Horatio Alger Association Scholarship

Named after the 19th-century author who wrote rags-to-riches stories, the Horatio Alger Association awards $25,000 National Scholarships to students who have overcome significant adversity — poverty, abuse, family loss, disability — while maintaining strong academics and community involvement. They also offer state-level scholarships of $10,000. Since 1984, the association has distributed over $250 million to 35,000+ students. The application requires documenting personal hardship, which makes it one of the few scholarships that rewards resilience as much as GPA.