Merit-Based ScholarshipsLong shot

Coca-Cola Scholars Program

Offered by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation · Free to apply

Award

$20,000

one-time award

Deadline

September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET

deadlines recur around September each year

Estimated odds

1 in 168

Solyo estimate, not a published rate

Application effort

~3 hrs

about $40 of expected value per hour

Each year 150 graduating seniors receive a one-time $20,000 award judged on leadership, service, and academic record rather than family finances. The first round asks only for an activities and honors form: no essay, no transcript, no recommendation, so it takes a few hours. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or hold another qualifying status and be eligible to apply for federal aid; DACA recipients and children or grandchildren of Coca-Cola employees cannot apply. The window opens August 3 and closes September 30 at 5 p.m. ET, and every applicant hears back by the end of October. About 1 percent advance as semifinalists and submit essays, a transcript, and a recommendation in November, before finalist interviews decide the 150 scholars.

How hard is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program 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 168 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~25,000 students
Awards each cycle: 150
Payoff per hour of work: $40 / 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 3 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 Coca-Cola 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 3 or higher (unweighted)
Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card)

Confirm these before applying

Must be eligible to apply for federal financial aid
Children and grandchildren of Coca-Cola company employees are not eligible

Good to know

U.S. nationals, refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants, and humanitarian parolees are also eligible beyond citizens and permanent residents; DACA students are not eligible
Must attend high school (including homeschool) in the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, or select Department of Defense schools
First round is application-only with no essays, transcript, or recommendations; roughly 2,000 semifinalists then submit essays, a transcript, and a recommendation
Evaluated on leadership, academics, and service; around 150 scholars are selected each year, with regional interviews for finalists

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 September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 30 each year. Applications open August 3.

All applicants notified, semifinalists named: End of October 2025
Semifinalist Phase 2 materials due: November 2025
Phase 1 application opens: August 3, 2026
Phase 1 application closes: September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET
Scholars announced: Spring

Apply on the official site →Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee.

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.

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Common questions about the Coca-Cola Scholars Program

How much is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program worth?

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program awards $20,000. 150 awards are made each cycle.

When is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program deadline?

The current deadline is September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 30 each year. Applications open August 3.

When do Coca-Cola Scholars Program applications open?

Applications open August 3, and close September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Who is eligible for the Coca-Cola Scholars Program?

Key requirements: Open to high school seniors; GPA of 3 or higher (unweighted); Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card).

Does the Coca-Cola Scholars Program require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 3 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Coca-Cola Scholars Program?

Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 168 applicants, against a modelled field of ~25,000 students. The pool stays that size because open to a single grade level only and requires at least a 3 GPA. At 3 hrs of work, that is about $40 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.

Is the Coca-Cola Scholars Program free to apply?

Yes. The Coca-Cola 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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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.