Coca-Cola Scholars Program 2027 - $20,000 Award
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is worth $20,000 and goes to 150 US high school seniors every year, and the application open right now is the 2027 one, for students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year. It closes at 5pm Eastern on Wednesday 30 September 2026, having opened on 3 August. If you searched for the 2026 Coca-Cola scholarship, that class has already been selected; the 2027 cycle is the live one. What makes this award unusual is how little the first phase asks for. Phase 1 requires no essays, no transcript and no letters of recommendation, so the barrier to starting is genuinely low, and that is deliberate. The narrowing happens afterwards. By the end of October every applicant hears back, and about 1 per cent are named Semifinalists, roughly 1,200 students, who then complete a Phase 2 application in November with essays, a transcript and a recommendation. From those, 250 become Regional Finalists and interview with Coke Scholar alumni and staff in late January or early February. In April, 150 of them are invited to the required Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta to confirm selection. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has been running this since 1986 and, counting the 2026 class, has funded more than 7,200 Coke Scholars with over $90 million in scholarships.
What is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program 2027?
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship pays $20,000 to 150 US high school seniors every year, and the cycle open right now is the 2027 one, for students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year. Phase 1 opened on 3 August 2026 and closes at 5pm Eastern on Wednesday 30 September. If you came here searching for the 2026 award, that class has already been selected and celebrated; this is the application you can actually still file.
Here is the part worth acting on. Phase 1 asks for no essays, no transcript and no letters of recommendation. None. You fill in the online form with your details and your record, and that is the entire first submission. For a $20,000 national scholarship with a 40-year history, the cost of entry is about half an hour of your evening, which is why the applicant pool runs to six figures and why nobody eligible should talk themselves out of it. The demanding parts come later, and only if you advance.
The funnel is steep and well documented. By the end of October every single applicant hears back, which is more than most scholarships manage. Around 1 per cent are named Semifinalists, roughly 1,200 students, and they complete a Phase 2 application in November with essays, an official transcript and one recommendation. From those, 250 become Regional Finalists and interview with Coke Scholar alumni and foundation staff in late January or early February. Then in April, 150 are invited to Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta, and attending is what confirms you as a Coca-Cola Scholar. The foundation has been doing this since 1986 and, with the 2026 class counted, has backed more than 7,200 scholars with over $90 million.
Two eligibility details trip people up more than the GPA floor of B or 3.0. The first is geography: you must attend school in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a select Department of Defense school abroad. Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa are outside the eligible areas, as are American and expat schools overseas even for US citizens, because the scholarship is funded in part by the US-based bottlers serving those specific territories. The second is status: eligibility follows the federal financial aid categories, so US citizens, nationals, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants and humanitarian parolees qualify, and you must hold that status by 30 September, not have an application pending for it. Home-schooled students are welcome throughout. For other awards on the same timeline, the Brown University Scholarships 2027 guide and the Northwestern University Scholarship 2027 guide both cover need-based aid for the same graduating class. Current details sit on the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation apply page.
Eligibility
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✓Currently enrolled high school senior graduating in 2026-2027You must be a currently enrolled high school or home-schooled student expecting your diploma during the 2026-2027 academic year. Students who have already graduated are not eligible, and neither are gap-year or non-traditional students. Home-schooled applicants are eligible on the same terms as everyone else.
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✓Attending school in the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico or a select DoD schoolThe geography rule is stricter than most national awards. Students in Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa are not eligible, and neither are US citizens at American or expat schools abroad. The foundation explains why: the scholarship is funded in part by US-based Coca-Cola bottlers who serve those specific areas.
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✓Citizenship or status on the federal financial aid listEligible categories are US citizens, US nationals, US permanent residents, refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants and humanitarian parolees, following the guidelines the US Department of Education uses for federal financial aid. You must hold that status at the time of application and no later than 30 September 2026, since a pending application does not grant eligibility.
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✓Minimum overall B or 3.0 GPAYou need to be able to verify a minimum overall B, or 3.0, GPA in your high school coursework. Nothing is uploaded at Phase 1, so this is a self-declared floor at the start, but the transcript arrives at Phase 2 if you become a Semifinalist and it has to back up what you said.
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✓Planning to attend an accredited US institutionYou must be planning to pursue a degree at an accredited US post-secondary institution. The award is not tied to any particular college, so you can apply before you know where you are going, but a degree outside the US takes you out of scope.
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✓Not connected to Coca-Cola by familyChildren and grandchildren of current employees, officers or owners of Coca-Cola bottling companies, The Coca-Cola Company, its divisions or subsidiaries cannot apply. The same bar applies to children and grandchildren of former employees who are currently receiving retirement benefits from those companies.
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✓Available for the full selection processThe path runs from a September application to a required Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta in April. Regional Finalists interview with alumni and staff in late January or early February. If you reach the final stage, attendance in Atlanta is not optional, so keep that April window in mind from the start.
