Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Applications for Nation’s Largest Pre-College Scholarship Due by March 21

  • 02/22/18

Landsdowne, Va. – The Cooke Foundation today announced the opening of the application period for its Young Scholars Program, the largest high school scholarship and advising program in the United States, for high-performing 7th grade students with financial need.

Each year, approximately 50 students will be selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants to participate in the five-year program, starting in 8th grade through high school graduation. Those selected receive academic and college advising, as well as financial support for school, Cooke-sponsored summer programming, peer community engagement, and other learning enrichment opportunities.

“The Young Scholars Program gives some of the brightest young minds in the nation access to high quality academic programs that they otherwise couldn’t afford,” said Cooke Foundation Executive Director Harold O. Levy. “We pair students early on with an educational adviser who will work to ensure they make the most out of their high school experiences, and are prepared for success at competitive colleges and universities.”

The program provides a pathway to the Cooke College Scholarship Program, which is worth up to $40,000 a year. Many Young Scholars have also received Cooke Graduate Scholarships, worth up to $75,000.

To be eligible for the Young Scholars Program, a student must: 1) currently be in 7th grade, 2) earn grades of all or mostly As with no Cs in core academic subjects during 6th and 7th grade, 3) have a family adjusted gross income of less than $95,000, and 4) be willing to participate in required multi-week residential summer programs.

More information about the Cooke Young Scholars Program, including instructions on how to apply and a video featuring scholars, can be found here.

About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

The Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded $175 million in scholarships to more than 2,300 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive counseling and other support services. The foundation has also provided over $97 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org

Featured

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.