Coca-Cola Scholars Program

• An achievement-based scholarship for students in their final year of high school, evaluated on leadership, academics and service. Meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• 150 scholars are selected each year for a $20,000 scholarship.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Recipients have up to 10 years to use the award and may defer all or part within that period. Permitted uses include tuition at an accredited college or university and Foundation-specified educational expenses such as on-campus housing, a computer or textbooks. These examples do not establish unrestricted coverage of other expenses; the guidance reviewed give no comprehensive list of excluded costs or renewal conditions.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Applicants must plan to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution. The requirement is a plan to pursue a degree, not evidence of an existing admission offer.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Phase 1 requires no essays, transcript or recommendations.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• By the end of October, applicants are notified of status. About 1% become Semifinalists and are invited to submit a Phase 2 application in November with essays, a transcript and a recommendation. the guidance reviewed does not identify who must supply that recommendation or give an exact November deadline.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• The 2027 application is now closed. The Foundation is reviewing more than 113,000 applications and expects to notify advancing Semifinalists later in October.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Initial submission process: access the 2027 application through the FAQ-page link during the application window, complete the online application and submit through the Foundation portal by the deadline. Email, fax and mail submissions, and unsolicited supplementary materials, are not accepted.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• The initial application link was provided at the top of the FAQ page after 10 am Eastern on Monday, August 3, 2026.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• For the application, enter course status, level and grade under Academic Information; mark dual-enrollment courses as College Credit/College Course.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Record activities not sponsored by the school under Community Activities and follow the instructions in each application section.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Where a course has only term grades rather than a final grade, enter the higher term grade.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Homeschooled applicants may list their collective or organization's head as principal and their teacher as counselor, including a parent or other adult. If parents are the only instructors, enter their information in those fields.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Approximately 1,200 Semifinalists are narrowed to 250 Regional Finalists, who interview with Coke Scholar alumni and staff in late January or early February. Semifinalists receive status emails early in the new year; exact interview dates are not given.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Following interviews, 150 Regional Finalists are invited to the required Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta in April to confirm their selection.

  Official source · 2026-10-11 ↗

• Only current high school or homeschooled students graduating during 2026–2027 are eligible; previous graduates are excluded.

  For the 2027 scholarship, are you currently enrolled in high school or homeschool, expecting to receive your high school diploma during the 2026–2027 academic year, rather than already having graduated?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• An accepted citizenship or immigration status must already exist at application; a pending status application does not qualify.

  At the time of your 2027 scholarship application, no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2026, did you already hold U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, refugee, asylee, Cuban-Haitian entrant or humanitarian parolee status, rather than merely having a pending application for that status?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Federal Financial Aid application eligibility is required, including for applicants asking about DACA.

  For the 2027 scholarship application, are you eligible to apply for Federal Financial Aid?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Temporary residents are excluded.

  For the 2027 scholarship, are you a temporary resident?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• International students are excluded except students at DoD schools; the other status and school requirements still apply.

  For the 2027 scholarship, are you an international student who does not attend a Department of Defense school?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• A degree plan at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution is required; this does not establish the applicant's physical study destination.

  For the 2027 scholarship, do you plan to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• The cycle-specific requirements specify an overall B/3.0 minimum; the FAQ describes the minimum as unweighted.

  For the 2027 scholarship, can you verify a minimum overall B/3.0 GPA in your high school coursework, with at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• These children and grandchildren are excluded.

  For the 2027 scholarship, are you a child or grandchild of a current employee, officer or owner of a Coca-Cola bottling company, The Coca-Cola Company, a Company division or a subsidiary?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Children and grandchildren of former employees receiving the specified retirement benefits are excluded.

  For the 2027 scholarship, are you a child or grandchild of a former employee currently receiving retirement benefits from previous employment with a Coca-Cola bottling company, The Coca-Cola Company, a Company division or a subsidiary?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

Check the dates for your intended intake. Previous-cycle dates are included for planning and do not confirm that applications are open.

Check the provider’s full terms for your citizenship, residence, course and intake. This overview is not a personal eligibility assessment.

Not yet confirmed in this guide: who can apply; exclusions and exceptions; costs to plan for; keeping your funding.