Fiction Writing Scholarships of All Sizes

Interested in finding fiction writing scholarships? Plenty of places offer them.

Though I've never used one aimed directly at fiction writing, I did go to college on a modified scholarship, and it certainly helped me.

If you need that kind of help to continue your fiction education, check out some of these links. Just be aware that I can't endorse any of these places. I merely did some internet research to help you jump-start your search for fiction funding.


Undergraduates and Graduates Welcome

The fiction writing scholarships I found searching online range from $50 to a "free ride" (where all your tuition is covered). Some are offered only to graduate students, some to undergraduate student only, and some to either or both.

I recommend first that you try asking the college you want to attend if they offer any scholarships (also sometimes called awards). If they don't offer help specifically aimed at writers, ask if they offer any aid to students in general, to be used in the major of their choice.

If not, check out the web, or talk to your high school or college councilor. They should have lots of information about where to find financial help.

Here's what I found on the first four pages of a Google search. I stopped there, since it brought back over 400,000 hits when I searched "writing scholarships", and just shy of 900,000 hits when I searched "fiction scholarships". I'm sure there are plenty more where these came from.

Institute for Humane Studies, George Mason University

Website: https://www.theihs.org/ContentDetails.aspx?id=226

They offer film and fiction writing scholarships of up to $10,000 for students pursuing a Master of Fine Arts Degree. You must be enrolled full-time (to any college) to apply. They also offer grants, host contests, offer paid internships, seminars and workshops.

Michigan State University

Website: https://www.msu.edu/~clarion/2006_scholarship_comet.htm

They offer science fiction scholarships ranging from $100-1500. Most are $300-800.

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Website: http://cas.umkc.edu/creativewriting/cwscholarships.htm

They offer several poetry & fiction writing scholarships, from $75 to $25,000. Top scholarship amount is for entering grad students, and covers two years of schooling.

Mississippi State University

Website: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/english/2008rhymes/greatwriter.html

Gives two scholarships each year, and will sometimes offer second to students with promise and good academic standing.

Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois

Website: http://www.knox.edu/writersscholarships.xml

Interesting to me, this college was founded in 1837 by abolitionists (people against slavery). They offer up to $4000 in scholarships annually.

University of Arizona, College of Humanities

Website: http://w3.coh.arizona.edu/coh/aia/students/scholarships.cfm

They offer six different fiction writing scholarships; no amounts given. Contact info provided on site.

Alliance for Young Artists & Writers

Website: http://www.artandwriting.org/

Offers awards for students grades 7-12 for art and writing; helps students earn scholarships for college.


Other Options

I also found some "scholarship finder" sites.

One of them is http://www.FindTuition.com/scholarships . You must sign up (free) to search for scholarships and grants. I didn't check this one out personally, as I'm not in need of a scholarship right now.

Another one to check out is www.FastWeb.com You must register, but again, it's free.

My favorite site like this that I found was StudentScholarshipSearch.com They currently list 807 different scholarships (not all for writing); 35 of these are full tuition scholarships. Definitely worth checking out. They have 696 "Local" Scholarships listed (most in US, sorted by state, a few international).

A related site you might want to check out is called StudentLoanNetwork.com . It gives out two $10,000 scholarships each year, semi-annually.

I hope this helps those of you trying to find a way to pay for schooling with fiction writing scholarships. Good luck!