Remember applying for scholarships that included stringent requirements based upon test scores, grades, introspective essays or some other academic achievements?
These requirements are much different.
There are countless offbeat and unusual scholarships out there that award serious cash to students with unique talents, hobbies or interests. Whether you are a passionate Star Trek fan, a walking encyclopedia of knowledge or you have a gift for designing greeting cards, you could qualify for more college funding than you think.
Check out our list of strange and unique college scholarships below, then visit our scholarships page to learn about more opportunities that can help you meet your financial commitments.
1. Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation Scholarship
Award Amount: From $250 to $2,500
If you excel at Trivial Pursuit, you may enjoy “applying” to this scholarship. There are no essays, GPA requirements or “traditional” applications. Applicants take a series of quizzes and earn points to qualify for scholarships. Scores are based on a combination of time and accuracy. Questions range from general common knowledge to specific academic subjects, books, websites and movies. Students with the highest scores at the end of each competition win.
2. Unigo $10K Scholarship
Award Amount: $10,000
Colleges around the world represent students from every generation, though each face a unique set of challenges. Share yours with Unigo and you could earn a $10,000 scholarship. In 250 words or less, submit an original response answering, “What’s the biggest challenge facing college students today and how can it be addressed?" Applicants will be judged on writing ability, creativity, originality and overall excellence.
3. Scholarship America Dream Award
Award Amount: $5,000 to $15,000, multi-year
Launched with an initial donation of $350,000 from Katie Couric, the Scholarship America Dream Award is a multi-year, performance-based scholarship focused on degree completion. Students must have successfully completed one full year of postsecondary education with a 3.0 GPA to be eligible. General study scholarships, STEM scholarships and scholarships for Chinese-American students will be offered in the upcoming academic year.
4. Race Entry Student Scholarship
Award Amount: $500
Everyone has a different reason for running a race, and Race Entry wants to hear yours. Race Entry is an online race registration company that supports anyone who pursues self-improvement and enhanced health through race preparation and participation. No matter what race you have run, apply for their scholarship by writing a short essay detailing what inspired you to run, the challenges you faced and what you learned from the experience.
5. Starfleet International Scholarships
Award Amount: up to $1,000
Star Trek fans, unite! Starfleet, the world’s largest Star Trek club, is a membership organization that provides fans the opportunity to celebrate their love of the space franchise. Each year, the club lives up to the motto of “live long and prosper” by awarding several scholarships in engineering, medical, art and more to special active members pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree.
6. Make Me Laugh Scholarship
Award Amount: $1,500
In 250 words or less, submit your funniest short story that will make the judges at ScholarshipExperts.com laugh. Show your comedic side, share an embarrassing incident or your favorite joke. Just make sure to get the punch line right!
7. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship
Award Amount: $10,000
If you are a talented photographer, artist or designer, create your own original greeting card for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship. Submit an original photo, piece of artwork or a graphic file to The Gallery Collection for the front design of their business greeting cards. The winning entry will be produced and sold as a real greeting card in the company’s product line.
Written by Thomas Edison State University