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Are you a United States high school student who aspires to attend one of the nation’s top colleges? Do you also need money to finance your education? If your answer to the questions above is yes, then you should check out this Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship.
Designed by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, this is a competitive scholarship open to high school students who dream of attending a four-year university. The foundation provides up to $55,000 to support this education. You can apply for the scholarship for your tuition and essential living expenses.
Since this is a highly competitive program, you will need help to win it. Keep reading to learn what you must do to win the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship.
About Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
The Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program. It is available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial needs. Also, the Cooke College Scholarship Program is open for those who seek to attend and graduate from their chosen four-year colleges and universities.
93 percent of the scholarship recipients have attended highly competitive U.S. universities or colleges. Furthermore, the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship successful candidates earned a high school GPA of 3.86. About 83 percent of the total participants are also known to have been actively involved in community services during their high school days.
The Jack Kent Cook College Scholarship is brought to you by the Jack Kent Cook Foundation. It is a foundation committed to advancing the education of promising students with financial needs. Since 2000, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has awarded more than $230 million in scholarships to nearly 3,000 high school students.
The Foundation began operations in Lansdowne, Virginia. To date, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has also provided more than one hundred million dollars in financial aid to United States organizations that serve outstanding students.
In addition to awarding scholarships, the foundation also offers comprehensive educational counseling and other support services. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation believes that this information will be useful for students to successfully navigate their transition to college. They’ll also be assisted to prepare to apply to competitive institutions.
Program Benefits
Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational experience. For instance, this includes tuition, living expenses, books, and required fees. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships they may receive.
This highly competitive scholarship offers:
- Up to 55,000 dollars annually to attend a four-year accredited undergraduate school.
- Ability to pursue any area of study.
- Personal advising about selecting a college and navigating financial aid.
- Multifaceted advising about how to transition to college and maximize the student experience.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for this program, you must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- For senior standing, you must plan to graduate from a U.S. high school in spring.
- Intend to enroll in an accredited four-year college beginning in the fall for fall college enrollment.
- Earn a minimum, cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.5 or above.
- Demonstrate unmet financial need.
The Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship committee reviews each application individually. Below are the criteria used in the selection process:
- Academic ability and achievement: You must maintain a strong academic record and receive outstanding recommendations from teachers. Plus, it will advantageous if you can show a desire to be challenged and demonstrate enthusiasm for learning.
- Leadership: Motivate others, takes initiative, and contribute positively to the community.
- Persistence: All candidates are required to exhibit determination when faced with obstacles and confront challenges with the ability to adapt to change.
- Unmet financial need: Jack Kent Cook College Scholarship committee considers applicants whose family income is up to $95,000.
Then, if you are selected as a Cooke Scholar, you will be required to meet several expectations. For example, during the summer before your freshman year in college, you will be required to participate in the foundation-sponsored Scholars Weekend in the Washington, DC area.
Additionally, the foundation expects you to communicate and work closely with your designated foundation educational advisor. Lastly, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation also expects you to:
- Maintain a strong academic record.
- Act with honesty and personal integrity.
- Demonstrate character and leadership.
- Be concerned about and engaged in your community.
- Maintain a good disciplinary record.
- Work cooperatively with foundation staff.
How to Apply to the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
You will have to apply for the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship via the Common App. There, you need to create a new account to start your application process. You will complete the general requirements, which include things like your contact information, the school you attend, and your activities.
Also, you will have to invite your school counselor and two teachers to submit recommendations and a high school transcript via the Common App. Once you have created a Common App account, add the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation as one of your schools to access application questions specific to the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Program.
These will include:
- Eligibility
- Short essays
- Extracurricular activities and honors
- Intended major
- Financial information
The good news is that the foundation will not require you to submit your test scores for the scholarship application, meaning that the committee will be “test blind” in the review process.
Closing Date
Applications for the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship close on November 18 at 23:59 in your local time zone. The Common App system will not allow you to submit an incomplete application.
You will receive an email with confirmation that your application has been submitted. If you do not receive this email, you can log in to your application account and click the “Submit Application” tab. You should see a green checkmark indicating that your application was submitted.
If you are selected as a Cooke Scholar, the scholarship amount will be sent directly to your school. If a stipend is included as part of your scholarship, the school will release the funds to you.
Contact Details
Please select one of the options below if you need to contact the foundation with questions regarding the scholarship application process:
- Questions about the Common App: appsupport.commonapp.org.
- Questions about the program and eligibility: scholarship@jkcf.org.
Official Website of Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
Visit the official Jack Kent Cooke Foundation website for more information on the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship at www.jkcf.org. While we provide guidance on the program, please note that this is a general post. We are not responsible for changes made unilaterally by the scholarship provider. However, we will try to update this information periodically.
Anyway, if you are looking for other references about scholarships for U.S. students, check this post.
