We’ve all heard the scary statistics about student loan debt. Altogether, Americans owe almost $1.48 trillion in student loans. In the Class of 2017, the average graduate owes $39,400.
These high stats aren’t surprising, what with the cost of a private college averaging $32,410 per year. But what if you could reduce that number to $0 with a full-tuition scholarship?
While competitive, there are full-tuition scholarships that cover the cost of attendance at your college of choice. Read on for seven full-tuition scholarships, plus some tips on how to win one.
7 full-tuition scholarships that could save you thousands
1. Gates Millennium Scholars program
The Gates Millennium Scholars program covers unmet financial need for African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students. You need to have a GPA of at least 3.3, along with a commitment to service and leadership.
To win the Gates Millennium Scholarship, your school needs to nominate you. You also need to answer several essay questions. If you think you could qualify, speak to a teacher, counselor, or your principal about next steps.
2. Intel Science Search
The Intel Science Search is a national contest for aspiring scientists and mathematicians. Before winning scholarship money, you must participate in a long-term research project.
Projects could be in computer science, environmental science, engineering, or biochemistry, among other fields. The Intel Foundation awards one winner with $75,000 and other finalists with scholarships of varying amounts.
3. Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship
This merit-based scholarship goes to high-achieving students with financial need.
The selection process is similar to the college admissions process. The scholarship committee looks at your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendation letters. Winners get up to $40,000 each year for tuition, books, room, board, and other fees.
4. Microsoft scholarships
Microsoft awards a variety of scholarships, some of which cover the full cost of tuition. To qualify, you must plan to study computer science, science, technology, engineering, or math. Winners have a strong academic and extracurricular background, along with demonstrated financial need.
5. SMART: Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation
This scholarship goes to aspiring STEM students who are interested in a career in national defense. Winners are expected to do a summer internship and work for a period as a Department of Defense civilian.
The scholarship comes in the form of a cash stipend of $25,000 to $38,000 per year, depending on what degree you’re pursuing, and includes health insurance.
6. USDA 1890 National Scholars Program
The United States Department of Scholarship offers this full-tuition scholarship to students planning to attend one of the 1890 historically black land-grant universities, like Alabama A&M University or Tennessee State University.
Winners have a record of leadership, plus they plan to study food, agriculture, natural resource science, or a related discipline. USDA scholars get summer jobs and potential employment with the USDA after graduation.
7. Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway
The requirements for a $100,000 Dr. Pepper scholarship are unique. First, you need to post your goal to change the world on Facebook. If you get 50 likes, then you make a short video. A committee reviews all the videos, and winners receive prizes anywhere from $2,500 to $100,000 for tuition.
How to get a full-tuition scholarship
The scholarships on this list are rare finds. They come from private organizations, and you can use most of them at any university.
So, how can you get a full-tuition scholarship from one of these private organizations? Most are merit-based and require a strong academic and extracurricular background.
If you’re applying, you need to start early to put together the strongest application you can. Produce thoughtful essays, and connect with your recommenders to get outstanding references.
These national, full-tuition scholarships are extremely competitive. You can’t rely on them as your financial plan, but they’re definitely worth a shot. At the same time, you should also apply to smaller scholarships to help with tuition costs.
By planning for college costs, you can avoid taking on too much student loan debt. For more on scholarships, learn about popular scholarship myths that could be holding you back.
Need a student loan?
Here are our top student loan lenders of 2021!Lender | Variable APR | Eligibility | |
---|---|---|---|
1.04% – 11.98%1 | Undergraduate, Graduate, and Parents | ||
1.13% – 11.23%*,2 | Undergraduate, Graduate, and Parents | ||
1.24% – 11.99%3 | Undergraduate and Graduate | ||
1.78% – 11.89%4 | Undergraduate and Graduate | ||
1.05% – 11.44%5 | Undergraduate and Graduate | ||
1.19% – 11.51%6 | Undergraduate and Graduate | ||
2.46% – 12.98%7 | Undergraduate and Graduate | ||
* The Sallie Mae partner referenced is not the creditor for these loans and is compensated by Sallie Mae for the referral of Smart Option Student Loan customers. 1 Important Disclosures for College Ave. CollegeAve DisclosuresCollege Ave Student Loans products are made available through either Firstrust Bank, member FDIC or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply. Rates shown are for the College Ave Undergraduate Loan product and include autopay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. Variable rates may increase after consummation. Information advertised valid as of 1/27/2021. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. Lowest advertised rates require selection of full principal and interest payments with the shortest available loan term. 2 Sallie Mae Disclaimer: Click here for important information. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. 3 Important Disclosures for Discover. Discover Disclosures
4 Important Disclosures for SoFi. sofiDisclosuresUNDERGRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.23% to 11.26% annual percentage rate (“APR”) (with autopay), variable rates from 1.88% to 11.66% APR (with autopay). GRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.13% to 11.37% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 1.78% to 11.73% APR (with autopay). MBA AND LAW SCHOOL LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.30% to 11.52% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 1.95% to 11.89% APR (with autopay). PARENT LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.60% to 10.76% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 1.88% to 11.16% APR (with autopay). For variable rate loans, the variable interest rate is derived from the one-month LIBOR rate plus a margin and your APR may increase after origination if the LIBOR increases. Changes in the one-month LIBOR rate may cause your monthly payment to increase or decrease. Interest rates for variable rate loans are capped at 13.95%, unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law. Lowest rates are reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. If approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your creditworthiness, the repayment option you select, the term and amount of the loan and other factors, and will be within the ranges of rates listed above. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Information current as of 11/04/2020. Enrolling in autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. SoFi Lending Corp., licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Financing Law License No. 6054612. NMLS #1121636 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). 5 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest Disclosures
