The Earnest Scholarship
Earnest is giving away $50,000 in scholarships
Why the Earnest Scholarship Exists
At Earnest, we believe in helping people realize their hopes and dreams through further education.
To help more students get to school, we created the Earnest Scholarship as a way to award ten students who best articulate how their education will enable their dreams.
To maintain the Earnest Scholarship, we put a percentage of each loan we refinance into our scholarship fund.
Key dates
November 16, 2020
Applications open
January 15, 2021
Submission deadline (extended!)
February 2021
Winners notified via email
April 2021
Schools receive funds
Who can apply for the Earnest Scholarship?
- Applicants must be enrolled, or soon be enrolled, as a full-time student at an accredited U.S. college or university in Spring 2021.
- There are no minimum GPA, residency, or major requirements to apply!
- Applicants can be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (including DACA students).
Required Application Details
The submission of an essay answering one of the following questions:
- How will your college education help you achieve your goals?
- How has your education contributed to who you are today?
Essays should be 800–1,000 words and submitted as a PDF, DOCX, or DOC.
Completion of the Earnest Scholarship form.
See Terms & Conditions page for complete list of rules and requirements.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we welcome applications from both undergraduate and graduate students.
No, there are no major or GPA requirements to apply to the Earnest Scholarship.
If you know of a deserving student you can share the Earnest Scholarship page with someone above.
Unfortunately at this time we are not accepting international student applicants.
Applicants must be attending an accredited Title IV school to apply.