Author: Evelyn Haaman

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program allows 5,000 high-achieving, low-income children to attend and graduate from some of the country’s most prestigious private and public institutions each year.

The GMS program’s purpose is to promote academic success and provide an opportunity for excellent minority students with severe financial need to reach their full potential by:

Reducing financial obstacles for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with exceptional academic and leadership potential who face considerable financial hardship.

Our society’s rising diversity reminds us that all of America’s residents must have access to higher education opportunities if our country is to survive and advance as a global, competitive democracy in the new millennium. The survival of our country’s economy, democracy, and quality of life is contingent on the development of a broad cadre of leaders who will help construct a more resilient society. These potential leaders, who come from communities that have traditionally and historically been denied access to higher education, must be given the help they need to navigate the path to college completion.

Who can Apply for Gates Millennium Scholars Program?

• Applications are open for first-year undergraduate students (preferably  first-generation students – the first ones in their families to go to college)
• Nearly 37.5% percent of Gates Millennium Scholars transition into graduate school after earning a Bachelor’s degrees.
• Gates Scholars have come from all 50 states and all American territories and commonwealths.

Benefit

The GMS Program offers more than just a scholarship. GMS provides Gates Millennium Scholars with Academic Empowerment (ACE) services to promote academic performance, mentoring services for academic and personal growth, and an online resource center for internship, fellowship, and scholarship information.

• 
  the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*
• a maintenance allowance for a single student (£21,000 for 12 months at the 2024-25 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months) – for PhD scholars the award is for up to 4 years
• one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course
• inbound visa costs & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge

* The University Composition Fee varies for different types of students; applicants should see the Graduate Studies prospectus for full details about precise amounts. Where a student has been successful in gaining a fee award from public authorities (such as the UKRI) they should accept this award and the Trust will not pay their fee or may share their fee and maintenance costs.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria are:

• outstanding intellectual ability
• reasons for choice of course
• a commitment to improving the lives of others
• leadership potential

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Millennium Scholars program with the goal of creating a network of future leaders from around the world who would bring new vision and dedication to improving the lives of residents in their own countries. Over time, Gates Scholars are expected to become leaders in their chosen disciplines and contribute to addressing global issues like as health, equity, technology, and learning, all of which the Foundation is actively involved in.

The Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) offers undergraduate students, including those pursuing a teaching credential, a scholarship to attend a UC or CSU university. Students with family income and assets totaling up to $201,000 may be eligible.

Requirements

Students must meet the following requirements:

• be a California resident attending a UC or CSU;
• be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or meet the requirements for non-resident tuition exemption*;
• meet certain income/asset and other financial aid standards;
• maintain satisfactory academic progress;
• not be in default on a student loan; and must not be incarcerated.

Beginning on October 1st through the March 2nd deadline, students may complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the CA Dream Act Application (CADAA). Students without a Social Security Number or who have a U or TPS visa or DACA (including those who lost DACA or never applied for DACA), should complete the CA Dream Act Application.

The new MCS program requires us to disclose any changes to a student’s enrollment, cost of attendance, or any awards they are receiving. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) recalculates the MCS grant amount. Changes to these eligibility characteristics may result in reduced or lost eligibility for an MCS award. We will continue to revise student rewards this year in response to these developments.

There is no way to opt out of the program, and it is never in your best interests! MCS is free money that does not require repayment. We’ve received reports from a number of worried students that loan billbacks surpass their MCS Award amount.

The California Student Aid Commission will set the scholarship award levels. Award amounts will be determined by the cost of attendance and the following program requirements: other available gift aid for which the student is eligible (i.e. federal, state, institutional, or scholarship aid), a self-help student contribution of $7,898 (applicable to all students), and a parent contribution for dependent students with a household income of more than $100,000.

These three criteria are generally known as a student’s “available resources.” These amounts are subtracted from the student’s total cost of attendance to calculate the MCS award. Under this formula, award amounts will differ greatly between students, with each reward reflecting their costs and available resources.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program provides an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to acquire languages that are critical to America’s global participation.

Every summer, American undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in colleges and institutions across the country spend eight to 10 weeks learning one of fourteen languages at an intense study abroad institute. The CLS Program is intended to encourage quick language acquisition and vital intercultural skills in regions critical to US national security and economic growth.

