The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation awards dozens of scholarships to help students with exceptional promise and demonstrated financial need earn a baccalaureate degree from a four-year college. The amount and duration of awards vary by student based on the cost of attendance and the length of the program as well as other scholarships or grants received. The maximum available per student is $40,000 per year. This is the largest scholarship offered in the United States to community college university transfer students.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Sophomore Status – Be a current student at an accredited U.S. community college or two-year institution with sophomore status by January 1, 2019, or a recent graduate (since spring 2014).
  • Fall College Enrollment – Plan to enroll full-time in a baccalaureate program at an accredited college or university in fall 2019.
  • GPA – Have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.50 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
  • Financial Need – Demonstrate unmet financial need. We will consider applicants with family income up to $95,000. Last year’s cohort of new transfer scholarship recipients had a median family income of approximately $32,000.
  • No previous enrollment or attendance at a four-year institution – Students who have attended a four-year institution in the past are not eligible for this scholarship.)

In order to be competitive, students should demonstration the following characteristics: 

  • Academic achievement and ability (at all former colleges and/or high schools if applicable)
  • Persistence (academic, professional, and/or personal)
  • Leadership (college and/or community)
  • Service to others (college and/or community)
  • Financial need

This year, the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship application will be submitted using the Common Application for Transfer. You will complete the Common Application general requirements, which include things like your contact information, the school you attend and your grades, and your activities and honors. You will also invite two teachers to submit recommendations through the Common Application. Once you have created a Common Application, add the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation as one of your “schools” to access the requirements that are specific to the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

These will include:

  • Eligibility questions
  • Several short essays
  • Your college plans and intended major
  • Financial information, including the last three years’ Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for your household and, if you are under age 25, for your parent(s)/guardian(s)

View more information about deadlines and how to apply.

The Durham Tech JKCF UT Scholarship committee is available to help eligible students with any part of the application process. Please contact a committee member: