AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest
Offered by American Fire Sprinkler Association · Free to apply
The fire sprinkler industry's trade association runs this free contest as a reading exercise rather than an essay competition: entrants read a short article about fire sprinkler technology, then answer eight questions drawn from it. Every correct answer earns one entry in a random drawing for five $1,000 awards, which are paid directly to the winner's school for tuition and books. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED and plans to enroll at an accredited college or trade school in the upcoming fall or spring term, with no GPA, income, or essay requirement. Entry opens January 1 and closes August 31 at 12:59 p.m. CDT, and winners are posted on the AFSA site by October. Only one entry per person counts, and past AFSA winners cannot win again.
How hard is the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest to win?
A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.
- Estimated odds
- roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants
- Modelled applicant field
- ~21,000 students
- Awards each cycle
- 5
- Payoff per hour of work
- $1 / hr
What drives the odds here
Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.
- More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.
Who can apply for the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest?
These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.
- Open to high school seniors, current college students, transfer students, and adult learners
- Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card), DACA/Dreamer students, or students on other visas
- Entry is a short online quiz answered by reading an essay about fire sprinklers; winners are drawn from qualifying entries
- Prior AFSA scholarship winners cannot win again; family members of AFSA staff and national board members are ineligible
- Requires a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- Must plan to enroll at an accredited U.S. college, university, or trade school in the upcoming fall or spring term
- One entry per person; multiple entries are disqualified
- No GPA, essay, or income requirements; free to enter
- Winnings are paid directly to the school for tuition and books
- AFSA runs a separate fall contest for current high school seniors with its own entry window
What the application takes
No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is August 31, 2026 at 12:59 p.m. CDT. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around August 31 each year. Applications open January 1.
- Entry opens
- January 1, 2026
- Contest closes
- August 31, 2026 at 12:59 p.m. CDT
- Winners posted online
- By October 2026
Does your student actually qualify?
See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.
Common questions about the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest
How much is the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest worth?
The AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest awards $1,000 (5 winners). 5 awards are made each cycle.
When is the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest deadline?
The current deadline is August 31, 2026 at 12:59 p.m. CDT. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around August 31 each year. Applications open January 1.
When do AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest applications open?
Applications open January 1, and close August 31, 2026 at 12:59 p.m. CDT.
Who is eligible for the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest?
Key requirements: Open to high school seniors, current college students, transfer students, and adult learners; Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card), DACA/Dreamer students, or students on other visas.
Does the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest require an essay?
No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 0.5 hours on it.
How hard is it to win the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest?
Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants, against a modelled field of ~21,000 students. At 0.5 hrs of work, that is about $1 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.
Is the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest free to apply?
Yes. The AFSA Second Chance Scholarship Contest is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.
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Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.