A college education is expensive and early financial planning is not always enough. Scholarships can often be thought of as a reward for academic excellence, proficiency in one particular subject matter, future career choices or athletics. High school students with a journalism background or those who intend to study journalism in college have a variety of scholarship opportunities.
The Wikoff Scholarship

The National Scholastic Press Association, an organization that works to promote and recognize the work of high school students across the nation, sponsors the Wikoff Scholarship. This annual scholarship program honors a high school senior or recent graduate with a scholarship for their freshman year of college, valued at up to $1,000.

Applicants must submit a Wikoff Scholarship application form in addition to three published editorials, high school transcripts and a letter of recommendation from the student newspaper's adviser. Only students who are on-staff at a National Scholastic Press Association media outlet may apply for the scholarship and they must maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average. The scholarship program is open to students in every state.

The Crazy Horse Memorial Journalism Scholarship

The Crazy Horse Memorial Journalism Scholarship, sponsored by the South Dakota Newspaper Association, offers a one-time, non-renewable $1,000 scholarship each year to a Native American student for use his freshman year of college.

Funded by the Crazy Horse Memorial, applicants must plan to attend a college or university to pursue a career in journalism, although majoring in the subject is not a requirement of scholarship criteria. Applicants must submit a completed Crazy Horse Memorial Journalism Scholarship, letters of recommendation from two adults who know the student and a 500-word maximum essay explaining his interests in journalism as a career.

The Quill and Scroll Scholarships

Created in 1926 at the University of Iowa, the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists encourages and recognizes student achievement in journalism. The Richard P. Johns Scholarship is awarded for the freshman year only and totals up to $1,500, paid twice each year.

Scholarship recipients must major in mass communication or journalism. Applicants must submit a completed application, two letters of recommendation, and a personal statement explaining their journalism experience, honors, volunteer service and future plans. The personal statement must be signed across the seal by the applicant, while the recommendation letters must be signed by the letter's author. Three examples of work must be included, as well, and finally, a small color photo of the applicant with her name on the back.

The National Association of Black Journalists Scholarship

The National Association of Black Journalists offers up to $60,000 per year in college scholarships, each of varying amounts. All scholarships are open to applicants who are currently attending or entering a college or university with interest in a journalism career. Additional eligibility criteria include being a student member of NABJ, enrolled in an accredited university or college and requiring at least one additional year to graduate. Winners are only allowed to win once. Individual scholarships have additional eligibility criteria as well.