Top 11 Quick College Scholarships

College is expensive. That’s no big secret. What you may not know, however, is that there are more than a few ways to cut down the costs.

First, let me ask you this:

• Do you take SAT practice tests, willingly or otherwise? (Yes.)

• Do you have a dream college list, self-imposed or otherwise? (Of course.)

• Are you afraid of massive college expenses? (Most definitely.)

Well, lucky for you, there are 11 scholarships you probably already qualify for that can help reduce the cost of college:

1. If you don’t want to write an essay, then Niche has the answer for you: a $2,000 scholarship with no strings attached.

2. Have you taken SAT practice tests on Khan Academy? Well, College Board has decided on a new scholarship program to reward your efforts.

3. Want $50,000 just for sharing your class notes (which you probably already do)? CourseHero just asks you to upload your knowledge on its site, and you’ll reap the scholarships.

4. If you already have a dream college list, you qualify for this scholarship, which is another part of College Board’s initiative to reward you for thinking ahead for college.

5. Do you want to study a STEM subject and help out the Department of Defense? You could qualify for this.

6. Have an embarrassing SAT score you’ve recently righted? Your improvement means you qualify for this scholarship, which is another way College Board tries to motivate you to plan for college.

7. Got money by filling out FAFSA? Then you can get even more cash back this way--another one of College Board's hidden benefits.

8. Have you seen a lot of TikTok ads on YouTube? Did you finally decide to download the app? TikTok wants everyone to be a creator via their DIY platform, so after creating just one video, you qualify for this.

9. Want a $1,000 scholarship simply for creating a free Tallo account? Check out this easy money. (Also, making a Tallo account will help you discover job opportunities and even more scholarships.)

10. Have some opinions, perhaps strong ones, about your school? Niche asks you to survey your school, offering you a chance to get $1,000 for your honesty.

11. And finally, after you’re done, check out College Board again. If you’ve filled out all of College Board’s other scholarships, including applying for financial aid, accumulating a dream college list, and improving your SAT score, then this is the climax: put it all together for a chance at $40,000.

Are you confused by the application process for any of these? Do you want more options, perhaps tailored specifically to the college you want to go to? Well, we can help you via 1:1 counseling included in our Gateway Program. And, it’s not just scholarships. We help you with the whole application process--pesky essays (both regular college essays and scholarship-specific essays) included.

With an expert personal counselor to demystify the scholarship and overall college application process, applying isn’t hard at all. Check out our programs. We want to help you maximize your potential.

Sky Yoo is a current UChicago student majoring in computer science, and a contributor to the Berkeley2 Academy College Admissions Blog. She is a former B2A student who attended our test-prep classes, Steps Program, and Gateway college admissions program.