Do you spend your free time after school, and maybe even your weekends, volunteering? You may not get any money from the work, but you may qualify for a scholarship awarded to those who volunteer and better their community.
AXA Achievement Scholarship
Amount: $2,500–$10,000—$25,000
Deadline: TBD for 2021 (Opens in Fall)
In total, the AXA Achievement Scholarship gives nearly $1.5 million to students who are working to improve their community. Granted by AXA, an insurance company, the awards include $2,500, $10,00, and $25,000 amounts and winners’ school also receives $1,000 in grant money.
To be eligible for the AXA Achievement Scholarship, you should first be able to demonstrate your ambition, determination, and respect for everyone in your life, including yourself and your community. Insurance is all about risk and the scholarship takes that into account too. You will be more likely to win if your community service does something to reduce risk in society.
Great Value Schools Scholarships
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: July 15 (Fall); November 15 (Spring)
Another scholarship you’ll want to apply to if you volunteer is the Great Value Schools Scholarship. Awarding $1,500, the scholarship is given to students who learn and educate themselves through their community service and volunteer work. If you’ve learned something from your volunteering (which you most likely have!), you may qualify.
In order to apply for the scholarship, you already have to be accepted to or attending college, completed 40 hours or more of volunteer work, and have a 3.0 GPA. You should also include the application form, two letters of recommendation, a cover letter, a resume, and an essay about your favorite volunteer project and how you learned from it.
The Great Value School Scholarship is awarded in both Fall and Spring. To apply for the Fall award, applications are due on July 15th. For spring, November 15th.
Bonner Scholars Program
Amount: Varies
Deadline: Contact school
The Bonner Scholars Program works a bit differently than many other scholarships. In order to receive this scholarship, students in the program have to complete 10 hours of volunteer work or community service a week during college and during the course of summer are asked to complete 280 hours. If you enjoy volunteering, this could be the perfect scholarship to participate in.
Students who wish to become a Bonner must demonstrate financial need and be unable to attend college without the program. If accepted, you will receive a scholarship that covers all of your demonstrated financial needs for school.
Not all schools participate in the Bonner Scholars Program but you can see if the college you’re attending or considering is on the list. If your school participates, you should talk to your admissions office about how to apply.
There are plenty of scholarships out there that are dedicated to those who love to volunteer. If you do specific community service, you may even find that there are scholarships for that particular niche. Check out scholarship databases but also talk to the people who run your volunteer program to see if they know of any others you can apply to.
And when scholarships don’t cover anything, you’ll need to find the right student loan. Use the Student Loan Finder to compare lenders and interest rates side by side to discover your ideal loan.
| Lender | Rates (APR) | Eligibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
5.50%-16.12%* Variable
3.99%-15.61%* Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CITIZENS |
 |
5.54% - 15.70% Variable
3.99% - 15.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT SALLIE MAE |
 |
4.63% - 17.99% Variable
3.49% - 17.99% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CREDIBLE |
 |
6.00% - 13.75% Variable
3.99% - 13.75% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT LENDKEY |
|
|
5.66% - 14.72% Variable
3.69% - 14.56% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ASCENT |
 |
3.70% - 8.75% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ISL |
 |
5.62% - 16.85% Variable
3.69% - 16.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT EARNEST |
 |
5.00% - 14.22% Variable
3.69% - 14.22% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ELFI |
