Scholarships and Contests for Homeschool Students with October 2026 Deadlines

“How do I keep track of all these scholarships and what needs done for each?” Last month I gave you an idea for tracking scholarships with a spreadsheet. Within the past month I have found an online tool that does that, and a bit more, on Ready Set College by SAGE Scholars. First, let me briefly explain Ready Set College by SAGE Scholars. According to its website, it is a “comprehensive college and career planning website, designed to provide students with best practices and proven strategies to achieve successful college outcomes.” Ready Set College serves as a centralized hub connecting students, parents, and counselors with resources to navigate higher education. It works alongside the broader Tuition Rewards program, which grants points (1 point = $1 USD) through employers, financial institutions, and 529 plans to provide guaranteed minimum tuition discounts of up to 25% at over 435 participating private colleges and universities. As far as a scholarships go, what really got me excited was one particular tool on their site.

The helpful tool is called a “Scholarship Tracker” (of course you need to get an account to use this tool). On the page for the scholarship tracker, there are several sections that can be quite helpful. First it has 6 “Rules of the Game,” then an explanation of each section of the scholarship tracker and how it helps you apply for scholarships en mass and how it helps keep it all organized. As you scroll further down the page they provide a “Where to Start” for each year of high school. HINT: Don’t start the senior year – you can begin applying for scholarships and contests in middle school – or younger! (This road map begins in ninth grade.) In depth Guides have articles that focus on work-flow and methods, as well as a grade by grade timeline. Finally, the article gives you the advantages by explaining the pitfalls that the tracker helps you prevent.

Currently, I have my son using a paper tracker built from a spreadsheet. On it we are able to list the scholarships, deadlines, award amounts, any other pertinent information, and the date he submits the scholarship package. What I like about the Scholarship Tracker is that you can upload all your documents (test scores, transcripts, recommendation letters), the student builds their achievement log, and the four basic essays which are usually required for scholarships (Challenge, Leadership, Community, Future Goals). The essay requested for a scholarship can be copied and pasted into scholarship applications, then ‘tweaked’ to fit that specific application. On the dashboard of the tracker it identifies how many scholarships you have applied for, how much money you have won and where other scholarships are at in the ‘pipeline.’ Finally, there is a page that tells the student what need done and the deadline it needs completed by for each scholarship they have in their tracker. If you have your student use the Scholarship Tracker, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Here area some scholarships you can consider having your student add to their tracker (whatever format that they use):

Sports Gear Swag Scholarship
Sponsor: Sports Gear Swag
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: October 1, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to current undergraduate and graduate students who are legal residents of the United States or hold a valid student visa. Applicant must submit an essay on a one of three given topics related to playing sports.

AU Student Essay Contest
Sponsor: Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Amount: Up to $1,500
Closing Date: October 5, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to high school juniors and seniors in the United States. Applicant must submit an essay on a given topic related to the separation of religion and government.

AmericanTrucks Student Scholarships
Sponsor: AmericanTrucks
Amount: $2,000.00
Closing Date: October 15, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors and students currently enrolled full-time in an accredited United States technical institute, secondary votech or tuition bearing apprenticeship program in he traditional building trades (e.g. carpentry, HVAC, electrical or related fields of study.

NSCA Foundation Scholarships
Sponsor: National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) Foundation
Amount: $2,000.00
Closing Date: October 15, 2026
Description: Scholarships are open to high school seniors and college students who are or will be pursuing careers in strength and conditioning. The foundation offers multiple scholarships.

Strong Arm Leukemia Scholarship
Sponsor: John Foy & Associates
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: October 15, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students who have been affected by leukemia, either by being diagnosed themselves or someone they loved being diagnosed with leukemia. Applicant must be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university as an undergraduate or is an incoming freshmen at an accredited institution in the United States.

Varsity Tutors College Scholarship Contest
Sponsor: Varsity Tutors
Amount: $200.00
Closing Date: October 15, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 16 years of age or older. Applicant must submit an essay on the following prompt: “Reflect on a research question, experiment, or academic project that sparked your curiosity and deepened your understanding of a subject.”

U.S. Bank Scholarship Program
Sponsor: U.S. Bank
Amount: Up to $20,000
Closing Date: October 30, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who is at least 17 years of age or older and are enrolled as a current undergraduate student as of September 1, 2027. Applicant must complete financial lessons to be entered.

$1,500 Easy Scholarship: Offline Mode
Sponsor: DoSomething
Amount: $1,500.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: No post, comment, or like is worth risking a life. Distracted driving claimed 3,208 lives in 2024, and you chose to Do Something about it! Share your story about why you chose to take the Offline Mode pledge, help your friends stay in #OfflineMode by sharing the pledge and toolkit, and show your community what it looks like to keep eyes on the road, and not on your feed. Submit your impact, and share why you took the offline Mode pledge and what going offline means to you. You’ll be eligible for the opportunity to earn up to a $1,500 scholarship.

CareerFitter Online Scholarship
Sponsor: CareerFitter
Amount: $500.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to incoming and current undergraduate and graduate students. Applicant must take a free career test and submit an essay on their perfect career.

Direct Textbook Essay Scholarship Contest
Sponsor: DirectTextbook.com
Amount: $2,000.00
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Contest is open to graduating high school seniors, college, and postgraduate students in the United States. Applicant must submit an original essay of 500 words or fewer on the prompt: “The Skill I’m Teaching Myself That No Class Offers.”

International High School Essay Contest
Sponsor: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Amount: Up to $5,000
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to college-bound high school seniors. Applicant must submit an essay on the following prompt: “How can Young People use Leadership, Service, and Innovation to create Positive Change in their Communities?”

Money Metals Exchange Scholarship Program
Sponsor: Money Metals Exchange
Amount: Up to $2,500
Closing Date: October 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to incoming and current college and graduate students with an interest in economics, specifically the tradition of the Austrian school. However, students do not need to be an economic major to be eligible. Applicant must submit an essay on a given topic related to the economy.