Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Names 558 High Schoolers Semifinalists for College Scholarship

LANSDOWNE, Va., Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that 558 high school seniors have been named semifinalists for the distinguished Cooke College Scholarship Program. The Cooke College Scholarship provides Scholars with 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 to pursue a bachelor's degree at any accredited undergraduate institution.

This year's Cooke College Scholarship semifinalists were selected from the largest pool the Cooke Foundation has received to date. Applications will be reviewed once more to choose the finalists to receive the scholarship. The 2024 Cooke College Scholarship recipients will be announced in April.

"We are awed by the breadth and depth of applications we received this year; there are so many talented students across the country, and we're honored to have the opportunity to recognize their hard work," said Executive Director Seppy Basili. "These students experienced tremendous challenges due to COVID at the outset of their high school careers which makes their accomplishments even more impressive."

Students applied from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Virgin Islands — representing more than 3,800 different high schools. A list of the semifinalists can be found here.

Cooke College Scholars are selected based on exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, service to others, and leadership. Students must be current high school seniors residing in the United States. Scholarships are awarded without respect to religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, geographic region, race or ethnicity. Learn more about the College Scholarship Program here and sign up to be notified when the next application opens in fall 2024.

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 almost $282 million in scholarships to more than 3,300 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $133 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org

SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation