Featured Scholarships: October/November 2026

Whether you’re a high school senior, a current undergrad or a veteran returning to school and civilian life, you’re probably stressing about how to pay for the next step in your education journey. This month, Scholarship America is proud help future educators, counselors, social workers and nurses through the Essential Visionaries Scholarship and the Veteran Scholarship for Educators.

And for high school students, the Equitable Excellence Scholarship^® is distributing $500,000 in new scholarships to public high school students across the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico! Learn more about these scholarships below. To see what’s coming soon and start your plans for applying, visit our Browse Scholarships listing.

Equitable Excellence Scholarship^®

The Equitable Excellence Scholarship^® is celebrating 24 years of student support this year and distributing $500,000 in new scholarships to public high school students across the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In alignment with Equitable’s mission to help people achieve financial security so that they can face the future with confidence, the Equitable Excellence Scholarship^® empowers students’ dreams so that they can continue to have positive impacts in their community.

Equitable will award 100 annual scholarships of $5,000 each. The scholarships will be renewed each academic year for up to three years, totaling up to $20,000 per recipient. Scholarship recipients will also receive special access to workshops centered around financial wellness, mental wellness and crucial professional leadership and development sessions tailored to support resume building and personal branding.

“They weren’t just handing you a check and walking away, and you’re never hearing from them,” says Rotimi Kukoyi, a 2022 Equitable Excellence^® Graduate and alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill. “They were in our inboxes quite regularly, hosting free webinars like building personal branding, designing your resume, and getting help with financial planning. The scholarship helped me with my immediate financial freedom, but it also helped me think and plan ahead.”

Additionally, a $500 gift card grant will be awarded to each scholarship recipient’s teacher of choice for professional development or classroom supplies. Scholarships are granted based on financial need, academic performance and submission of a brief personal statement.

Applications for the Class of 2027 are being accepted online through December 22, 2026. All applicants must:

• Be current high school seniors with financial need at a public high school in one of the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico

• Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year

• Demonstrate ambition and self-drive to give back to their communities by encouraging other students to pursue post-secondary attainment

• Have a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale

Since its launch in 2003, Equitable Excellence^® has awarded more than $30 million to approximately 7,500 students. Apply now to become part of the Class of 2027!

Applications are open until December 22. Apply now!

Scholarship America’s Essential Visionaries Fund

Are You a Future Nurse, Educator, or Mental Health Professional? 

If you are pursuing a career as a nurse, K-12 teacher, or school-based psychologist, counselor, or social worker, Scholarship America’s Essential Visionaries Fund is designed to support your journey.

The Essential Visionaries Fund provides financial assistance to students working toward a degree or certificate in education, counseling, social work, psychology, or pre-nursing/nursing.

About the Scholarship 

The Essential Visionaries Fund provides financial assistance to students working toward a degree or certificate in education, counseling, social work, psychology, or pre-nursing/nursing. Recipients will get up to $10,000 per year, renewable for up to four years, for a total of up to $50,000 in financial support toward a bachelor’s degree.

Who Can Apply?  

You are eligible if you:

• Are a high school senior or graduate, GED holder, or current college undergraduate in the United States

• Plan to enroll in part-time or full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year

• Are seeking a degree or certificate in Education, Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or Nursing/Pre-Nursing

• Applicants pursuing education, counseling, social work, or psychology must demonstrate commitment to working within the K-12 system.

• Nursing applications are not required to demonstrate K-12 system involvement.

• Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)

Individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) are eligible and strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are open through December 14. Apply Now >  

Scholarship America Veteran Scholarship for Educators

Service doesn’t have to end when you take off your uniform. U.S. Armed Forces veterans who are dedicated to continuing their service by working in K-12 education can now apply for the Scholarship America Veteran Scholarship for Educators.

About the Scholarship

Veteran Scholarships for Educators will be awarded to honorably discharged veterans pursuing degrees or state-approved certificates in eligible fields, including:

• Education

• Counseling

• Psychology

• Social Work

Recipients must plan to work within the K-12 school system.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must:

• Provide proof of honorable discharge.

• Be high school or GED graduates, current undergraduate students, or first-year graduate students.

• Plan to enroll full- or part-time in an undergraduate or graduate study for an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year, or plan to enroll in a state-approved alternative pathway to certification.

• Have a minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

• Demonstrate financial need, which will be a key consideration in the selection process.

Award Amounts and Renewability

• Recipients attending a state-approved alternative pathway to certification: $1,000 annually.
• Recipients attending two-year or vocational-technical schools and those attending a four-year institution on a part-time basis: $5,000 annually.
• Recipients attending four-year institutions on a full-time basis: $10,000 annually.
• If any recipient is enrolled part-time, that award will be granted as half the amount listed above.
• Awards are renewable for up to four years or until a bachelor’s or master’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, contingent on:
• Satisfactory academic performance.
• Continued enrollment in an eligible field of study.

Applications are open through December 14. Apply Now >