Cooke Foundation: Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Grant

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation offers the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship to outstanding community college students with financial need, providing up to $55,000 per year for two to three years to cover educational expenses. This selective scholarship supports students in completing their bachelor's degrees at accredited institutions. Recipients benefit from personalized advising and a robust network of Cooke Scholars. Eligible candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and demonstrate unmet financial need, ensuring accessibility to higher education.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive academic advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s scholarship programs are designed to encourage and support outstanding students who work hard and have financial need. Our scholarships provide financial assistance and academic support to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. In addition to the monetary award, students join a thriving network of more than 3,400 Cooke Scholars.
The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is a highly selective scholarship for the nation’s top community college students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year colleges or universities. Each Cooke Scholar has access to generous financial support for two to three years, college planning support, ongoing advising, and the opportunity to connect with the thriving community of fellow Scholars.
Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships they may receive. This highly competitive scholarship includes:
The opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S.
Ability to pursue any area of study
Personal advising about selecting a college and navigating financial aid
Multifaceted advising about how to transition to a four-year college and maximize the student experience
Opportunity to apply for the Internship Stipend program, Conference and Travel Stipend, and Graduate Scholarship

Eligibility

Cooke Scholars possess exceptional academic records and demonstrate unmet financial need. At a minimum, each candidate for the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship must:Be a current student at an accredited U.S. community college or two-year institution with sophomore status as of January 1, 2026, or a recent graduate (since spring 2021)Plan to enroll in a full-time baccalaureate program at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2026Have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent)Demonstrate unmet financial need. We will consider applicants with a maximum annual gross income of $95,000. During the selection process, the Foundation will conduct a full financial review which will take into account all income and assets of the student and the student’s parents.
U.S. citizenship is not required. Candidates, however, must have attended an accredited two-year institution in the United States.

Ineligibility

Please Note: Students who have attended a four-year institution in the past are not eligible for this scholarship. (If you started at a four-year institution, but did not complete a semester of full-time study, then you may be eligible.)Students who have already transferred to a four-year institution or plan to transfer to start during the spring 2026 semester are also not eligible for this scholarship.