Merit-Based ScholarshipsLong shot

Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship

Offered by Taco Bell Foundation · Free to apply

Award

$5,000, $10,000 or $25,000

one-time award

Deadline

January 6, 2027

deadlines recur around January each year

Estimated odds

1 in 2,000

Solyo estimate, not a published rate

Application effort

~4 hrs

about $2 of expected value per hour

Instead of grades or test scores, this Taco Bell Foundation award asks for a 30 second to 2 minute video, or a 250 to 500 word written response, about a student's passion and how they plan to use it to create change. Selected applicants receive $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000 toward an accredited two-year, four-year, vocational-technical, or trade program. Anyone age 16 to 26 living in the 50 states or DC can apply, whether or not they have ever worked at Taco Bell, and a separate share of funds is reserved for team members. No transcript, recommendation letter, or GPA is part of the file. The application opens in October and closes January 6, recipients are notified in the spring, and past winners can renew up to three more times through a separate process.

How hard is the Taco Bell Live Más 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 2,000 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~45,000 students
Payoff per hour of work: $2 / 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
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 Taco Bell Live Más 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 sophomores, high school juniors, high school seniors, current college students, and adult learners
Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card), DACA/Dreamer students, or students on other visas
Ages 16 to 26

Confirm these before applying

Application is a 30-second to 2-minute video OR a 250-500 word essay (optionally with one photo) about your passion; no GPA, test scores, transcripts, or recommendation letters

Good to know

Must be age 16-26 at the time of application
Must be a legal resident of the 50 states or DC (dependent children of active-duty military stationed elsewhere also qualify)
Must be on track to enroll in, or currently enrolled in, an accredited post-secondary program (two-year, four-year, vocational-technical, or trade)
Taco Bell employment is not required; a separate share of funds is reserved for Taco Bell team members
Past recipients may renew up to three additional times (four awards maximum) via a separate renewal process
Submissions must be original work with no obscenity or unauthorized copyrighted material; individual entries only, submitted online

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 January 6, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around January 6 each year. Applications open October. The video is the entire application, so leave a week for filming and uploading before the January close.

Application opens: October 2026
Application due: January 6, 2027
Recipients notified: Spring 2027
Funds sent to the school: For the fall term 2027

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 Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship

How much is the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship worth?

The Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship awards $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000.

When is the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship deadline?

When do Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship applications open?

Applications open October, and close January 6, 2027. The video is the entire application, so leave a week for filming and uploading before the January close.

Who is eligible for the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship?

Key requirements: Open to high school sophomores, high school juniors, high school seniors, current college students, and adult learners; Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card), DACA/Dreamer students, or students on other visas; Ages 16 to 26.

Does the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 4 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship?

Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants, against a modelled field of ~45,000 students. At 4 hrs of work, that is about $2 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.

Is the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship free to apply?

Yes. The Taco Bell Live Más 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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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.