Frequently Asked Questions about Scholarships
Young Scholars is proud to offer scholarships year-round, catering to scholarships for middle school students. To increase your child’s chances of securing financial support, we strongly advise students to apply for the scholarships they are eligible for as soon as possible.
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Sign in to your Young Scholars parent dashboard to access all scholarship applications.
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Select “Set Up Your Password” if it is your first time signing in.
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Once you are in your parent dashboard, select “Apply for Scholarships” > "View All Current Open Scholarships."
Young Scholars scholarships are available year-round. To apply for a Young Scholars scholarship, parents should follow a set of steps to ensure a thorough and competitive application. Here’s a guide:
1) Explore available scholarships (link when site is live)
2) Prepare Required Documents:
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Color headshot, letter of recommendation(s), and any additional materials required for program of interest
3) Write personal essays:
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Please encourage your child to follow the listed word count and review the application thoroughly for any grammar or spelling mistakes.
4) Secure Letters of Recommendation:
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Applicants can request up to 2 and cannot submit their own letters of reference. Recommenders will have to submit the letters through the online scholarship platform. We do not accept letters submitted by parents. They must come directly from the recommender.
5) Apply online:
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Complete the scholarship application online through the YS portal. Ensure that all required information and documents are submitted before the deadline. Once you do, you will receive an email confirming that your application has been successfully submitted.
Young Scholars offers scholarships for all levels of middle school, providing ample opportunities for students throughout their academic journey. Given the diverse range of available, we highly recommend applying to multiple opportunities to increase the likelihood of receiving financial support. This proactive approach allows students to maximize their chances and explore various avenues of assistance.
1) Start early
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Begin the scholarship search and application process early. This allows students and parents to identify and apply for opportunities over an extended period.
2) Research Thoroughly
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Explore a wide range of scholarship opportunities. Look beyond academic achievements; consider scholarships based on talents, interests, community service, or specific demographics.
3) Create a Plan
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Develop a comprehensive plan with a list of potential scholarships, deadlines, and application requirements. This will help students stay organized and submit applications on time.
4) Tailor Applications
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Customize each scholarship application to align with the specific criteria and values of the scholarship provider. Highlight relevant experiences, achievements, and personal stories.
5) Visit our Scholarships Tips & Advice page for more scholarship tips from former NSHSS Scholarship Director Dr. Susan Thurman.
It's important to note that an "easy" scholarship can vary, and what might be considered easy for one person may not be the same for another. Scholarships come in diverse forms, and their application processes can range from simple to more involved. Here are a few types of scholarships that are often considered relatively straightforward:
1) No-Essay scholarships
2) Local scholarships
3) Short-response scholarships
4) Social media contests
While these types of scholarships may be perceived as more accessible, it's essential to approach the application process with care. Remember when applying to scholarships from different organizations that you verify the legitimacy, review the requirements, and apply to those that align with your interests and goals. When you apply to scholarships with this mindset, you may find the application relatively "easy."
We encourage applicants to apply for any scholarship program that is a good fit and for which they are eligible. There is no limit to how many applications you can submit. As a rule, Young Scholars does not award more than one scholarship to the same applicant in any calendar year.
Young Scholars disbursements will be sent via check directly to the parent/guardian upon completion of a W9 tax form.
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Start researching scholarships in advance. Scholarship opportunities are listed year-round at (link when site is live). Select the scholarship that interests you. A personal essay, visual component, educator recommendation, and a headshot are also typically required. All applications and materials are handled through the Young Scholars Survey Monkey Apply site. Any specific file formats required are listed within the application. Once you submit the application online, you will be unable to edit your answers.
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Essay: Word counts generally provide approximate guidelines, but encourage your child to keep their answers close to the number of words requested. If a scholarship response must not go over a certain word or character count, that will be indicated in the instructions.
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Educator Recommendation: An educator recommendation supports your child’s reputation as a student, e.g., academic performance and motivation, demonstrated leadership, emotional maturity, school activity participation, and community awareness and involvement. Each student only needs one educator recommendation per application, but you have the ability to request up to two. For example, you may wish to have a science teacher recommend your child for a STEAM scholarship, or a writing teacher recommend your child for a literary award. Each Young Scholars scholarship application contains the online recommendation link to provide to one of your educators. All educators will need to register on the Young Scholars Survey Monkey Apply site in order to upload a recommendation. The application and educator recommendation may be submitted in any order, but both must be submitted before the scholarship deadline.