Qualified Languages

• Arabic
• Azerbaijani
• Chinese
• Hindi
• Indonesian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Persian
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Swahili
• Turkish
• Urdu

Selection Criteria

• Academic excellence
• Potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting
• Commitment to language learning
• Clear connection between target language and career/academic goals described in the essays
• Ability to adapt to an intensive program and a challenging cultural environment
• Potential contributions to the CLS program and program goals
• Preference may be given to candidates with limited or no previous study abroad experience

Eligibility Criteria 

• Be a U.S. citizen or national at the time of application.
• Be at least 18 years old by May 15, 2026.
• Be enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate, bachelor’s) or graduate (master’s, doctoral, professional degree) level at the time of application.
• Applicants in an undergraduate program (associate or bachelor’s) must complete at least one full year of study (two semesters or three quarters) by the beginning of the CLS Program in Summer 2026.

• Applicants may only apply once, for one language, each year. Applicants who submit multiple applications will be considered ineligible.
• More details on eligibility: clscholarship.org/applicants/eligibility

The program begins with a virtual pre-departure orientation in the weeks preceding the program. Students are flown to their respective sites, where they begin intense language lessons. The program itself consists of around 15 hours per week of formal language teaching.

CLS participants also participate in a variety of language-enhancing activities, such as discussion partners, guest lectures, film screenings, host family visits (at some sites), and cultural excursions.

Some institutes ask students to sign a language promise, which obligates them to communicate in the target language at specific times. After finishing the program, students are requested to offer comments and take post-program language tests.

The Hope Scholarship initiative is an education savings account (ESA) initiative that allows parents and families to use the state share of their education money to create an individualized learning experience that is right for them.

Scholarship Amount

The Hope Scholarship amount will vary each year based on the amount of state aid funding per pupil supplied by county boards of education to public school pupils. The scholarship amount for the 2024-2025 school year is $4,921.39, with an estimated increase to $5,267.38 for the 2025-2026 school year.

When to Apply

New applications for the Hope Scholarship Program are accepted from March 1 to June 15 each year, with the opportunity to receive 100% of the scholarship monies. The chart below shows the application periods for new applicants for the 2025-2026 academic year, as well as the grant amounts associated with each.

Application Window	Funding Amount
Mar. 1, 2025 to June 15, 2025	100% of Scholarship
June 16, 2025 to Sept. 15, 2025	75% of Scholarship
Sept. 16, 2025 to Nov. 30, 2025	50% of Scholarship
Dec. 1, 2025 to Feb. 28, 2026	25% of Scholarship
After Feb. 28, 2026	No funding for current year but may apply for subsequent school year.

Eligibility

To qualify for the Hope Scholarship, a student must be a West Virginia resident and be either:

Enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school in West Virginia for at least 45 consecutive calendar days during the current instructional term at the time of application. The student must remain enrolled and attending the public-school program until a decision is reached on the Hope Scholarship application.

Eligible to be enrolled in kindergarten for the year for which they are applying for the Hope Scholarship

Enrolled full-time in a West Virginia public elementary or secondary school for the entire instructional term of the academic year preceding the academic year for which the student is applying to participate in the Hope Scholarship Program.

SCHOLARSHIP LINK

Chick-fil-A Scholarship is a $25,000 scholarship provided by the fast food chain Chick-fil-A. It encourages and benefits future community leaders by making college more affordable.

Chick-fil-A has given more than $191 million in scholarships to over 105,000 employees. And, since 2022, the Chick-fil-A Community Scholars program has invested more than $600,000 in the education of students who are making a difference in their communities—even if they do not work for Chick-fil-A.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible, you need to meet a few key requirements:

• You must be a resident of the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada.
• You should be an undergraduate or graduate student or planning to enroll in an accredited school for the upcoming academic year. If you are a senior in high school, you can still apply as long as you plan to attend college or university in the fall of the upcoming year.
• You’ll need a recommendation from a teacher, coach, or community leader who can speak to your achievements. Up to three recommendation letters are accepted.
• You’ll need to show that you’ve been involved in your community over the past year and share how you’ve made a positive impact.
• Your GPA should be at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent). You’ll be asked to upload a transcript with your name, school, classes, and GPA.
• You must demonstrate financial need.You cannot be employed at a Chick-fil-A® restaurant or Chick-fil-A, Inc. at the time of application. Also, you can’t be the dependent or spouse of a Chick-fil-A employee or operator.

