Gifted Atlanta

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program offers funds — up to $40,000 a year, for up to four years — to support the college ambitions of high-achieving students who have financial need.

The scholarship is available to high-school seniors who have GPAs of 3.5 or higher and have high SAT or ACT scores. (See the JKCF web site for complete eligibility information.)

The foundation will consider applications from students whose families make up to $95,000 a year, but most of the recipients will have family income low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant. The average family income of recipients is $35,000 per year.

Application for the scholarship will be done using the Common App. (Again, see the JKCF site for details.) There is no cost to apply. You must complete the application by November 13, 2019. You’ll need to provide financial information, school records, essays and teacher recommendations, so allow yourself time to compile and complete the needed paperwork.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program offers funds — up to $40,000 a year — to support the college ambitions of high-achieving students with financial need.

The scholarship, which can be renewed for up to four years, is available to high-school seniors who have GPAs of 3.5 or higher and have scored in the top 15 percent on the SAT or ACT.

According to the foundation’s web site, students whose families make up to $95,000 a year will be considered; however, most of the recipients will have family income low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant.

The first part of the application process is open now. There is no cost to apply. The Phase I application must be mailed in by November 3, 2015. Financial information, school records and teacher recommendations are required for the application, so allow yourself time to compile and complete the needed paperwork.

Low-income students often don’t apply to our nation’s elite colleges, believing those prestigious campuses are out of their reach because of their families’ finances.

QuestBridge aims to change that with its National College Match program, which is now accepting applications from rising high-school seniors.

Students choose their top schools from three dozen highly respected universities, including Amherst, Dartmouth, Brown, Emory, MIT, Princeton and Stanford. The schools review the applicants, and if they want to admit a student who selected them, the student will receive a full scholarship to their school. If a match isn’t made with the applicant’s top choices, the student will still be considered by all participating universities and may receive significant financial aid.

The application deadline is Sept. 28, 2015. The application is extensive, requiring transcripts, letters of recommendation, and financial records, so you’ll want to get started now.

High-achieving students should have the chance to attend one of the country’s best colleges, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

That’s the principle behind the QuestBridge National College Match program, which seeks to send excellent students from low-income homes to elite colleges. Students choose their top schools from among more than 30 highly respected universities, including Amherst, Dartmouth, Brown, Emory, MIT, Princeton and Stanford. The schools review the applicants, and if a match is made, the student will receive a full scholarship. If a match isn’t made, the student will still be considered by all participating universities and may receive significant financial aid.

The application deadline is Sept. 26, 2014, and the application process is pretty involved, so don’t wait if this program is a fit for a high-school senior you know.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program offers funds — up to $30,000 a year — to support the college ambitions of high-achieving students with financial need.

The scholarship, which can be renewed for up to four years, is available to students who have high-school GPAs of 3.5 or higher and have scored in the top 15 percent on the SAT or ACT.

According to the foundation’s web site, students whose families make up to $95,000 a year will be considered; however, most of the recipients will have family income low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant.

The first part of the application process is open now. The Phase I application must be mailed in by November 5, 2013. Financial information, school records and teacher recommendations are required for the application, so allow yourself time to compile and complete the needed paperwork.

Of all the scholarships out there, the QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship is one of my favorites.

QuestBridge recognizes that giftedness knows no racial, ethnic or socio-economic barriers. Its College Prep Scholarship program reaches out to high-school juniors who have amazing academic potential, but whose gifts are at risk of being squandered because their families cannot afford to send them to a top-tier college.

The College Prep Scholarship provides full scholarships to summer programs on elite college campuses, helps students navigate the admissions and financial aid application processes required by the best schools, and even provides all-expenses-paid visits to QuestBridge partner schools — colleges including Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and their peers.

Finally, the College Prep Scholarship prepares students to apply during their senior year for the QuestBridge National College Match program, which pairs exceptional high-school seniors with prestigious colleges that will provide them full scholarships.

Current juniors can fill out the free application now through March 27, 2013. The application is long and involved, so leave time to gather the requested information and documentation.

Teachers, if you know a student who deserves to be considered for this scholarship, won’t you encourage them to apply?