Best Scholarship Opportunities

We've found the best speech and debate scholarships

December 28, 2024

Juniors and Seniors, now that college application season is nearing its end, it’s time to start thinking about how to pay for college. Scholarships are one of the best ways to knock down the cost of tuition, and luckily speech and debate has some amazing scholarship opportunities for you. Let’s go through what we’ve found!

Table of Contents

For our juniors: The Barkley Forum For Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue is an amazing opportunity for debaters when it comes to scholarships, if you were ever planning on attending Emory university and are a debater, Barkley offers a four-year renewable merit scholarship to incoming first-year Emory College students and debaters each year through the Emory Scholars Program.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Scholars Program is designed to honor seniors with an outstanding demonstration in leadership ,drive, integrity and citizenship. While this isn’t exclusively a speech and debate scholarship, speech and debate students have a great edge when it comes to this scholarship

3. Colleges with Speech and Debate Scholarships

Many universities offer scholarships specifically for students who participate in speech and debate. Some notable examples include:

  • University of Alabama: Offers debate scholarships for both in-state and out-of-state students who join their nationally ranked debate team.

  • Western Kentucky University: Western Kentucky’s highly successful program offers scholarships to students participating.

  • Wake Forest University: Provides scholarships to students involved in their championship-winning debate program.

  • George Mason University: Known for its robust speech and debate program, GMU offers scholarships to talented speakers.

4. Urban Debate League Scholarships

While they don’t offer scholarships directly they have a very nice resource of where to find scholarships for debaters. They list what colleges have scholarships for debaters and descriptions of them. It’s a good place to look for scholarships at

The VFW's Voice of Democracy audio-essay (speech) program is a national scholarship competition open to high school students in grades 9-12. Students create and record a 3-5 minute audio essay (speech) on a specific patriotic theme chosen annually by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. If you’re in speech we really recommend you give this one a look.

Amount: $35,000 for the national first place winner. Other national scholarships vary
Eligibility: Grade 9-12 high school students, must be a U.S citizen
Deadline: Oct 31 (For 2025)
Link: Youth Scholarships - VFW

Tips for deciding what scholarships to choose

1. Know Yourself (and Your Goals)

Ask yourself these 3 questions:

  • What are your passions? Do you love science, art, sports, or community service? Look for scholarships that go with your interests.

  • What are your academic strengths? Are you a stellar student, a gifted writer, or a good mathematician? Find scholarships that recognize your achievements.

  • What are your financial needs? Consider scholarships that offer the most significant financial aid to help you reach your educational goals.

2. Go Wide, But Be Strategic

  • Don't just apply for the big ones. Many smaller, lesser-known scholarships have less competition.

  • Research thoroughly. Look beyond the obvious and explore niche scholarships that cater to your specific interests, background, or heritage.

  • Create a spreadsheet. It sounds extra but it’s truly helpful. Track deadlines, application requirements, and the amount of each scholarship. This will help you stay organized and prioritize your efforts.

3. Make Your Applications Shine

  • Tailor your essays. No one gives out money for free. All scholarships have purpose behind them and a unique criteria. Customize your essays to specifically address the requirements and demonstrate how you meet them.

  • PROOFREAD! Typos and grammatical errors can make a bad impression. Have a trusted friend or mentor review your applications before you submit them.

  • Ask for strong recommendations. Choose recommenders who know you well and can speak to your character, achievements, and potential.

4. Don't Give Up!

  • Rejection is part of the process. Don't get discouraged if you don't win every scholarship you apply for.

  • Learn from each application. Look over your applications and identify areas for improvement.

  • Keep searching and applying. The more scholarships you apply for, the higher your chances of success.

Resources

Good luck to all of our juniors and seniors in their search for scholarships! Speech and debate is an activity that will give you a nice push in your application process, so make sure you use it well. Keep an eye out for all opportunities and stay diligent!

Stay brilliant,

The Forensic Funnel Team


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