How to apply for the Chick-fil-A Scholarship

Applying for the Chick-fil-A scholarship is straightforward. Here’s everything you’ll need to do:

• Submit an application form through the official Chick-fil-A scholarship portal.
• Upload a current transcript that shows your academic performance.
• Provide a copy of your parents’ first two pages of their IRS 1040 income tax form or the T-1 Canadian income tax return.
• Include at least one online recommendation from a teacher, coach, or community leader who can speak to your achievements and character.
• Make sure you submit all your materials by the application deadline to be considered for the scholarship.

The scholarship can help with things like tuition, books, and other school-related expenses at any accredited institution. Keep in mind that the scholarship check will be made payable to your school—it can’t be used for student loans or refunded to you. If chosen, you’ll receive a scholarship and participate in a year-long program focused on leadership development and mentoring. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable skills while working alongside other community-focused students.

The Bright Futures Scholarship was established by SVCF in 2010 to provide extra scholarship possibilities to the many deserving individuals who apply each year. The selection committee seeks candidates with academic promise whose educational possibilities would be enhanced by financial help.

Eligibility Requirements

• Graduating high school senior, currently enrolled undergraduate two- or four-year college students, re-entry students, and graduate students
• Currently residing in California
• Demonstrated academic promise with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
• Planning to enroll at a two- or four-year institution in the fall

Apply Now

To support employees’ children who intend to pursue further education in college or vocational school programs, the Exelon Foundation has set up a scholarship program.

Scholarship America®, the biggest creator and administrator of educational support programs for individuals, organizations, foundations, and associations in the country, oversees the program. Scholarship America’s evaluation staff reviews eligible applications, and eligibility for specific programs is decided at the sponsor’s exclusive discretion. Scholarship America, Inc. will choose the winners of this competitive process.

Eligibility

Applicants to Bright Futures must:

• Be dependent* children, age 24 and under, of full-time and part-time domestic employees of Exelon Foundation or either Exelon Business Services Company, LLC or any of its affiliates who have a minimum of one-year employment with any such company as of the application deadline date. Award recipients of the Bright Futures program are not subject to this employment eligibility requirement.
  *Dependent children are defined as natural and legally adopted children or stepchildren living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.
• Be high school seniors or graduates or current college undergraduates.
• Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.

Children of Vice Presidents and above are ineligible.

Awards

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $4,000 award.

Up to 50 awards will be granted.

Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale), and full-time enrollment.

Awards are for qualified education-related expenses only (tuition, fees, books, and required supplies/equipment). Awards amounts may be adjusted if award exceeds the cost of qualified education-related expenses.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in February.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Exelon Foundation. Payment is made in early July.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

• Academic record
• Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
• A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
• Unusual personal or family circumstances
• An online recommendation

Financial need will not be considered.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Exelon Foundation play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Requirements

As part of your application, you must upload the following:

• A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
  • Student name
  • School name
  • Grades
  • Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than January 22, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

APPLY HERE

Charles F. Seymour founded the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) in 1921 with the goal of identifying Californian students who meet high academic criteria.

Numerous tuition scholarships offered at universities around the state and at a few colleges across the country are available to members of the California Scholarship Federation. A number of members are nominated as Life Members by regional subcommittees on the basis of their volunteerism, leadership skills, and character. Five of these kids—one from each region of California—are given an extra $3,000 to help with their college tuition, while fifty of these youngsters earn $2,000 each.

There are roughly a thousand chapters spread throughout the state’s secondary schools. The group keeps pushing academically driven students to further their studies and become active members of their communities.

Scholarship Details

California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a member-based organization that celebrates exceptional academic and citizenship achievers. To be eligible for membership you must apply each semester with qualifying grades from the preceding semester and have at least four qualifying semesters in your sophomore through senior years. You must have taken classes in your final year for at least one semester. You can join CSF as a lifelong member by fulfilling these requirements. At graduation, students who get this accolade will have the privilege of donning the gold cord.

Current sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible to apply for spring 2025 (using Fall 2024 grades) and submit their report cards or transcripts to csf@bereanchristian.com from their Berean email address between Wednesday, January 8th and Friday, January 31st. Write “CSF” in the subject line of the email.

