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Great Scholarships for Students in Texas for 2021

LAST UPDATED Dec 20, 2023
Brittany Mailhot

Categories: State-Specific Scholarships

In addition to cowboys, Tex-Mex, and Friday Night Lights, the Lone Star State is also a great destination for higher education. Institutions like the University of Texas Austin and Texas A&M have a reputation for top-notch academics and vibrant campuses, so it should come as no surprise that students from all over the nation choose to study in Texas.

However, Texas is no exception to the nationwide trend of rising tuition prices, meaning students often turn to financial aid to fund their education. As of 2018, the average in-state tuition for Texas universities is $5,542 while out-of-state tuition is around $15,215 per year. Luckily, studying in Texas doesn’t have to mean taking out student loans. Scholarships are a great resource and can help make it possible for students to attend their first-choice schools.

Benefits of Scholarships & How to Apply

The reason that scholarships are considered one of the best ways to pay for school is that they never need to be paid back. The money is yours to keep. Plus, thousands of different kinds of scholarships exist. Whether you’re short on time, looking for scholarships in your state, or applying to grad school, there’s a scholarship out there for you.

The best place to start is Going Merry! We match you with the scholarships you qualify for to save you time and effort. If you don’t want to sign up for an account now, you also just enter your email here to get 20 scholarship opportunities delivered to your inbox each week:

The next step is to speak with your high school guidance office or college financial aid office. They’ll have plenty of info on local scholarships and awards that you qualify for.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are just some of the many scholarships in Texas that can save you tuition money.

Scholarships in Texas

1. Austin Board of REALTORS Scholarship

Established in 1978, the Austin Board of Realtors® Foundation is proud to support the Central Texas community through its annual Austin Board of REALTORS Scholarship awards.

Amount: $2,000

Provider: Austin Board of REALTORS

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Must reside in one of ABoR’s 18-county MLS service areas, (b) a Spring 2020 graduating senior, and c) planning to attend a Texas college, university, or accredited technical or trade school in Fall 2020.

2. Caleb Tripp Thornton Memorial Scholarship

Kristi Thornton is the sister of Caleb Tripp Thornton of Kingwood, TX. She is a 2008 grad of Kingwood High School and a long-time resident of the Houston, TX area. Along with her brother Caleb, she has two older brothers, a twin sister, and two loving parents. Kristi has always been an active member of her community throughout middle school, high school, and her college career. As an adult, Kristi is part of multiple non-profit organizations and currently is on the mission to spread kindness through the movement “26forCaleb”. You can find more information about 26forCaleb by visiting the pages on Facebook and Twitter. Caleb’s parents, Dan and Jackie Thornton would like to thank all of the students who apply to this scholarship. The family wishes each individual student success not only in college but in all of life’s future endeavors. Thank you for applying to the Caleb Tripp Thornton Memorial Scholarship!

Amount: $2,600

Provider: Kristi Thornton

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) GPA greater than or equal to 3.0, (b) Transcript, (c) Residency in Texas

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3. Terry Foundation Freshmen Scholarship

The Terry Foundation awards scholarships in Texas to high school seniors who plan on attending Terry-affiliated universities. While award amounts vary by student, the scholarship committee takes financial needs and other awarded scholarships into account to determine the award amount. They do this with the intention that recipients wouldn’t need to take out student loans, so why not check out the Terry Foundation Freshman Scholarship.

Amount: Varies

Provider: The Terry Foundation

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Academic achievement, (b) Demonstrated leadership, (c) Financial need, (d) U.S. citizenship, (e) Residency in Texas

4. Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG) Program

The Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG) Program was created in order to provide additional financial assistance to students attending public two-year colleges in Texas. In order to be eligible, students must be attending or have previously attended a high school in the Houston area.

Amount: Up to $5,862

Provider: College for All Texans

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors, College Freshmen, College Sophomores, College Juniors

Requirements: (a) Be registered or exempt from Selective Service, (b) 9-month EFC of no more than $5,609, (c) Residency in Texas, (d) Not currently receiving renewal TEXAS grant, (e) No felonies involving a controlled substance

5. Association of Texas Leaders for Education Scholarship

All students graduating from a Texas high school and planning to enroll in a Texas university qualify for the Association of Texas Leaders for Education Scholarship in Texas. Winners receive $1,000 to help pay for tuition and related costs.

Amount: $1,000

Provider: Community Foundation of West Texas

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Minimum GPA of 3.0, (b) Demonstrated school and community service, (c) Full-time student status

Loving these scholarships, but need help applying for your government financial aid? We can help you fill out your FAFSA and state aid.


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6. Education First Scholarship

Education First Credit Union created the Education First Scholarship to help students obtain a higher education without taking out student loans by awarding a number of $1,000 scholarships in Texas. Applicants should be high school seniors in Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties to qualify.  

Amount: $1,000

Provider: Education First Federal Credit Unions

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Minimum GPA of 3.0 or in top 25% of class, (b) Enroll in at least 12 credit hours during the first semester

7. NIADA Foundation Scholarship

The NIADA Foundation awards four students the NIADA Foundation Scholarship per year to those that demonstrate exceptional achievement in education, service, or leadership. Students should be a resident of one of the foundation’s four regions.

