Need-Based ScholarshipsWorth a shot

Burger King Scholars Program

Offered by Burger King Foundation · Free to apply

The Burger King Foundation, the restaurant brand's charitable foundation, built its Scholars program as a deliberately large-scale award aimed at well-rounded, hardworking students rather than a small academic elite. The program was established to honor the legacy of Burger King co-founder James W. McLamore, whose commitment to philanthropy and education made him a pillar of community service. Since 2000 it has awarded more than $60 million to over 50,000 students across North America, and in 2011 the McLamore family added the program's top award tier in his name. Thousands of $1,000 awards go out through this program each year, plus three $60,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarships for standout applicants. The form is short with no essay required, a 2.0 GPA floor, and no employment connection to Burger King, so it costs a senior about an hour. Reviewers look at GPA, work experience, activities, financial need, and community service, and applicants must be seniors in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada heading to an accredited two-year, four-year, or vocational-technical school. The window opens October 15 and closes at 11:59 p.m. local time on December 15, but it shuts the moment 30,000 applications arrive, which can happen well before that date. Recipients are announced in April.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Burger King Scholars Program to win?

Real competition, but not a lottery. The time cost is low enough relative to the award that a qualified student comes out ahead by applying.

Estimated odds: roughly 1 in 20 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~90,000 students
Awards each cycle: 4,500
Payoff per hour of work: $50 / hr

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only
Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 2 GPA
More rivalsA large award draws far more applicants

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Burger King Scholars Program?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Open to high school seniors
GPA of 2 or higher (unweighted)

Good to know

Open to residents of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Canada
Burger King employees and their children and families may apply, but employment is not required
The application closes early once 30,000 submissions are received, even before the posted deadline
Selection weighs GPA, work experience, extracurricular activities, financial need, and community service
Must plan to enroll in an accredited two- or four-year college/university or vocational-technical school
The top-tier James W. McLamore WHOPPER Award goes to a small number of exceptional students each year; most awards are at the base level

Personalized matching

Does your student actually qualify?

Not sure your student clears every rule above? Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.

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What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is December 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. local time. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around December 15 each year. Applications open October 15. Apply in the first days after October 15: the form closes as soon as 30,000 applications arrive, which can be weeks before December 15.

Applications open: October 15, 2026
Closes at 30,000 applications: Whenever the cap is reached, often earlier
Application closes: December 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. local time
All applicants notified by email: May 2027

Remind me before Dec 15 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the Burger King Scholars Program

How much is the Burger King Scholars Program worth?

Awards range from $1,000 to $60,000, and the honest answer is that the vast majority are $1,000 General Track awards allocated by the zip code, county, or state of participating restaurants. Above that sit named tiers: up to three James W. McLamore WHOPPER scholarships at $60,000, one Nancy McLamore Scholarship at $20,000 and up to seven King Awards at $15,000 for employees, two $10,000 Hometown Scholarships, regional $5,000 employee awards, and franchisee-funded named awards that vary with each year's fundraising. In 2025 the foundation gave over $4.8 million to nearly 4,500 students, which averages just over $1,000 each. Checks arrive in August, made payable to your school, in one installment.

When is the Burger King Scholars Program deadline?

For the 2027-2028 cycle, the application opens October 15, 2026 and stays open until the foundation receives 30,000 applications or until December 15, 2026, whichever comes first. That cap is not decorative: the administrator states that access to the application simply disappears once 30,000 submissions arrive. So the effective deadline is probably earlier than December 15, and applying in October is the only way to be certain you are counted. Applicants are notified by email in May, and award checks go out in August made payable to the recipient's school. There is no application fee, and the application can be completed in English, Spanish, or French.

Who is eligible for the Burger King Scholars Program?

You do not need any connection to Burger King. The General Track is open to graduating high school seniors living in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, or Canada with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher who will enroll full time at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school. A separate Employee-Based Track covers employees with at least three months on a participating payroll, their spouses or domestic partners, and dependent children, with looser rules: part-time enrollment, GED holders, current undergraduates, and graduate students can qualify there. Past recipients who are now college undergraduates may also reapply through the General Track.

Does the Burger King Scholars Program require an essay?

No. The published award guidelines list no essay anywhere; the only document you must submit is a current, complete transcript (grade reports are not accepted, and an unofficial transcript must show your name, school, grades, and credit hours per course and term). The application itself collects your work experience, school and community activities, employee affiliation if any, and your family's financial information, so have a parent's most recent tax return nearby. That makes this one of the lowest-effort national applications of the season, which is exactly why tens of thousands of students file one. The traps are not difficulty but the 30,000-submission cap and sloppy uploads, since incomplete applications are never processed.

How hard is it to win the Burger King Scholars Program?

The odds are unusually good for a national program. In 2025 the foundation awarded scholarships to nearly 4,500 students, and applications are capped at 30,000, so even a completely full pool gives a completed, eligible application roughly a one-in-seven shot, better if fewer apply. Selection for the main tracks weighs three factors equally: academic record at 33 percent, school and community activities plus work experience at 33 percent, and financial need at 33 percent. The 2.0 GPA floor keeps the door wide, and that equal weighting means an after-school job and documented need count as much as grades. The $60,000 McLamore tier is a different game: at most three winners a year, needing at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA, leadership, substantial work experience, and financial need.

What is the James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarship?

It is the top tier of the Burger King Scholars Program: up to three $60,000 awards each year for the most highly qualified applicants demonstrating leadership, substantial work experience, and financial need. Candidates are drawn from both the General and Employee tracks, so no restaurant connection is required, but the bar is specific: U.S. or Canadian citizenship, senior year at a high school or homeschool in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, or Canada, entry as a full-time freshman at a four-year accredited college in the U.S. or Canada, and a cumulative unweighted GPA of at least 3.5. One naming note for families comparing lists: some directories label this the McLamore "SEED" award, but the administrator's own guidelines call it the James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarship, and list no $50,000 companion award.

Can you win the Burger King scholarship more than once?

Yes. Individual awards are not renewable and cannot be deferred, but past recipients may reapply every year they remain eligible and collect up to four awards in total. The General Track explicitly welcomes past recipients who are current college undergraduates, and even winners of the special named awards may come back for the $1,000 general awards. For Burger King employees the door is wider still: the Employee-Based Track funds undergraduate study, graduate study, and enrichment courses, requiring three months on a participating payroll by the deadline and continued employment when awards are verified. Treat it as an annual ritual; a qualifying family can reasonably stack several thousand dollars across a college career.

When do Burger King Scholars Program applications open?

Applications open October 15, and close December 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. local time. Apply in the first days after October 15: the form closes as soon as 30,000 applications arrive, which can be weeks before December 15.

Is the Burger King Scholars Program free to apply?

Yes. The Burger King Scholars Program is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

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