APPLY HERE

Requirements for Semester Membership

Students earn membership in CSF if they apply and have earned 10 (ten) CSF points. Points are earned on grades from the previous semester according to the following scale.

A = 3 CSF points*

B = 1 CSF point*

C = 0 CSF points

D or F in any course, even if not counted for CSF, disqualifies the student from membership

*1 extra point for an A or a B in an AP, IB, or Honors-designated course, not to exceed two such points per semester

• 4 (Four) of the 10 (ten) points must come from List I courses.
• 7 (Seven) of the 10 (ten) points (including the four List I points) must come from List I and II courses. Of course, all seven points may come from List I.
• The last 3 (three) points may come from any list.
• Only 5 (five) courses (or 25 credits) may be used to earn the 10 (ten) points.

Keep in mind that courses such as P.E., teacher assistant, office aide, or repeated courses do not earn any CSF points. See the description of List I, II, III courses in Article IV, Section 6, of the CSF Bylaws on CSF Chapter Resources.

Students who are enthusiastic about changing their communities and beyond are empowered by the Live Más Scholarship. The Taco Bell Foundation’s scholarship program helps students at every step of their journey and translate their passion into positive change. The Taco Bell Foundation has given more than $110 million in grants and Live Más Scholarships to nonprofits that support youth and are centered on education and career readiness since 1992.

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How to Apply

The Live Más scholarship adopts a novel, distinctive method of application; don’t use paper or online forms; instead, submit a 30- to 2-minute-long video.

APPLY HERE

Who is Eligible?

• A legal resident of the United States
• Between the ages of 16 – 24 (minors must receive consent from a parent/legal guardian to apply)
• On track to apply for or enroll in an accredited post-high school/postsecondary education program such as a two-year or four-year college or vocational/technical/trade school.
• If you are currently serving as a City Year AmeriCorps member, you can still apply and defer your scholarship to fall 2024!

Students who are pursuing higher education, getting ready for the workforce, or using their passion to spark change in their communities and beyond are eligible to apply for the Live Más Scholarship. No matter where you are in your path, whether it’s simply realizing your passion and strengths or bringing it to life and motivating others to follow in your footsteps, we believe in you.

There is more to this program than just scholarships. We are more than just a one-time check writer; we are a long-term partner and collaborator who will support you along the way by providing opportunities and connections to enable your passion shine so brilliantly that it transforms the world.

The process of applying to colleges can be frightening and stressful, particularly if you’re attempting to pay for them. Students may find it difficult to navigate the scholarship seeking process. Given how difficult this process may be, we would want to take a moment to highlight possibilities for Black kids who are navigating the application process for merit-based college scholarships, such as the Ron Brown Scholarship.

We’ll talk about the Ron Brown funding, also known as the Ron Brown Scholar Program, which is another fantastic merit-based funding opportunity for seniors in high school. We’ll go over the Ron Brown Scholarship’s definition, eligibility requirements, available funds, and application process.

When to Leverage Ron Brown Scholarhip

There are numerous scholarships available to African Americans seeking college degrees, including the Ron Brown Scholarship. The Ron Brown Scholar Program is classified as a minority scholarship as well as a merit-based scholarship.

Minority scholarships give students from a wider range of backgrounds more access to higher education. A student is awarded a minority scholarship based on a specific aspect of their identity. Therefore, to just a few, requirements for these kinds of college scholarships may include first-generation status, gender, representation in a particular field of study, international context, and race/ethnicity.

Minority scholarships aid in recognizing the structural and systemic obstacles that a specific student body faces. Students who have historically been shut out of a certain school or opportunity are frequently given these grants. College scholarships for minorities are given out with an understanding of the contributions that diverse applicants make to campuses around the country.

This implies that a student’s selection in the Ron Brown Scholar Program is determined by both their experiences as a Black student and their academic prowess. Thus, one outstanding example of a scholarship for African Americans is the Ron Brown Scholarship.

Scholarship Details

• Number of Scholarships: 20 – 25 four-year scholarships
• Award Amount: $40,000 ($10,000 per year)

Requirements

• Resident of the U.S.High school senior
• Seeking a bachelor’s degree
• Plan to attend a 4year institution
• Planning to attend school in the U.S.U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• African American or Black
• Participation in community service or leadership
• Demonstrate financial need
• Proven academic achievement