One of the most important things a student must see to is pay for their college education. Avoiding student loan debt is ideal, making it all the more vital to seek out scholarships. Luckily, there is no shortage of organizations with scholarship funds to apply to. Coca-Cola is one such organization.
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides financial assistance to college-bound students. To this end they offer two merit-based scholarships: the Coca-Cola Scholars Program and the All-State Community College Academic Team.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is intended for high school seniors who are about to embark on a four-year course of study at an accredited college or university. This is an extremely competitive program with a rigorous application procedure.
Eligible students first submit a scholarship application between August 1st and October 31st. Judges then select a number of applicants from the pool to move ahead to the semi-finals.
Semi-finalists then submit a second application, together with written essays, two letters of recommendation and their high school transcripts. From the semi-finalists, 250 finalists are selected.
Finalists are required to complete an interview in Atlanta. On the basis of the interviews, the judges divide the finalists into 50 National Scholars and 200 Regional Scholars. National Scholars receive a $20,000 college scholarship, while Regional Scholars receive a $10,000 college scholarship.
All-State Community College Academic Team
Coca-Cola also offers a college stipend to students completing their education at an accredited community college. Unlike the Scholars Program, students must be nominated for the Academic Team by a faculty member from their school affiliated with Phi Theta Kappa.
To be eligible for the award, students must be pursuing an Associate's or Bachelor's degree, possess a permanent record clear of disciplinary action, and maintain a 3.5 GPA.
The student with the highest ranking in each state receives a $2000 stipend. The rest of the winners are divided into three divisions of fifty each. Gold scholars receive a $1500 stipend, while silver scholars receive $1500. Bronze scholars receive $1000. In addition, 150 more finalists are selected to receive an $1000 stipend.
Materials
Materials are available on the Coca-Cola Scholars website (See Resources) during the acceptance period. Coca-Cola Scholars applicants must complete the application form online.
Inelligible
Those applying for a Coca-Cola scholarship cannot be an employee, or related to an employee, of the Coca-Cola Company.
Tags: Coca-Cola Scholars, Scholars Program, Academic Team, Coca-Cola Scholars Program, scholars receive