The average cost of tuition and fees at a public college in the U.S. is about $10,000 for students who reside in the same state as the university. Out-of-state students who relocate to attend college wind up paying an average tuition cost of about $25,000, while students who attend private college pay an average tuition fee of almost $35,000. Regardless of which path you take, you’re going to be looking at a minimum of about $10k in costs, in addition to the hours that you’ll have to spend at the university, during which time you won’t be able to work a job. Thus, a scholarship is the most logical route for any student with commendable grades or for those who have a financial need based on a provable low-income family status. With that said, here are the top five scholarships in the U.S. that high school students might want to consider: 
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1. Gates Millennium Scholarship
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been providing the Gates Millennium Scholarship to students for almost two decades. However, it should be noted that in order to be eligible, students must be of an ethnicity that is considered to be an underrepresented minority, which includes African-American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Alaskan Native, and American Indian. A total of more than $840 million in scholarship aid has been awarded to almost 18,000 students of the aforementioned ethnicities – these stats make it one of the most popular and rewarding USA scholarships in history.
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2. Siemens Math, Science, and Technology Award Scholarships
Students in the U.S who are confident in their ability to compete in a Science, Technology, and Math (STEM) competition may want to consider applying for the Siemens scholarship. The program has both national and regional competitions. The national program awards scholarships worth $25,000 to $100,000, while the regional competitions award is a much smaller $6,000 to $10,000.
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3. Coca-Cola Scholarship
The Coca-Cola scholarship gives out 150 scholarships each year, with all of them being worth exactly $20,000. This program is based on a student’s ability to submit a winning application, so expect a challenge.
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4. Horatio Alger Scholarship Award
This scholarship is awarded to students who can prove that they have a gross adjusted family income of $55,000 or less. Every year, the program awards 106 scholarships worth $25,000 each, but it also offers regional scholarships that range from $6,000 to $10,500.
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5. Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
This program awards scholarships based on a combination of applicant skill/grades, financial need, leadership qualities, and other factors. Each year, 40 students receive scholarships of varying amounts up to $40,000.
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Applying for Every Possible Scholarship
In closing, there’s no reason to stop at one scholarship because you’re allowed to apply for as many as you’d like simultaneously. Of course, keep in mind that each scholarship will require a somewhat challenging application process, so be prepared to invest additional time if you want more options on the table at once.