At Earnest, we want to empower people with the financial capital they need to live better lives. This is why we have built best-in-class student loan refinance and private student loan products. But we wanted to take this a step further and reward students who are working to improve their lives through education.

In 2019 we launched the Earnest Scholarship and accepted applications from students all across the country. We were looking for five stand-out students who would each win $5000 to use towards education expenses for the spring semester. We received thousands of essay submissions answering:

• How will your college education help you achieve your goals? Or;
• How has your education contributed to who you are today?

It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed down applicants to five winners, the first Earnest scholarship winners!

Anna is studying Nursing at Purdue University in Indiana.

Kaylie is studying Biology at Chatham University in Pennsylvania.

Yohana is studying Mental Health at Boston University in Massachusetts.

Hannah is studying Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Samantha is studying Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.

We are so proud of each of them, and are glad we could support their education goals!

Want to apply for the Earnest Scholarship? Applications for the Fall Semester are now open.

Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply and we look forward to reviewing the submissions.

Need help with your submission? Check out our blog post: How to Write a Compelling Scholarship Essay in 6 Steps