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If your educator is already registered and has completed a recommendation, they do not need to create a new account. They can re-enter the Young Scholars Survey Monkey Apply site here: https://apply.nshss.org/acc/l/.
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Headshot: A headshot is a photograph of a person from the neck up. Headshots are required for possible website and social media postings and press releases in case an applicant becomes a scholarship recipient.
Determining the "best" scholarship depends on your strengths, interests, and goals. Different scholarships cater to various criteria, such as academic achievement, leadership, community service, specific talents, or intended fields of study. Any scholarship is an achievement when used as financial assistance to further your education at your college or university of choice and brings you one step closer to a brighter future.
If a teacher has yet to receive a request for a letter of recommendation via email, then the issue might be related to the school's firewall blocking the email communication. Here are a few steps that could be taken to address the situation:
1) Direct Communication with the Teacher:
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Please work with your child to reach out to the teacher directly and inform them of the situation. Provide details about the scholarship application, the deadline, and any specific instructions for submitting the letter of recommendation.
2) Alternative Email Address:
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If possible, please ask your student’s teacher if they have an alternative email address (not associated with the school's firewall) where the request can be sent.
3) Check Spam or Junk Folders:
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Teachers should check their spam or junk email folders, as sometimes automated emails may get filtered into these folders.
4) Whitelist the Scholarship Platform:
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The school's IT department or the teachers themselves may whitelist the email address from the scholarship platform to ensure that future communications are not blocked.
Addressing this issue immediately is vital to keeping the application process smooth sailing. Please note that we cannot accept letters of recommendation after the deadline.
The magic happens when students, teachers, and our scholarship platform team work together. So, please communicate to our team when you and your recommender are experiencing any issues. Your success matters to us; we're here to ensure everything goes seamlessly!
The difficulty of attaining a Young Scholars scholarship can vary based on several factors, including the specific scholarship, the number of applicants, and the competitiveness of the selection process. Young Scholars offers a range of scholarships for middle school students, each with its own set of criteria and requirements. You increase your chances of receiving a scholarship by applying to multiple and creating a unique application.
Consider each scholarship prompt and only apply for scholarships for which your child would be a strong candidate. Some scholarships support students with interest in STEAM fields, students with extensive community service experience, etc.
Young Scholars disbursements will be sent via check directly to the parent/guardian upon completion of a W9 tax form.
No, if you unsubscribe from any YS emails, you will no longer receive scholarship email invitations. Be sure to set your YS contact preferences to “allow” to receive scholarship notifications. To edit your contact preferences, sign in to your parent dashboard and select “My Profile.”
When applying for scholarships, kindly ask your preferred recommender for a recommendation at least three weeks prior to the scholarship deadline.
If the scholarship application specifies online submissions only (no printed or mailed copies), it's important to stick to those guidelines.YS uses an online platform to streamline the application process, manage submissions efficiently, and ensure a fair and standardized review.
Following these submission guidelines ensures a fair evaluation process and keeps things aligned with our procedures. Your success is our priority!
Young Scholars scholarship applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on the deadline date. Upon submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging your submission. Should you not receive a confirmation email, please contact scholarship@young-scholars.org.
Review for applications does not begin until after the program closes. Applicants are typically notified roughly 6-8 weeks following each scholarship deadline. This may vary for each scholarship as we may rely on internal and/or external scholarship committees. All applicants are notified of the results via the email utilized to create their applications on their parent dashboard. Please be sure to provide a valid email address to ensure you receive scholarship updates.
Yes! We're thrilled to welcome international students into our scholarship community.
We appreciate your commitment to the application process. It's important to note that we cannot make any edits once the application deadline has passed. Our deadlines are carefully set to ensure a fair and organized review process for all applicants.
We highly recommend thoroughly reviewing your information before hitting that submit button to avoid errors or inaccuracies. However, we understand that sometimes unforeseen circumstances can arise, leading to critical mistakes or the need for additional information. If this happens, we have specific procedures in place to handle these scenarios and can guide us on how to proceed.