Financial Support for Undergraduate Students

BigSun Athletics exists to help young athletes find success both on and off the field. Each school year, they give out a varying number of awards from the BigSun Athletic Scholarship fund. Applicants can participate at any level of athletics and in any sport. The only application requirement is an essay. Students should write about how their participation in athletics has shaped them, their family, and their future career goals.

• Amount: $500
• Provider: The BigSun Athletics Organization
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Application Requirements: Essay

The Chick-fil-A Community Scholarship prioritizes students who have a track record in serving their community. Scholarship recipients will be invited to join a year-long leadership development program. This optional program offers mentorship and professional development training that focuses on a broad array of leadership skills. Students will need to be recommended by a teacher, coach, or community leader to apply.  

• Amount: $25,000
• Provider: Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Scholarship America
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Application Requirements: Transcript, three letters of recommendation, tax returns, essay, list of extracurricular activities 

Southern California Edison, a local electricity company, recognizes the importance of innovation. That’s why they created the Edison Scholars Program to reward deserving high-school seniors who plan to pursue a STEM-related field.  

To win the scholarship, applicants must demonstrate financial need and live in a Southern California county that’s serviced by Edison. To apply, you’ll need to write two essays — one about the impact you hope to make in the world, and the other about a challenge you’ve overcome.  

• Amount: $50,000
• Provider: Southern California Edison
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • A resident of one of these California counties: Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Tuolumne, or Ventura
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Enrolled as a high school senior
  • Declared field of study in STEM 

The Hewlett Packard Enterprise Scholarship is a prestigious private scholarship with internship placement potential. It’s a two-year, needs-based award, and it’s sponsored by the Executive Leadership Council (a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of Black executives) and leading computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard. The scholarship is given annually to five rising college juniors. To apply, students must write two essays about their work ethic and teamwork skills, as well as a personal biography.  

• Amount: Up to $8,245
• Provider: Hewlett Packard and The Executive Leadership Council (ELC)
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Black/African American
  • Enrolled as a college sophomore
  • Declared field of study in a business or STEM-related field
• Application Requirements: Transcript, completed FAFSA®, student aid report, essay, resume, list of extracurricular activities, bio 

The Mentoris Project publishes books that tell the stories of inspiring, trailblazing, and underappreciated historical heroes. To help support the heroes of the future, the organization endows the Mentoris Project Essay Contest.
Applicants must read a Mentoris book of their choice and write an essay about the main character. A unique aspect of this scholarship program is that Mentoris will donate a set of books to the school library of each scholarship recipient.

• Amount: Up to $1,000
• Provider: The Mentoris Project
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Enrolled as a high-school junior or senior
• Application Requirements: Essay

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing technical degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

• Amount: Varies
• Approximate Deadline: Dec. 1
• Limited To: Citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or United Kingdom at time of application, and ability to complete at least one summer internship at a DoD facility.

Women and people of color are historically underrepresented in the field of technology. To create a more equitable future for the industry, Google created the Generation Google Scholarship.  

While the award is open to students of all genders and racial identities, Google strongly encourages students from historically underrepresented groups to apply. In keeping with the scholarship’s mission, one of the essay questions asks students to ponder the root causes of the challenges that have faced underrepresented groups in the field of technology.  

This award is open to high-school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students, but applicants will only be judged against their direct peers — not the entire applicant pool.  

• Amount: $25,000
• Provider: Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Scholarship America
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Application Requirements: Transcript, three letters of recommendation, tax returns, essay, list of extracurricular activities 

To close the educational attainment gap between African Americans and the majority population, UNCF helps promising students attend college and graduate by administering 400 scholarship and internship programs, so that even students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board.

• Amount: $500-10,000
• Approximate Deadline: Varies
• Limited To: Each program has its own eligibility criteria, open/close dates and required documents. In order to apply for a UNCF Program Services Scholarship, you must apply through the online application process.

The Wilhelmina Pittman Textbook Scholarship is a great option for Florida students who might otherwise struggle to cover the cost of educational supplies. Created by a Florida State University graduate who struggled to pay for his textbooks as a student, this award is open to any student with financial need attending school in Florida. The scholarship selection committee wants to hear what you’ve discovered about yourself during the pandemic. The applications will be judged based on academic merit and your essay response.

• Amount: Varies
• Provider: Wilhelmina Foundation
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • Florida resident
  • Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Application Requirements: Transcript, SAT and/or ACT scores, essay, list of extracurricular activities, list of honors and awards

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to encouraging women to pursue careers in computing and technology through the Women Techmakers Scholars Program (formerly the Google Anita Borg Scholarship), through which the company hopes to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders.

• Amount: $10,000
• Approximate Deadline: February
• Limited To: Applicant must be a female student enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. university; be enrolled in computer science or computer engineering program, or a closely related technical field as a full-time student.