6 Important Disclosures for Citizens Bank. Citizens Bank DisclosuresUndergraduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 1.19% – 11.51% (1.19% – 10.67% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 3.99% – 11.80% (3.99% – 10.92% APR). Graduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 1.37% – 11.41% (1.37% – 11.12% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.39% – 11.70% (4.39%-11.39% APR). Business/Law Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 1.37% – 9.55% (1.37% – 8.83% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.13% – 9.84% (4.13% – 9.12% APR). Medical/Dental Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 1.37% – 8.35% (1.37% – 8.05% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.03% – 8.64% (4.03% – 8.34% APR). Parent Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 2.11% – 7.42% (2.11%-7.42% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.69% – 7.83% (4.69% – 7.83% APR). Bar Study Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 4.47% – 9.61% (4.47% – 9.54% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 7.39% – 12.94% (7.38% – 12.81% APR). Medical Residency Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.56% – 7.06% (3.56% – 6.78% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 6.99% – 10.49% (6.97% – 10.08% APR). Variable Rate Disclosure: Variable Rates are based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) published in The Wall Street Journal on the twenty-fifth day, or the next business day, of the Fixed Rate Disclosure: Fixed rate ranges are based on applicable terms, level of degree, and presence of a co-signer. Lowest Rate Disclosure: Lowest rates require a 5-year repayment term, immediate repayment, a graduate degree (where applicable), and include our Loyalty and Automatic Payment discounts of 0.25 percentage points each, as outlined in the Loyalty Discount and Automatic Payment Discount disclosures. Rates are subject to additional terms and conditions, and are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change. Federal Loan vs. Private Loan Benefits: Some federal student loans include unique benefits that the borrower may not receive with a private student loan, some of which we do not offer. Borrowers should carefully review federal benefits, especially if they work in public service, are in the military, are considering possible loan forgiveness options, are currently on or considering income based repayment options or are concerned about a steady source of future income and would want to lower their payments at some time in the future. When the borrower refinances, they waive any current and potential future benefits of their federal loans. For more information about federal student loan benefits and federal loan consolidation, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/. We also have several resources available to help the borrower make a decision on our website including Should I Refinance My Student Loans? and our FAQs. Should I Refinance My Student Loans? includes a comparison of federal and private student loan benefits that we encourage the borrower to review. Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible non-citizen with a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer. For applicants who have not attained the age of majority in their state of residence, a co-signer is required. Citizens Bank reserves the right to modify eligibility criteria at any time. Citizens Bank private student loans are subject to credit qualification, completion of a loan application/Promissory Note, verification of application information, and if applicable, self-certification form, school certification of the loan amount, and student’s enrollment at a Citizens Bank participating school. Loyalty Discount Disclosure: The borrower will be eligible for a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction on their loan if the borrower or their co-signer (if applicable) has a qualifying account in existence with us at the time the borrower and their co-signer (if applicable) have submitted a completed application authorizing us to review their credit request for the loan. The following are qualifying accounts: any checking account, savings account, money market account, certificate of deposit, automobile loan, home equity loan, home equity line of credit, mortgage, credit card account, or other student loans owned by Citizens Bank, N.A. Please note, our checking and savings account options are only available in the following states: CT, DE, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, and VT and some products may have an associated cost. This discount will be reflected in the interest rate disclosed in the Loan Approval Disclosure that will be provided to the borrower once the loan is approved. Limit of one Loyalty Discount per loan and discount will not be applied to prior loans. The Loyalty Discount will remain in effect for the life of the loan. Automatic Payment Discount Disclosure: Borrowers will be eligible to receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction on their student loans owned by Citizens Bank, N.A. during such time as payments are required to be made and our loan servicer is authorized to automatically deduct payments each month from any bank account the borrower designates. Discount is not available when payments are not due, such as during forbearance. If our loan servicer is unable to successfully withdraw the automatic deductions from the designated account three or more times within any 12-month period, the borrower will no longer be eligible for this discount. 7 Important Disclosures for Ascent. Ascent DisclosuresAscent Student Loans are funded by Richland State Bank (RSB), Member FDIC. Loan products December not be available in certain jurisdictions. Certain restrictions, limitations; and terms and conditions December apply. For Ascent Terms and Conditions please visit: www.AscentStudentLoans.com/Ts&Cs Rates are effective as of 12/01/2020 and reflect an automatic payment discount of 0.25% on the lowest offered rate and a 2.00% discount on the highest offered rate. Automatic Payment Discount is available if the borrower is enrolled in automatic payments from their personal checking account and the amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. For Ascent rates and repayment examples please visit: www.AscentStudentLoans.com/Rates 1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. Click here for details. |