The Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program is the largest undergraduate scholarship program available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend the nation’s best four-year colleges and universities. In addition to the monetary award, Cooke Scholars receive comprehensive educational advising, significant cohort-based programming, and graduate school funding, as well as a thriving network of nearly 3,000 fellow Cooke Scholars and alumni.
| who should apply? | high-achieving high school seniors with financial need |
| eligible grade levels | seniors |
| award | varies based on cost of attendance + financial aid from the college. Max is $55,000 |
| opens | Sept. 1, 2021 |
| deadline | Nov. 18, 2021, 11:59 PM local time |
| decisions released | semifinalist: Jan. 2022 recipients: April 2022 |
| selectivity | 61 students last year (amount each year varies) |
| link | https://www.jkcf.org/our-scholarships/college-scholarship-program/ |
application requirements
- graduate from a US high school in spring 2022
- intend to enroll full time in an accredited four-year college beginning in fall 2022
- earn a cumulative UW GPA of 3.5 or above
- demonstrate unmet financial need (applicants with family income up to $95,000 will be considered)
application process
apply through the Common App
- complete Common App general requirements, including counselor + 2 teacher recommendations (one must be a core subject 11th grade teacher)
- eligibility screening
- four short essays (125 words each)
- activities and honors
- intended major
- financial information