Coca-Cola Scholars Program
Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
A $20,000 achievement-based scholarship for graduating seniors, awarded to 150 students a year.
Run by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Current high school seniors who will graduate during the 2026-27 academic year. Homeschooled students are eligible.
Gap-year students, non-traditional students and anyone who has already graduated are not eligible. This is strictly a final-year-of-high-school award.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Eligible ages
-
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.The Foundation sets eligibility by school year, not age.
- Individual or team
- Individual
- Where it runs
- Online · United States
- Entry cost
- FreeNo application fee is stated on the Foundation's pages.
- Registration deadline
- The application opens Monday 3 August 2026 and closes at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday 30 September 2026. 21 days leftDo not trust other dates. At least one commercial coaching site publishes a 31 October 2026 deadline for this cycle, which contradicts the Foundation's own application page. A student relying on that would miss the deadline by a month.
- Competition dates
- Applications in autumn, semifinalists in the winter, finalist interviews and announcement in spring.
- Difficulty
- Highly competitiveNational-level field. Expect months of structured work, and usually a coach or a strong team.
- Prizes
- 150 scholarships of $20,000 each are awarded annually.One hundred and fifty scholarships of $20,000 each, plus membership of an active alumni network that offers ongoing support and connections.
What Coca-Cola Scholars Program is
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program awards $20,000 scholarships to 150 graduating high school seniors each year, selected from tens of thousands of applicants. Unlike research competitions, it judges leadership, service and character across the whole of a student's record rather than one project. Selection runs through several rounds culminating in interviews for finalists.
How the competition works
A multi-phase process. The initial Phase 1 application does not require essays; essays, transcripts and recommendation letters are required only if you advance to the semifinalist stage. An interview follows for regional finalists. Selection is achievement-based on leadership, academics and service; financial need plays no part.
Eligibility notes
You must be a US citizen, permanent resident or otherwise eligible as specified, be in your final year, and plan to pursue a degree at an accredited US post-secondary institution. A minimum grade point average applies.
How to register
- Check the eligibility requirements, including grade point average and citizenship, before investing time.
- Apply online early in your final year. The deadline falls in the autumn, well before most college application deadlines.
- If you advance, complete the longer semifinalist application with essays and recommendations.
- Finalists attend an interview weekend in Atlanta, with travel provided.
What skills you need
- Reflective essay writing
- Articulating leadership and service
- Interview performance
- Presenting a coherent account of your record
Recommended resources
-
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation official site
Eligibility, application timeline, selection process and scholar profiles.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- Scholar profiles by year
Published profiles of past scholars, useful for understanding what the programme values.
Frequently asked questions
When is the deadline?
Historically in the autumn of your final year, which is earlier than most students expect and well before college application deadlines. Confirm the exact date on the foundation's site in the summer before your senior year.
What are they actually looking for?
Leadership, service and character across your whole record rather than a single achievement. Reading published scholar profiles is the clearest guide, and they show considerable variety rather than one template.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.
Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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