106 Exceptional High School Seniors Awarded up to $40,000 Per Year to Cover College Costs

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's unique scholarship program levels the playing field for high-achieving students with financial need at the nation's top colleges and universities

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Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

Mar 22, 2019, 13:01 ET

LANSDOWNE, Va., March 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's prestigious College Scholarship Program today announced awards to 106 high-achieving high school students with financial need. This year's winners, who come from high schools across 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, will receive up to $40,000 annually for up to four years to study at top colleges and universities, including Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and Harvard.

The Cooke Foundation's College Scholarship Program is one of the most generous and competitive scholarship programs in the nation. This undergraduate scholarship program is available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend and graduate from the nation's top four-year colleges and universities. To find out more about the scholarship program and the thriving community of Cooke Scholars, please visit: http://www.jkcf.org/college

Unique among the nation's most generous scholarship programs, new Cooke College Scholars receive comprehensive educational advising from Foundation staff, in addition to support from a network of nearly 2,500 active scholars and alumni to guide them through college transition and career development. The Foundation also provides opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding to level the playing field between scholars and their more connected peers.

"We know that when high-achieving students with financial need are able to enroll in selective institutions, they are just as likely as their more affluent peers to be academically successful and graduate," said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. "The Foundation is committed to ensuring that financial obstacles aren't a barrier to opportunity."

This year, more than 5,500 students applied for the Cooke College Scholarship, and, for the first time, students were able to apply via the Common Application. Many of these students were identified through a partnership with the College Board, which connects scholarship organizations to students through their participation in the PSAT/NMSQT® and PSAT™ 10. Additional outreach partners included Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), College Advising Corps, Bard Early Colleges, and Chicago Scholars. The Foundation evaluated each submission based on academic ability, persistence, leadership, and service to others. Engineering, political science and government, biological science, and physics are the most popular fields of study among the cohort.

A list of the 2019 Cooke College Scholars, including the high schools and states they represent, can be found here.

Interested in learning more about the Cooke College Scholarship Program? Sign up to receive an email alert when the application opens again this fall!

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded $190 million in scholarships to nearly 2,500 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided over $100 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org

Media Contact: Amber Styles
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SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation