Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

• A highly selective scholarship for community college students completing bachelor's degrees at four-year institutions. Eligibility does not guarantee selection.

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• Last-dollar funding after institutional aid, up to $55,000 annually, generally for two or three years. Covers a portion of tuition, room and board, books and required fees; amount and duration depend on attendance costs, programme length and other grants or scholarships.

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• Funding beyond three years is considered only case by case.

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• Includes advising and Scholar connections; recipients may apply separately for internship, conference/travel and graduate awards.

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• Funds go directly to the school, which releases any included stipend. Award letters normally arrive in summer within four weeks of the Foundation receiving the institution's Cost of Attendance.

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• Online four-year programmes are not funded.

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• Only the undergraduate portion of a dual bachelor's/master's programme is funded, not the graduate portion.

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• Recipients must determine and report any taxable portion of the award.

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• College admission is separate: apply using each institution's preferred method. The scholarship application must use Common App for Transfer, but the college need not use it. Receiving funding requires enrolment at an accredited four-year institution offering bachelor's degrees; selective-college attendance is not mandatory.

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• New recipients must participate in the summer Scholars Weekend before transfer and work with their Foundation Dean of Scholar Support. The three-day event is usually in early August in Northern Virginia; the Foundation pays trip expenses and family members cannot attend.

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• Provide contact, institution, grades, activities and honours information, eligibility answers, intended major and financial information. Invite recommenders through Common App.

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• Two recommendations must be submitted through Common App for Transfer by academic professionals—adviser, instructor or professor—at the current or most recent institution who know the applicant's work and character.

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• Submit transcripts for all colleges attended since 2011 (described as the last 15 years), including all completed college-level coursework by December 9, 2026.

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• Transcripts and supporting documents must be in English or officially translated into English.

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• Provide the past three years' tax-return AGI. Applicants under 30 by the application deadline must also provide parent/guardian AGI. Non-filers must provide estimated income for each year and an explanation.

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• Under-30 applicants need both legal parents' forms even if financially independent. A second-parent waiver may be approved for incarceration or unknown whereabouts with no possible contact; it is not automatic.

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• 1. Create a Common App for Transfer account. 2. In Add Program, search Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and select the plus sign. 3. Return to My Application → Program Materials. 4. Complete all general and scholarship-specific sections. 5. Submit before the deadline.

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• Initial applications require no essays. Advancing applicants will be asked for essays and should monitor their application email for requests.

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• Applications are individually reviewed with an education-expert panel for academic achievement, financial need, persistence, leadership and service; financial review considers student and parental income and assets.

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• Responses must be truthful and the applicant's own; report any generative-AI use in the application.

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• Check the Common App submission confirmation email or the green check mark under Submit Application.

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• There is no application fee, no required nomination and no test-score requirement.

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• Recipients must apply for institutional financial aid every year; other awards are generally permitted with some restrictions.

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• Renewal is discretionary, not automatic. Annual review covers grades, financial eligibility, conduct, degree progress and cooperation; awards may also be revoked during a year.

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• Recipients sign a Scholar Agreement and must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA with challenging coursework, integrity, character and leadership, community engagement, good discipline and cooperation with staff.

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These details help you explore your options. Read the full eligibility requirements above, including any exceptions.

• Study level

  Listed: Undergraduate

  Official requirements ↗

• Meet the current-student/sophomore-status or recent-graduate alternative. Sophomore status follows the institution's official policy, not a universal 30-credit minimum.

  Are you a current student at an accredited U.S. community college or two-year institution with sophomore status by January 1, 2027, or a graduate of such an institution since spring 2022?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• A bachelor's degree programme is required; non-degree study is ineligible.

  What level of study will you pursue?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Full-time fall 2027 enrolment is required; spring 2027 transfer is ineligible.

  Will you transfer and begin a full-time bachelor's degree programme in fall 2027?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Award use is limited to accredited U.S. four-year undergraduate institutions, in any subject. This is an institutional-location restriction, not proof of physical study destination.

  Will your intended bachelor's programme be at an accredited U.S. four-year undergraduate institution?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Online four-year programmes are not covered.

  Is your intended fall 2027 four-year degree programme an online programme?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• The initial GPA minimum must be met at submission, not through later grades.

  At submission of your 2026 application, is your cumulative undergraduate GPA at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent?

  Before you submit
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• Financial need and the income ceiling apply; the Foundation reviews all student and parental income and assets.

  For the 2027 scholarship, do you have unmet financial need and annual gross family income no higher than $95,000?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Already-transferred or currently enrolled four-year students are ineligible.

  Have you already transferred to, or are you currently enrolled in, a four-year undergraduate institution?

  Check your eligibility
  Official requirement ↗

• Under-30 applicants must provide both legal parents' information even when financially independent; an approved second-parent waiver is an exception.

  For your application due December 9, 2026, if you will be under 30 at the deadline, can both legal parents supply the required financial forms, or has the Foundation approved a waiver for the second parent's form?

  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.