Scholarships for
Seniors in College

What are Scholarships for Seniors in College?

Senior year may be the home stretch of your college career, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for you to earn a scholarship. In fact, there is a set of scholarships awarded only to rising and current seniors. Offered by public and private institutions including national foundations, third-party organizations, and schools themselves, senior student scholarships provide funding for the final year of college (and, in some cases, beyond).

Want to earn a scholarship for your senior year? You’re on the right page. Below, we’ve provided a quick crash course on everything you need to put yourself in a good position to secure funding for your senior year. Read on, and finish strong.

How Do I Qualify for Scholarships for Seniors in College?

Step one to qualifying for a senior scholarship: be a senior. Sounds simple, right? It’s actually a bit more complicated, since there are technically two types of college seniors, and thus two types of college senior scholarships. The first and far more common type of senior scholarships are those awarded to rising seniors, or current juniors. These scholarships typically provide funding for a single year (senior year), though some may provide a stipend for postgraduate studies. The second, rarer type of senior scholarships are those awarded to current seniors. These scholarships typically provide funding for the second semester of senior or postgraduate endeavors. 

Beyond your class year, you will likely need to provide a few extra materials to earn a senior student scholarship. Some scholarships are only awarded to seniors pursuing certain degrees. A common dichotomy is STEM vs humanities, though scholarships can get more specific than this. Many senior year scholarships also require applicants to submit a body of work, maintain a certain GPA, gather letters of recommendation, and/or synthesize new essays based on scholarship prompts. If you’re pursuing senior year scholarships, it’s a good idea to get started as early as possible to make sure that your materials are the best they can be.

Why Are Scholarships for Seniors in College Important?

Poised to take the step from college into the workforce or onto higher education, undergraduate seniors are at crucial moments in their lives. Senior year is when big college projects are finished, memories made, relationships solidified, degrees earned, and courses charted for the future. It’s perhaps the most important year of college, and it’s one that many students struggle to fund. Senior year scholarships give these students an opportunity to pay their way through their final year of college so they focus on what really matters. Senior year scholarships are also a second (or third) chance for those students who may not have been in a position to earn scholarship support early on in college. With the funding these scholarships provide, college seniors get an all-too-important boost that can propel them to success on bigger stages.

Find College Scholarships for Seniors in College 

Are you a current or rising college senior in search of scholarships? Your search has led you to the right place. Create a Appily account in seconds and start applying for college senior scholarships now.