Scholarship application tracker template
By Vincent Elliott · Published
A free spreadsheet you can use in Google Sheets, Excel or Notion to keep every scholarship, deadline and document in one place, and a faster option if you do not want to maintain it by hand.
Download the free template
It is a plain CSV file with the columns below and one example row, so it opens in any spreadsheet app.
How to use it in Google Sheets, Excel or Notion
- Google Sheets: open Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, upload the file, and pick "Replace spreadsheet". Freeze the top row and sort by Deadline.
- Excel: open the file directly. Turn on Filter in the Data tab and sort the Deadline column from oldest to newest.
- Notion: create a new page, choose Import, then CSV. Notion turns it into a database; set Status as a select field and view it as a board.
What to track for every scholarship
- Scholarship and sponsor. So you can find it again, and so you never apply twice by accident.
- Award amount. Helps you put your time into the awards that pay the most for the work.
- Deadline. The one column you cannot skip. Sort by it every week.
- Status. Saved, in progress, applied, won or lost. It shows at a glance what still needs work.
- Essay needed. The topic and length. If two scholarships ask the same thing, you can reuse your draft.
- Recommendation letters. How many, and who you asked and when. Letters take teachers weeks, so track these early.
- Transcript and other documents. Transcripts, proof of enrollment, a resume or a financial form often take the longest to get.
- Application link. The sponsor's own page, so you apply on the real site and never through a lookalike.
- Date submitted and result. So you know what is pending and what to follow up on.
How to keep track of scholarships without it taking over
A tracker only works if it is current. Update it when you apply, sort by deadline once a week, and set a calendar reminder a few days before each due date. Do not add every scholarship you see. Only add the ones you qualify for and plan to apply to, so the list stays short enough to finish.
Or let Scholarship Tracker do it for you
A spreadsheet works, but you have to find each scholarship, type in the details and watch the dates yourself. Scholarship Tracker already lists the deadline, the essays and the letters for each scholarship, so you save one with a click and move it from saved to in progress to applied. It is free.
- Search and filter every scholarship we track by deadline, state, major and effort.
- Track each one by status: saved, in progress, applied, won or lost.
- Save your essays once and reuse them, and keep a list of who is writing your letters.
- Get an email when a new scholarship matches you or a deadline is close.