Amount: $3,500

Provider: The NIADA Foundation & Manheim

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors, College Freshmen, College Sophomores, College Juniors

Requirements: (a) Demonstrated success in academics, leadership, or service, (b) Residency in one of NIADA’s four regions

8. Zeta Phi Beta Stork’s Nest Scholarship

Both high school seniors and GED students who successfully completed the Stork’s Nest Education program can apply for the Zeta Phi Beta Stork’s Nest Scholarship in Texas sponsored by the Kappa Zeta Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The winner of this $1,500 award is honored at the Miss Blue Revue Ceremony.

Amount: $1,500

Provider: Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Kappa Zeta Chapter & Stork’s Nest Charity Fund of Dallas

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors and GED Students

Requirements: (a) Completion of Stork’s Nest Education Program, (b) Plans to enroll in higher education within 2 years of completing the program, (c) Residency in Dallas County

9. LNESC Emergency Scholarship

As a result of the joint partnership between LNESC and Macy’s, the LNESC Emergency Scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to students facing economic hardships that prevent them from attending classes or completing a degree program. Reasons for receiving this scholarship include unexpected financial challenges such as a change in family income or support, the loss of a job, the death of an immediate family member, natural disaster, pending eviction or home foreclosure, burglary, and fire. Recipients of this scholarship cannot be winners of other LNESC scholarships.

Amount: Up to $500

Provider: LNESC & Macy’s

Who Can Apply: College Freshmen, College Sophomores, College Juniors, College Seniors

Requirements: (a) Residency in California, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Florida, Ohio, or Texas, (b) Full-time student status, (c) Immediate financial need, (d) Minimum GPA of 3.0

10. Amarillo Area Foundation Scholarships

The Amarillo Area Foundation (TX) scholarships offer a variety of scholarships for high school seniors and current college students. Scholarship eligibility differs by county.

11. Society of Professional Women in Petroleum Scholarship

Regardless of major, the Society of Professional Women in Petroleum Scholarship is awarded to women attending Texas high schools and intending to attend a Texas university. Applicants should demonstrate financial need.

Amount: Varies

Provider: Society of Professional Women in Petroleum

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Demonstrated financial need, (b) Graduating from a Houston area high school, (c) Plans to attend a Texas university

Note: At the time of writing, the 2019-2020 scholarship round had not been opened yet.

12. British American Foundation of Texas Undergraduate Scholarship

Texas students studying in the UK or Texas or UK students studying in Texas are eligible to apply for the British American Foundation of Texas Undergraduate Scholarship. Scholarships are awarded in the fall semester and students should be majoring in a field related to science, technology, math, engineering, or business. Winners will be honored at a special awards dinner.

Amount: Varies

Provider: British American Foundation of Texas

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors, College Freshmen, College Sophomores, College Juniors

Requirements: (a) UK or Texas Residency, (b) Full-time student status in the UK or Texas, (c) Demonstrated financial need, (d) Minimum GPA of 3.25, (e) Interview

13. Urban Scholarship

The Urban Scholarship in Texas is awarded to students who will graduate or have previously graduated from a high school in Abilene, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Grand Prairie, Houston, Irving, Killeen, Laredo, Lubbock, McAllen, McKinney, Mesquite, Midland, Pasadena, Plano, San Antonio, Waco, and Wichita Falls. Applicants can either be high school seniors or returning college students attending any accredited nonprofit, public, or independent two- or four-year college, university, or technical school. Award amounts are $700 for community college, junior college, and technical college; $1,000 for public, four-year colleges and universities; and $2,000 for private, four-year colleges and universities.

Amount: $700 to $2,000

Provider: Texas Association of Developing Colleges

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors, College Freshmen, College Sophomores, College Juniors

Requirements: (a) United States Citizen or permanent resident, (b) Residency in Texas, (c) Demonstrated financial need, (d) Graduation from city mentioned above

14. V&E Diversity Scholarship

The V&E Diversity scholarship is designed for minority students with financial needs interested in pursuing a career in law. Seven scholarships are awarded per year to students in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. In addition to the scholarship, recipients receive the chance to do a summer internship with Vinson & Elkins.

Amount: $10,000

Provider: Vinson & Elkins

Who Can Apply: High School Seniors

Requirements: (a) Academic status in top 20% of graduating class, (b) Member of an ethnic group underrepresented in the legal profession or member of LGBT community, (c) Interest in working in law firm setting, (d) Minimum SAT score of 1100 or minimum ACT score of 22, (e) Valid social security number, (f) U.S. citizenship or residency in Houston, Dallas, Austin, or surrounding areas for at least 7 consecutive years

Note: At the time of writing, the 2019-2020 scholarship round had not been opened yet. 

Still need help with financial aid and college scholarships?

We understand. Financing college tuition can be quite the process. How do you know what to do first? 

Well, start by submitting your FAFSA form as soon as possible since this will help determine what financial aid you might qualify for. (More information on FAFSA and calculating your Expected Family Contribution here.)

Next, remember there are Texas scholarships affiliated with specific universities, like:

Then, create a free Going Merry profile to access our extensive list of scholarships. At Going Merry, we make finding and applying for scholarships easy. You’ll be matched with the scholarships you’re eligible for, save your favorite scholarships, and then apply for those scholarships. We’ve even bundled together similar scholarships into single applications, to help you apply uber efficiently. 

Get started today.

Brittany Mailhot
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