Cameron Impact Scholarship
Offered by Bryan Cameron Education Foundation · Free to apply
Fifteen or so students a year receive four years of tuition, fees, and books at any accredited four-year U.S. college, awarded on merit rather than financial need. Reviewers look for a 3.7 unweighted GPA plus sustained leadership and service; about 100 finalists get face-to-face interviews, usually at their own school, and recipients are announced in December. Only U.S. citizens enrolling full time straight out of high school qualify, so a planned gap year disqualifies, and two recommendations are required with one from current school staff. The application closes at noon PT or as soon as roughly 3,000 completed applications arrive, whichever comes first, and recent cycles have closed on May 1. Because the cap is often hit early, treat any posted date as an outside limit.
How hard is the Cameron Impact Scholarship to win?
A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.
- Estimated odds
- roughly 1 in 643 applicants
- Modelled applicant field
- ~9,500 students
- Awards each cycle
- 15
- Payoff per hour of work
- $12 / 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 rivalsAn essay is required, which filters out casual applicants
- Fewer rivalsRecommendation letters are required, a step many applicants skip
- Fewer rivalsAn official transcript is required
- Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 3.7 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 Cameron Impact Scholarship?
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 juniors and high school seniors
- GPA of 3.7 or higher (unweighted)
- Open to U.S. citizens
- Must plan to enroll full-time at an accredited four-year U.S. college or university immediately after graduation; gap years are not permitted
- Two recommendation letters required, one of which must come from current school personnel
- Relatives and pre-existing contacts of foundation staff, board, or selection committee members are ineligible
- GPA minimum is unweighted (3.7 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent)
- The application closes early if the cap on completed applications (about 3,000) is reached, which happens regularly; an earlier spring deadline round also exists
- Selection is purely merit-based regardless of race, socioeconomic status, religion, or background; roughly 10-15 winners are chosen each year
What the application takes
- Essay required. The prompt centers on personal leadership.
- 2 letters of recommendation. Ask teachers or counselors early; good letters take time.
- Transcript required. Request it from the school registrar ahead of the deadline.
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is September 3, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. PT (noon). This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 3 each year. Submit as early as the portal allows: the 3,000-application cap regularly closes the round before the posted date.
- Application cap
- Closes at about 3,000 completed applications
- Application closes
- September 3, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. PT (noon)
- Finalist interviews
- Fall
- Recipients announced
- December 2026
Does your student actually qualify?
See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.
Common questions about the Cameron Impact Scholarship
How much is the Cameron Impact Scholarship worth?
The Cameron Impact Scholarship awards full tuition + qualified expenses for 4 years and is renewable in later years. 15 awards are made each cycle.
When is the Cameron Impact Scholarship deadline?
The current deadline is September 3, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. PT (noon). This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 3 each year. Submit as early as the portal allows: the 3,000-application cap regularly closes the round before the posted date.
Who is eligible for the Cameron Impact Scholarship?
Key requirements: Open to high school juniors and high school seniors; GPA of 3.7 or higher (unweighted); Open to U.S. citizens.
Does the Cameron Impact Scholarship require an essay?
Yes. The application requires an essay, 2 recommendations, and a transcript. Expect to spend about 8 hours on it.
How hard is it to win the Cameron Impact Scholarship?
Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 643 applicants, against a modelled field of ~9,500 students. The pool stays that size because an essay is required, which filters out casual applicants and recommendation letters are required, a step many applicants skip. At 8 hrs of work, that is about $12 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.
Is the Cameron Impact Scholarship free to apply?
Yes. The Cameron Impact Scholarship 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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Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.