholars Program
  • A laptop with a four-year warranty
  • $20,000
  • $500 worth of Chegg credits to spend on personal textbooks or rentals—annually
Eligible candidates must:
  • Be Pell Grant recipients in their first year of college
  • Participate in a college-readiness program in grades 11 and 12 (the Dell Scholars Program must approve the program)
  • Maintain a minimum 2.4 GPA
  • Demonstrate financial need

DoNotPay Helps Low-Income Students Find Scholarships!

There are plenty more opportunities for low-income students waiting, and you can find them in a matter of minutes by using DoNotPay!

After answering a few short questions, our app will:

  • List all scholarships you’re eligible for, along with their awards
  • Ask you whether you want to apply for no-essay scholarships automatically
  • Update the list of scholarships frequently so you don’t miss any opportunity

To find awards that will help you overcome your financial hurdles:

  1. Search for the Apply for Scholarships product
  2. Answer our chatbot’s questions about your:
    1. Field and level of study
    2. Potential veteran status
    3. Other scholarship qualifications

DoNotPay Helps You Run Errands Without Leaving the Comfort of Your Home!

If you’re on a tight schedule and you can’t afford to spend hours running errands, DoNotPay steps in with a perfect solution! You can skip going to the post office to request an item return or visiting a notary public to get your documents notarized—Our app will help you get it all done without going anywhere!

Visiting your local Walmart to have your passport photo taken is unnecessary since DoNotPay can help you get it at home!

Consult the list below to see what other tasks you can complete using our app:

Unsubscribe From Unwanted Services at Any Time

Companies tend to keep charging their clients monthly subscription fees automatically if they don’t end their subscriptions. Stop wasting money on forgotten memberships—DoNotPay will show you how to terminate your subscription in a few clicks!

You can also learn how to sign up for a free trial without getting charged, create a burner phone number or a virtual credit card hassle-free!

Want your issue solved now?