Does the Gates Millennium Scholarship still exist?
No. The Gates Millennium Scholars program selected its last class in 2016, and those students started college that fall. It was replaced by The Gates Scholarship, which still runs today: about 300 Pell-eligible high school seniors a year receive the full cost of attendance after other aid. Applications open July 15 and close September 15 of senior year.
What happened to the Gates Millennium Scholars program
The Gates Millennium Scholars program was funded by the Gates Foundation and administered by UNCF. It chose its final class in 2016, and that class entered college as freshmen in the fall of 2016. No new applications have been accepted since then. The program now only supports the remaining students from its last classes until they finish their degrees.
That is why so many search results about it are confusing: older pages and school handouts still describe it as if it were open. It is not, and there is nothing to apply to.
What replaced it: The Gates Scholarship
The foundation replaced it with The Gates Scholarship, a separate program run by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. It is one of the largest awards a high school senior can win:
- What it pays: the full cost of attendance, after other grants and aid, at a four-year college.
- How many winners: about 300 students a year.
- When: the application opens July 15 and closes September 15, at the very start of senior year.
Who qualifies today
According to The Gates Scholarship's own eligibility page, applicants must be:
- A high school senior
- Pell-eligible (family income low enough to qualify for a federal Pell Grant)
- A US citizen or permanent resident
- In good academic standing, with a minimum cumulative weighted GPA of 3.3
- Planning to enroll full time in a four-year degree program at an accredited, not-for-profit college or university
The program no longer has a race or ethnicity requirement. Earlier versions were limited to minority students; that rule was removed in 2025, so any student who meets the criteria above can apply.
If someone mentions the Gates Millennium Scholarship, they mean The Gates Scholarship. The deadline is in mid-September of senior year, so the real preparation (activities, essays, recommendations) happens during junior year and the summer before senior year.
How to prepare as a junior
- Check Pell eligibility early. Run the federal aid estimator with last year's tax return so you know whether your family is likely Pell-eligible before the summer.
- Line up recommenders before school ends in June, since the application opens in July when teachers are away.
- Draft essays over the summer. The window is only two months, and it overlaps with the first weeks of senior year.
Similar awards worth a look
Students who fit The Gates Scholarship usually fit these too:
- QuestBridge National College Match, full four-year scholarships at partner colleges
- Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
- Dell Scholars
- Coca-Cola Scholars
How Solyo helps
Solyo's scholarship directory checks each award against the sponsor's own page and shows the real deadline, the odds and what it takes. Signed in, Solyo matches awards to your student's profile and puts the deadlines on your calendar, so a September 15 deadline never sneaks up on you.
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