If your school does not use a letter grade system, you can select pass or fail to describe your class grade. We will evaluate your self-reported grades with your report card, recommendations, honors and awards, and essays to get a full picture of your academic history.
The Cooke Foundation does not require students to submit any test scores to apply for the Cooke Young Scholars Program. This includes SAT or ACT scores and state standardized test scores.
The Foundation typically requires both parents to submit their financial information and insights on their student’s education for the Cooke Young Scholars Program application. If a student’s parents/guardians are separated/divorced or not living together, both parents should submit their financial information on separate forms. In cases where one or both parents have remarried, the stepparent’s financial information should also be included in the parent form. The combined income for both households, including stepparents, will be used to determine a student’s financial eligibility. The portion of the noncustodial household income is calculated based on how much time monthly the student spends with that household.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation requires every applicant’s parents/legal guardian(s) to submit a Parent Information Form as part of their application for the Cooke Young Scholars Program. This requirement may include a Non-custodial Parent Information Form in addition to the Custodial Parent Form if the applicant’s parents are divorced, separated, or were never married. The non-custodial form is required, however, the Cooke Foundation may waive the form in rare cases. When you submit a waiver form, your non-custodial parent form checklist item status will be updated to “waived” in our records. This does not mean that submission of the form has been waived; this means the material has been waived for the purpose of completing your application by the deadline. The Cooke Foundation may reach out for additional information or the Non-custodial Parent Information Form after the deadline. A link to the form is available here.
Your completed application must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone on the day of the deadline. This includes all completed sections of the online application, your report cards that must be uploaded to your application, completed parent/guardian forms by your parent(s)/guardian(s), and submitted recommendation forms by your recommenders.
The Young Scholars Program application requires students to respond to three short answer prompts each limited to 200 words in length, and one essay prompt limited to 350 words in length. These responses must be the student’s own writing. The prompts are as follows:
-Consider one academic subject or interest that you love learning about outside of your schoolwork. How have you explored this topic, and what would happen if all students were required to learn about this topic? (short)
-Imagine you have been invited to serve on a town committee creating change on one issue of importance to your community. What is the issue, and how will you contribute to the committee’s efforts to bring about that change? (short)*
-Briefly describe a time you faced a challenge that forced you to grow, or a time you set a goal you were determined to achieve. What encouraged or motivated you to carry on, and what if anything would you have done differently? (short)
-Reflect on one significant moment, event, or relationship that changed how you perceive the world. Explain how it influences your thinking and actions today and why this matters to you and/or others. (essay)
-Imagine you are planning an educational trip to learn more about a big idea or topic you are interested in. You can go anywhere to pursue any experience or knowledge you desire. Tell us where you would go, what you would do and hope to learn, and why this matters to you and/or others. (essay)*
A complete application will contain the following materials:
Recommenders have the same deadline as applicants. We encourage applicants to monitor the status of their application and communicate with their recommenders to make sure they successfully submit the form on time.
No, the only acceptable recommendation for this application is the online form. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted in lieu of or in addition to the online form.
Applicants will enter the recommender’s email address and contact information in the application. The recommender will then receive an email with instructions and a link to the recommendation form they will complete and submit. When the form is complete, they will click the “Submit” button and a message will appear requesting confirmation that the form is ready to submit. When they click “Yes,” a confirmation screen will appear to verify the form has been submitted. The recommender will also receive a confirmation email.
Recommenders will receive an email with instructions about completing the recommendation form. It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor the status of your application and follow up with your recommenders to be sure they have received the instructions and completed their online forms.
Before you log out, always click the “Continue” button found at the bottom of every page of the application. This will ensure your application progress has been saved. When you are ready to log out and exit your account, use the “Logout” button at the top right of the screen. You will be able to return to the application to continue and update as frequently as desired until you submit your application or the deadline has passed.
If you would like to reset your password, go to the Log In/Register page, click the “Forgot your password?” link, and follow the online instructions.
On the Log In/Register page, click the “Forgot your password?” link. To reset your password, enter the email address associated with your account and the applicant’s birthdate and click the “Submit” button. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. If you need additional help, email scholarships@jkcf.org.
You can save your application by clicking the Continue button at the bottom of the page, or navigating to another section of the application using the dashboard on the left of the screen. This will allow you to return to it at a later time to continue or update as desired. You can return to your application as often as needed until you submit it or the deadline has passed. If you close your browser window without using the Continue button, the information entered on that page will not be saved.
Applications must be submitted by the deadline of May 9, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone. Incomplete applications and those submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
The application for the Young Scholars Program is online only. A link to it is posted on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation website during the application open period. We do not have a paper version of the application available.
The Cooke Foundation reviews each application with assistance from a committee of education experts. The Foundation selects Cooke Young Scholars using the criteria below. While all criteria are scored, academic ability and achievement is the most heavily weighted criterion.
-Academic ability and achievement: How does the applicant stand out from others in terms of their academic ability and achievement? (Eligible applicants must have earned grades of all or mostly As, with no Cs or below in core academic subjects – English/language arts, math, science, social studies/history – since the beginning of 6th grade).
-Leadership: How does the applicant demonstrate initiative, serve as a positive role model, and contribute positively to the world around them?
-Persistence: How does the applicant show determination toward accomplishing their goals and overcoming challenges?
-Financial Need: Demonstrate unmet financial need. We will consider applicants with family income up to $95,000. During the selection process, the Foundation will conduct a full financial review which will take into account all income and assets of the student and the student’s parents. The median family income of last year’s entering cohort of Cooke Young Scholars was approximately $35,000.
The number of Scholars selected varies from year to year. In 2023, 43 new Scholars were selected.
To be considered for the Young Scholars Program, the applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:
-Currently in 7 th grade and/or entering 8 th grade in the fall of 2024.
-Since the beginning of 6 th grade, earned grades of all or mostly As in school, with no Cs or below in core academic subjects (English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies/History).
-Demonstrate unmet financial need. We will consider applicants with a maximum annual gross income of $95,000. Last year’s cohort of new Young Scholars had a median family income of approximately $35,000. During the selection process, the Foundation will conduct a full financial review which will take into account all income and assets of the student and the student’s parents.
-Reside in the United States and plan to attend high school in the U.S.
All applicants are notified in June about whether they have been selected as a semifinalist. Semifinalists will enter the second half of the review process which continues through summer. Recipients of the scholarship are notified via email in early fall (September).