2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program - $20,000 College Scholarship
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation selects 150 students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year for achievement-based scholarships of $20,000 each.
2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program - $20,000 College Scholarship
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has announced its 2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship cycle. This award is for students who will graduate high school during the 2026-2027 academic year. The official application page says the application will be available on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. Eastern, and the deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern on September 30, 2026.
The program is achievement-based. The foundation says it evaluates applicants on leadership, academics, and service, with particular attention to their capacity to lead and serve and their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. Each year, 150 Coca-Cola Scholars are selected to receive a $20,000 scholarship.
This is a national, highly selective application with a defined sequence of stages. The first application is intentionally short on supporting documents, but the later semifinalist stage requires essays, a transcript, and a recommendation. The most useful preparation is therefore accurate eligibility checking, a complete record of activities, and an early plan for the later materials.
At a glance
| Category | 2027 cycle details |
|---|---|
| Official program name | Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship |
| Award | $20,000 for each selected scholar |
| Number selected | 150 scholars each year |
| Applicant class | Students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year |
| Application opens | Monday, August 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. Eastern |
| Application deadline | September 30, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eastern |
| Selection basis | Leadership, academics, and service |
| Phase 1 materials | No essays, transcript, or recommendations |
| Application method | Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation application portal only |
| Official page | https://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/apply/ |
The application page currently says the 2027 application is closed for updates and will be available at the linked application location when the cycle opens. Treat the foundation’s page as the final authority if the portal displays a notice or instructions that differ from an older planning note.
Who can apply for the 2027 cycle
The foundation’s eligibility list is specific. You must be currently enrolled in high school or be a homeschooled student, and you must expect to graduate during the 2026-2027 academic school year. Your school must be in one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a select Department of Defense school. A student graduating from an American or expat school abroad is not eligible for this award, even if that student is a U.S. citizen. Someone who has already graduated from high school is also not eligible.
The foundation accepts applicants in the following status categories, using the eligibility approach associated with federal financial aid: U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, U.S. Permanent Residents, Refugees, Asylees, Cuban-Haitian Entrants, and Humanitarian Parolees. You must meet the applicable status requirement when you apply; a pending application for a status does not create eligibility.
You must also expect to receive a high school diploma during the current academic year, be planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution, and be able to verify at least a B average, or 3.0 GPA, in high school coursework. Homeschooled students can apply if they meet all other requirements. The official FAQ includes practical instructions for entering a homeschool collective, parent, teacher, counselor, or principal in the relevant application fields.
There are additional exclusions. You may not apply if you are a child or grandchild of a current employee, officer, or owner of a Coca-Cola bottling company, The Coca-Cola Company, a company division, or a subsidiary. The same exclusion applies to children and grandchildren of certain former employees who receive retirement benefits based on that employment. International students, except students at qualifying DoD schools, temporary residents, and high school graduates are not eligible.
Check every hard requirement before spending time on essays or requesting a recommendation. A strong activity record cannot cure an ineligible graduation year, school location, immigration category, or GPA.
Application timeline and selection stages
The foundation describes four stages for the 2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship.
Phase 1: online application
Phase 1 opens August 3 and closes September 30. For the 2027 cycle, the official deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern on September 30, 2026. This first application requires no essays, transcript, or recommendation. It is still important to complete it carefully: this is where you establish your eligibility and provide the activity and academic information the foundation will use for its initial review.
Phase 2: semifinalists
The foundation says all applicants will be notified of their application status by the end of October. About 1% of applicants will be named semifinalists and invited to complete a Phase 2 application due in November. That application adds essays, a transcript, and a recommendation.
Do not wait for the semifinalist notice to begin collecting the underlying information. Make a private record of activity dates, responsibilities, service results, academic details, and the adults who can describe your work accurately. That preparation leaves more time to write specific essays if you advance.
Phase 3: regional finalists
The foundation says approximately 1,200 semifinalists are considered at this stage, with 250 advancing as Regional Finalists. Those finalists participate in a final interview with Coke Scholar alumni and staff in late January or early February. Semifinalists are notified of their status by email early in the new year.
