This snapshot is built from CollegeWhale’s own scholarship database and planning tools. It shows how many awards are available for English majors, how much money is on the table, and what early-career pay and typical college costs can look like.
We currently have 121 English scholarships available in our database. These awards may come from professional associations, nonprofit organizations, and private sponsors. We’re actively adding scholarships tied to English. Check back often or use our main scholarship search to uncover more awards that fit your profile.
Across these listings, the total advertised award value comes to roughly $158,225. Many scholarships for this major list flexible or renewable award amounts. As we continue to add additional English scholarships, this section will show an estimate of the total dollars currently available in our database.
Graduates with a English degree commonly see early-career median pay around $60,000 per year, depending on location, employer type, and experience.
English ROI Snapshot:
We estimate a typical 4-year net cost of college at about
$108,584.
First-year median earnings are roughly 55% of that total cost. At that pace, it would take about 1.8 years of early-career earnings to “earn back” your degree investment (before taxes and living costs).
The average cost of in-of-state college in the United States is $27,146 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. Out-of-state students pay $45,708 per year. Private, nonprofit university students pay $58,628. According to data provided by educationdata.org as of 8/2025. Our ROI calculation is based on in-state average tuition. Median pay statistics are provided by bls.gov
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The B’nai B’rith International Diverse Minds Writing Challenge is a creative competition designed to promote respect, inclusion and diversity among young people. Students are invited to write and illustrate an original children’s book that teaches a message of tolerance, understanding
Award: $5,000 Deadline: May Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The PEN America Literary Awards are among the most prestigious literary honors in the United States, celebrating exceptional works across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translation, drama and more. These awards are designed to recognize outstanding literary achievement, uplift important voices and
Award: $2,500 Deadline: October Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Norman Mailer College Writing Award, administered in partnership with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Norman Mailer Center and Writers Colony, honors outstanding undergraduate writing in the genres of fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry. The
Award: $10,000 Deadline: April Est. Time: Low (~28 min)
The fellowships, administered by the Poetry Foundation, are awarded annually to exceptionally talented young U.S. poets. Established in 1989 by philanthropist Ruth Lilly and expanded in 2013 with a gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund, this prestigious award
Award: $27,000 Deadline: March Est. Time: Med (~38 min)
The YoungArts National Arts Competition is a prestigious annual program that identifies outstanding young artists across ten disciplines, including the Writing and Literature category (fiction, nonfiction, play/script, poetry, spoken word). The competition supports artists age 15–18 (or grades 10–12) who
Award: $250 Deadline: October Est. Time: Med (~43 min)
The Scholarship offered by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) supports emerging writers dedicated to horror fiction, nonfiction or poetry. The goal is to assist individuals who aspire to professional writing careers by funding educational development, workshops, genre-conventions and other growth
Award: $2,500 Deadline: August Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards recognize outstanding translations into English of modern Italian poetry. These awards are made possible through a bequest from Sonia Raiziss Giop to the The New York Community Trust, and administered by the Academy of American
Award: $10,000 Deadline: February Est. Time: Low (~23 min)
The Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest invites high-school juniors and seniors (or home-schooled students aged 16-18) to write an essay on one of five topics relating to a selected classic literary work (announced each year). Each winner receives a
Award: $1,000 Deadline: April Est. Time: Med (~43 min)
The Lambda Literary Foundation offers the Emerging Writers Retreat & Fellowship program (also called “Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices”) to support emerging LGBTQ+ writers working across genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, YA, screen/playwriting, speculative fiction). The program provides workshops, cohort
Award: $1,625 Deadline: January Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition celebrates unpublished voices of fiction from around the world. The contest is guided by celebrated writer and judge Lorian Hemingway, granddaughter of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway. Applicants submit original, unpublished short stories for consideration
Award: $1,500 Deadline: September Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Intro Journals Project Award run by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs gives students enrolled in AWP member creative writing programs the chance to have their prose or poetry published in prominent literary journals. The project is designed
Award: $100 Deadline: November Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Young Poets Prize by the Poetry Foundation supports early-career poets in the United States who demonstrate significant promise through their poetic work and vision. This prize offers an opportunity for emerging poets to gain visibility and financial support as
Award: $10,000 Deadline: April Est. Time: Med (~38 min)This comprehensive collection of English scholarships and grants for the 2026 - 2027 school years, curated from our regularly updated databases. To explore all available scholarship matches, visit our Scholarship Database and Grant Database, which both offer easy-to-use filters, current deadlines, and detailed eligibility information to help you discover the best English scholarship opportunities.
English scholarships support students pursuing degrees in English, literature, creative writing, or related humanities fields. These awards are funded by universities, literary foundations, and professional organizations to recognize academic excellence and creative talent in writing, analysis, and literary research.
Yes, graduate students earning master’s or doctoral degrees in English, literature, or creative writing can apply for competitive scholarships and fellowships, such as:
These programs often fund thesis research, dissertation writing, or teaching assistantships.
Yes, several organizations offer scholarships to promote diversity and inclusion in English and the humanities. Examples include:
These scholarships help underrepresented students build successful literary and academic careers.
Yes! Many scholarships specifically support creative writing in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or playwriting. Popular examples include:
Most creative writing scholarships require a strong portfolio of original work or published pieces.
The Academy of American Poets Prize is a distinguished award recognizing exceptional talent in poetry at the collegiate level. It is offered at more than 200 participating institutions across the United States and typically managed by English or creative writing departments.
The Norman Mailer College Writing Award celebrates excellence in creative nonfiction, literary journalism, and storytelling. Sponsored by the Norman Mailer Center, it encourages college and graduate students to develop strong literary voices and tackle meaningful topics.
The Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship is one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for emerging poets. Offered by the Poetry Foundation, it provides time and resources for young poets to advance their craft.
The Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition is a well-known contest open to students and independent writers of all genres. It offers broad opportunities for recognition and professional exposure.
The Sigma Tau Delta Scholarship supports members of the International English Honor Society who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership in literary studies.
Reviewed by CollegeWhale Editorial Team on November, 2025. Content is updated regularly to reflect current scholarship deadlines and verified data from official sources.
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