Benefits
- Scholarship value $20,000 for each Coca-Cola Scholar
- Scholars selected 150 every year
- Coke Scholars Weekend In Atlanta in April, required to confirm selection
- Where you can use it Any accredited US post-secondary institution
- Alumni network More than 7,200 Coke Scholars since 1986
- Foundation scale $3.55 million a year across three programmes, 1,400+ students supported
- Full cost of attendance Not covered, $20,000 is a contribution rather than a full ride
- A renewable annual award Not offered, this is a one-off scholarship
- Applications from outside the eligible areas Not accepted, including US citizens at expat schools abroad
- Phase 1, online application 3 August to 30 September 2026, no essays or transcript
- Phase 2, Semifinalists About 1% of applicants, roughly 1,200, notified by end of October
- Phase 2 requirements Essays, transcript and one recommendation, due November
- Phase 3, Regional Finalists 250 selected, interviewed late January or early February
- Interview panel Coke Scholar alumni and foundation staff
- Phase 4, final selection 150 invited to Atlanta in April as Coca-Cola Scholars
- Notification for everyone All Phase 1 applicants hear back by the end of October
- A second chance next year Not available, you must be a senior graduating this academic year
Document checklist
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✓Phase 1 online application onlyThe single most surprising thing about this scholarship. Phase 1 requires no essays, no transcript and no recommendations, just the online form. That is the whole submission for the first round, which is why the applicant pool runs into six figures and why there is little excuse not to apply.
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✓Your GPA, ready to stateYou declare a minimum overall B or 3.0 GPA at Phase 1 without uploading proof. Check your cumulative figure with your counsellor before you submit rather than estimating, because the transcript at Phase 2 has to support it.
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✓Counselor and principal detailsThe form asks for your school contacts. Home-schooled applicants who belong to a collective or organisation can enter the head of that organisation as principal and their home school teacher as counsellor, which the foundation spells out in its own FAQ.
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✓Phase 2: essays (Semifinalists only)Required in November if you are among the roughly 1 per cent named Semifinalists at the end of October. This is where the real writing happens, and you get a few weeks rather than a summer, so it pays to know now what you would say about your leadership and service.
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✓Phase 2: official transcript (Semifinalists only)Submitted with the November application. Request it from your school office in October if you are notified as a Semifinalist, because the turnaround is short and school administrative queues get long around Thanksgiving.
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✓Phase 2: one letter of recommendation (Semifinalists only)A single recommendation accompanies the Phase 2 application. Line up a likely recommender in September while you wait for the Phase 1 result, so that if the email arrives you are asking someone who already knows it may be coming.
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✓A working browser and a saved applicationThe application autosaves every few seconds, but the foundation still recommends hitting the save button every 10 or 15 minutes. If you hit an unexpected error, try Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, an incognito window, or clearing cookies and cache. The system goes offline the moment the deadline passes.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
How much is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship worth?
Each Coca-Cola Scholar receives $20,000, and 150 scholars are selected every year. It is a one-off award rather than a renewable annual one, and it can be used at any accredited US post-secondary institution. Counting the 2026 class, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has funded more than 7,200 Coke Scholars with over $90 million in scholarships since it began in 1986. Across its three programmes the foundation supports more than 1,400 college students a year with $3.55 million in annual scholarships.
When is the Coca-Cola Scholars 2027 application deadline?
Phase 1 closes at 5pm Eastern on Wednesday 30 September 2026, having opened on Monday 3 August. The application is for students graduating high school during the 2026-2027 academic year. The system becomes unavailable the moment the deadline passes, so aim to submit at least a day early rather than in the final hour. If you were searching for the 2026 scholarship, that class has already been chosen and this is the cycle now open.
Who is eligible for the Coca-Cola Scholars Program?
Currently enrolled high school or home-schooled seniors graduating in the 2026-2027 academic year, attending school in one of the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or a select Department of Defense school abroad, with a minimum overall B or 3.0 GPA and plans to attend an accredited US institution. You must also be a US citizen, national, permanent resident, refugee, asylee, Cuban-Haitian entrant or humanitarian parolee. Children and grandchildren of Coca-Cola employees, officers, owners or retirees drawing benefits are excluded.
Do you need essays for the Coca-Cola Scholars application?
Not at first. Phase 1 requires no essays, no transcript and no letters of recommendation, which makes it one of the least demanding openings of any major national scholarship. Essays arrive only at Phase 2, in November, and only if you are among the roughly 1 per cent of applicants named Semifinalists at the end of October. That later round asks for essays, an official transcript and one recommendation.
How competitive is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program?
Very. About 1 per cent of Phase 1 applicants become Semifinalists, and the foundation puts that group at roughly 1,200 students, which places the applicant pool comfortably above 100,000. From those Semifinalists, 250 advance as Regional Finalists, and 150 are ultimately selected as Coca-Cola Scholars. The odds are long, but so is the case for applying, since Phase 1 costs you nothing but a form.
Can international or DACA students apply for the Coca-Cola scholarship?
International students cannot, with the narrow exception of students at select Department of Defense schools. The foundation limits eligibility to people who can apply for federal financial aid, which covers US citizens, nationals, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants and humanitarian parolees. On DACA, the foundation's answer is that only students eligible to apply for federal financial aid may apply, so check your own federal aid eligibility before starting. US citizens attending American or expat schools abroad are also excluded.
Are home-schooled students eligible for the Coca-Cola Scholars Program?
Yes. Home-schooled students are eligible provided they meet every other requirement. On the form, applicants who belong to a home school collective or organisation can enter the head of that organisation as their principal and their home school teacher as their counsellor. Everything else, including the geography rule, the 3.0 GPA floor and the citizenship categories, applies the same way.
What happens after you submit the Coca-Cola Scholars application?
Every applicant hears back by the end of October, which is unusual and worth knowing. Semifinalists then complete a Phase 2 application in November. Early in the new year all Semifinalists learn their status, and 250 Regional Finalists interview with Coke Scholar alumni and foundation staff in late January or early February. In April, 150 of them are invited to the Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta, attendance at which is required to confirm selection as a Coca-Cola Scholar.
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