College scholarships made simple.
Like finding the right college, finding the right scholarships can earn you a lot of value. We’ve opened two scholarships focusing on your authentic ideas - not your GPA or test scores.
Scholarships by Cohort
Scholarships are now closed. Stay tuned for the next cycle of scholarship prompts in coming weeks.
Scholarships open now till February 1, 2024. Only domestic high school juniors are eligible to apply.
For scholarship questions, please email hq@bycohort.com.
$500 | The Cohort “No Essay” Scholarship
Complete a short questionnaire for a chance to win $500 towards college.
$1,000 | Inaugural Cohort Scholarship
Choose one prompt | Essay Scholarship | 500 words maximum
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Dear Admissions Officer: In your opinion, what do you think is a crucial aspect of your high school journey that college admissions officers don’t understand?
College is my Career: In your opinion, how has the college admissions process influenced your daily life as a high school student?
Hot Takes from High School: What is your unique take on a specific aspect of the U.S. education system? E.g., social media influencing college expectations, insights on discriminatory education policy, antiquated college ranking systems.
How to Apply
1. Determine which scholarships you want to apply to. You may submit an application to both scholarships.
2. For essay scholarships: Write, format, and title your essay. Please follow the guidelines below:
Title your essay with the name of the prompt, e.g. “Dear Admissions Officer”
Include your full name on the essay
Include word count
Save document as PDF or Microsoft Word document
3. Submit your scholarship application by February 1, 2024. Submit your finished essay or no-essay application to this scholarship application form. If you are submitting multiple applications, you will be allowed to indicate that on the application form.
How do I win scholarships?
And other common questions
What are you looking for in a winning essay?
We’re looking for 3 things: originality, uniqueness of style or voice, and your ability to clearly persuade your reader to see things from your point of view.
Who’s judging my essay?
A panel of 3 Cohort mentors - recent college graduates who’ve gone through the application process themselves not too long ago - will evaluate essays against the metrics listed above.
How many prizes are awarded?
There is one scholarship winner in each category. Finalists will also be notified.
When do scholarships close?
Scholarships are open now until February 1, 2024.
Eligibility
To apply, you must be:
A resident or citizen of the United States of America
Currently in Junior year of high school (Class of 2025)
Currently attending an accredited high school
We currently do not support international payouts or home-schooled students. We hope to be able to do so in the future.
Please note that student entries not meeting eligibility criteria will not be considered.