September is a launchpad month for scholarships. Many major awards, college merit programs, and national contests open or re-open now. If you stay on top of new listings and start early, you’ll have a much easier time managing essays and deadlines later in the year.
This snapshot is built from CollegeWhale’s scholarship database and focuses on awards with September deadlines. It’s a month-by-month view of scholarships and grants so you can see what’s coming up, which awards you still have time to apply for, and how to plan your application workload across the year.
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The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship – Linguistics and Language Track is designed for students who are committed to international service and who possess strong interests in global languages, linguistics, and cross-cultural communication. This prestigious fellowship helps prepare future
Award: $40,000 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~78 min)
The General Mills “Champions for Healthy Kids” Nutrition Scholarship supports full-time graduate students enrolled in MS or PhD programs in food science, nutrition or related fields who demonstrate strong interest in advancing child and community nutrition outcomes. The scholarship reflects
Award: $4,800 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~78 min)
The AHA Predoctoral Fellowship supports promising students enrolled in doctoral or equivalent clinical health-professional degree programs (e.g., PhD, DrPH, MD/PhD, DrPH in public health) who are committed to research in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, brain health—or nutrition and public health topics related
Award: $27,144 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~58 min)
The Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, supports applicants of superior academic ability, exceptional promise, and demonstrated financial need who are pursuing graduate degrees in selected fields of the arts, humanities or social sciences.
Award: $12,200 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~88 min)
The Patricia Price Browne Prize in Biomedical Ethics honors an individual who demonstrates the highest professional standards in medical or professional ethics—especially through leadership, advocacy or scholarship on complex ethical issues in healthcare. The prize was established in honor of
Award: $10,000 Deadline: September Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Creative Outlook Art Scholarship, run by Creative Outlook Magazine, gives high-school and college art students the chance to see their artwork featured in the magazine and earn a scholarship prize. Applicants may submit original artwork in a variety of
Award: $250 Deadline: September Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association offers scholarship awards during its College Scholarship Day program to full-time college students. The initiative supports students connected with the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry in Kentucky and encourages further education and engagement in the sector.
Award: $20,000 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~48 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 Pennsylvania Farm Show Scholarship Foundation supports youth involved in agriculture through awards to students who have participated in the Pennsylvania Farm Show or related activities. Applicants are evaluated based on their leadership, academic record, involvement in 4-H/FFA, community service,
Award: $5,000 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~78 min)
The Education Loan Grant, offered by the She Runs It Foundation, is a member-exclusive benefit aimed at easing the burden of student debt and continuing education costs for professionals in marketing, media, and tech. Since its launch in 2012, the
Award: $10,000 Deadline: October Est. Time: Med (~73 min)
The APSA Public Scholarship Program is a remote, 12-month fellowship that trains political science graduate students to present academic research to the public. Fellows produce accessible summaries of new political science research under APSA staff supervision, with work featured on
Award: $2,000 Deadline: September Est. Time: Low (~13 min)
The College Raptor Scholarship supports students in making informed college choices while helping them pay for educational costs. Each quarter, one student will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship. To apply, students must create a College Raptor account, use the College
Award: $2,500 Deadline: September Est. Time: Med (~40 min)This comprehensive collection of September scholarships and grants for the 2026 - 2027 school years is 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 September scholarship opportunities.
September is the reopening of everything — schools, clubs, leadership roles, volunteer programs — and scholarship cycles are no exception. Many organizations operate on fiscal calendars that refresh in September, meaning their funding is replenished and new cycles open with a clean slate. Students bring fresh energy this month too, which inspires committees to launch programs aimed at early-year momentum. It’s also a quieter academic period before midterms and major projects crowd the schedule, giving students more mental space to apply thoughtfully. September deadlines aren’t as frantic as January or as emotional as December. It’s a calm, structured window that rewards students who want to build a strong year-long strategy.
Pro Tip:
Apply to at least one long-cycle scholarship in September — these often become the big awards announced in spring, and early applicants tend to advance furthest.
Yes — September is the month when leadership-based scholarships quietly start paying attention again. Clubs relaunch, student organizations recruit, and volunteer programs restart, giving applicants fresh experiences to write about. Committees love seeing students take initiative early in the school year because it signals consistency and long-term engagement. Even if you don’t have a leadership role yet, September is the perfect time to step into one and mention it in your applications. The momentum you build now can carry you through the entire scholarship season.
Pro Tip:
If you’re joining a club or team this month, jot down what motivated you. That single note often becomes a surprisingly strong essay hook later.
New school years create natural optimism — a sense of possibility, clean slates, and new chances to grow. Committees lean into this by asking applicants about goals, plans, and aspirations that feel fresh rather than retrospective. September essays often focus on “Where are you going next?” instead of “What have you already done?” And that shift is intentional. Foundations want to identify students who will build momentum throughout the year rather than those who peaked earlier. The tone tends to be lighter, more hopeful, and more aligned with future planning.
Pro Tip:
Write about a goal that makes you slightly nervous. Vulnerability paired with ambition is incredibly compelling in early-season essays.
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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