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Scholarship Application Form Template

Running a scholarship program means reviewing dozens or hundreds of applications — and the quality of your intake form directly affects the quality of submissions you receive. This template guides applicants through personal info, academic background, financial need, a personal essay, and reference contact in a logical, professional flow.

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Free for non-commercial projects, with unlimited forms and responses.

Last updated

The starting point

About this template

Scholarship applications are high-stakes for applicants, and the quality of your form determines the quality of the essays and information you receive. A form with vague prompts gets vague responses. A form with specific, well-written field labels and helpful placeholder text guides applicants to give you the substantive responses your selection committee needs to make good decisions.

More about this template

This template is designed around what scholarship committees actually evaluate: academic standing (GPA, institution, level), financial need, demonstrated involvement outside the classroom, and — most importantly — the personal statement. The essay prompt asks specifically about academic and career goals, challenges overcome, and the case for selection, which produces far richer responses than a generic 'Tell us about yourself'.

For organizations running scholarship programs without a dedicated platform, formformform provides a centralized, searchable record of every application. Reviewers can access submissions from the dashboard, and you can export the full application set for committee review. No per-submission fees, no applicant caps — whether you receive 20 applications or 2,000, the same free form handles it.

16 fields to make your own9 required in this starting form

Make it fit your workflow.

Use your own copy to change labels, remove questions and add the details you need. Try the preview alongside this guide to see what respondents will be asked.

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The questions, explained

Fields in this template

Review the starting questions and choices. You can change them in your own copy.

  • Short answerRequired

    Full Name

    Jane Smith

  • DateRequired

    Date of Birth

  • Email addressRequired

    Email Address

    jane@example.com

  • Phone numberOptional

    Phone Number

    (555) 123-4567

  • Short answerOptional

    City, State

    Austin, TX

  • Short answerRequired

    Current School or Institution

    University of Texas at Austin

  • DropdownRequired

    Current Academic Level

    8 choices
    • High School (applying to college)
    • Undergraduate — Freshman
    • Undergraduate — Sophomore
    • Undergraduate — Junior
    • Undergraduate — Senior
    • Graduate — Master's
    • Graduate — Doctoral
    • Vocational / Trade Program
  • Short answerRequired

    Field of Study / Major

    Computer Science

  • Short answerRequired

    Expected Graduation Date

    May 2027

  • Short answerOptional

    Current GPA (if applicable)

    3.7 / 4.0

  • Long answerRequired

    Financial Need Statement

    Describe your financial situation and why you need this scholarship. Be specific about your circumstances.

  • Long answerOptional

    Extracurricular Activities & Community Involvement

    List clubs, sports, volunteering, leadership roles, and any other activities outside the classroom.

  • Long answerRequired

    Personal Statement

    Tell us about your academic and career goals, the challenges you've overcome, and why you deserve this scholarship.

  • Short answerOptional

    Reference Name

    Dr. Sarah Lee

  • Short answerOptional

    Reference Title & Institution

    Professor, University of Texas

  • Email addressOptional

    Reference Email

    slee@university.edu

Where it fits

Who uses this template

Suggested uses, and why this starting point can help. Adapt the questions to your own process.

Nonprofit foundations

Give people a straightforward way to get involved, while collecting the context needed to coordinate the work and follow up. Review “Date of Birth” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Universities and colleges

Give participants a clear set of questions and keep the information together, making it easier to prepare, respond and follow up. Review “City, State” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

High schools

Give participants a clear set of questions and keep the information together, making it easier to prepare, respond and follow up. Review “Current School or Institution” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Community organizations

Gather the details needed before making arrangements. Consistent answers help you spot special requirements and prepare the next step. Review “Current Academic Level” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Professional associations

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Field of Study / Major” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Corporations running scholarship programs

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Expected Graduation Date” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Religious organizations

Gather the details needed before making arrangements. Consistent answers help you spot special requirements and prepare the next step. Review “Current GPA (if applicable)” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Alumni associations

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Financial Need Statement” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

What's included

Academic level dropdown from high school through doctoral
GPA, field of study, and graduation date fields
Financial need statement with guided prompt
Extracurricular activities and community involvement
Personal statement essay with spacious input
Reference contact fields (name, title, email)
All applications organized in your dashboard
Free with unlimited submissions

How to create a scholarship application form

  1. 1

    Click 'Use this template' to load the scholarship application form in formformform.

  2. 2

    Update the title and intro paragraph with your scholarship's name and any specific eligibility requirements (GPA minimums, residency requirements, etc.).

  3. 3

    Customize the personal statement prompt to reflect what your selection committee values most — you might ask about a specific theme, field of study, or community impact.

  4. 4

    Decide whether to require GPA — some scholarships prioritize financial need over academic performance, so make this field required or optional accordingly.

  5. 5

    Set your selection committee's email as the notification recipient, or use a shared inbox so all reviewers have access.

  6. 6

    Share the form link on your organization's website, in social media posts, and with partner schools or institutions during the application window.

Best practices for your scholarship application form

Set a clear deadline

scholarship applications always need a deadline. Add the deadline prominently in the form title or intro paragraph and communicate it through all your promotional channels.

Write specific essay prompts

'Tell us about yourself' produces generic essays. Specific prompts ('Describe a challenge you've overcome and what it taught you') produce essays that are actually comparable.

Make GPA optional if need-based

if your scholarship prioritizes financial need over academic achievement, making GPA required sends the wrong signal to applicants who might otherwise be strong candidates.

Include eligibility requirements upfront

state income limits, geographic restrictions, field of study requirements, or any other eligibility criteria in the intro paragraph. Ineligible applicants who find out after submitting a full essay are frustrated applicants.

Notify all applicants of their status

even a form rejection email is better than silence. Set up a process to notify both selected and non-selected applicants within a reasonable timeframe.

Archive applications each cycle

export the full application set after each cycle closes and store it securely. Multi-year applicants are common, and their prior applications provide useful context.

Frequently asked questions

Is this scholarship application form template free?

Yes, completely free. You can collect unlimited scholarship applications with no subscription required.

Can applicants save their progress and return later?

The form submits in one session — applicants should complete it in one sitting. We recommend advising applicants to draft their personal statement in a word processor first, then paste it into the form when they're ready to submit.

How do reviewers access the applications?

All applications are stored in your formformform dashboard. You can grant dashboard access to committee members, or export all applications as a CSV to share with reviewers in a spreadsheet.

Can I add a document upload for transcripts or letters of recommendation?

Yes — add a file upload field for transcripts, so applicants can attach a PDF directly (up to 2 MB per file; add it in the editor, since the template doesn't include one by default). For letters of recommendation, you can collect the reference's contact information (as this template does) and follow up with them directly.

Can I set up the form to close automatically on the deadline date?

You can manually unpublish or close the form on the deadline date by logging into your formformform dashboard and deactivating the form link.

Can I use this form for multiple scholarship programs?

Yes. You can clone this template for each scholarship program you run, customizing the title, eligibility requirements, and essay prompt for each one.

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