An interview invitation is not a request for a polished performance detached from the application. Review your own activity record, be ready to explain what you actually did, and prepare examples that show decisions, results, collaboration, and learning. Avoid claiming responsibility for outcomes you did not lead.
Phase 4: Coca-Cola Scholars
Following the interviews, 150 Regional Finalists are invited in April to the required Coke Scholars Weekend in Atlanta to confirm their selection as Coca-Cola Scholars. If you reach this stage, read every attendance and scheduling instruction from the foundation promptly. The weekend is part of the final selection process described on the official page.
How to prepare the Phase 1 application
Start by making a factual activity inventory. For every school, community, work, family, or service commitment, record the dates, your role, the people affected, and the result. The application is stronger when it distinguishes sustained responsibility from a single event. A title by itself is less useful than a clear description of what you organized, improved, taught, built, or maintained.
Review your academic information against your school records before entering it. Confirm the GPA basis the foundation requests, the expected diploma timing, and the details of your school or homeschool arrangement. If your citizenship or residency category requires careful interpretation, resolve that question before the application opens rather than relying on an assumption at the deadline.
The official page says the portal automatically saves information every few seconds and recommends clicking the save button every 10 or 15 minutes. Even with autosave, use a stable browser session and leave time to review the final submission. The foundation recommends Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Safari for access problems; a private browser window or clearing cookies and cache may also help. If an error persists, use the support route provided on the official application page.
What to prepare if you become a semifinalist
Phase 1 does not ask for an essay, transcript, or recommendation, but Phase 2 does. Use the opening period to identify two or three experiences that show how you lead and serve rather than collecting a long list of impressive-sounding labels.
For each experience, write down the problem, your specific decision, the people you worked with, the obstacle you encountered, and the measurable or observable result. Include the scale only when you can support it. “I helped” is not the same as “I coordinated a schedule for 18 volunteers,” and either claim should be accurate.
Choose a recommender who has directly observed your contribution and can provide concrete examples. Give that person a concise record of your role, dates, responsibilities, and outcomes. Your transcript and application should tell a consistent story about your academic work, leadership, and service. Do not submit extra documents on your own: the foundation says it does not accept supplemental transcripts, essays, recommendation letters, or similar materials by email, fax, mail, or another channel.
Writing and interview strategy
The official selection basis is leadership, academics, and service. Your job is not to force every activity into all three categories. Instead, make the connection between an experience and its result easy to understand.
Useful questions for reviewing your material include:
- What responsibility did I personally accept?
- What changed because I acted?
- Who benefited, and how do I know?
- What went wrong or required adjustment?
- What did the experience teach me about serving other people?
Specificity matters more than grand language. A small project maintained consistently can demonstrate judgment and follow-through more clearly than a prestigious title with no explanation. Likewise, academic information should be presented accurately rather than buried under claims about potential.
For a regional finalist interview, practice answering from the same factual record used in the written application. Be prepared to discuss disagreement, ethical choices, setbacks, and the limits of your role. A concise answer with a real example is more credible than a broad statement about wanting to change the world.
Important application rules
All applications must be submitted through the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation application portal. The foundation does not accept applications through email, fax, mail, or other submission methods. It also does not accept additional information sent to supplement an application, including transcripts, essays, and recommendation letters that were not requested through the portal.
The application becomes unavailable after 5 p.m. Eastern on September 30, 2026. Do not plan to upload or correct anything after that point. Set an internal completion date before the official deadline, review the confirmation produced by the portal, and keep your login and contact information current so that status notices can reach you.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a need-based scholarship?
No. The foundation describes the Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship as achievement-based and says applicants are evaluated on leadership, academics, and service.
Can a homeschooled student apply?
Yes, provided the student meets every other eligibility requirement. The official FAQ explains how homeschool students can enter counselor and principal information.
Can an international student apply?
Generally no. The foundation limits eligibility to the listed U.S. citizenship, nationality, residency, refugee, asylee, Cuban-Haitian entrant, and humanitarian parolee categories, with an exception for students at qualifying DoD schools. U.S. citizens attending an American or expat school abroad are not eligible for this award.
Can someone who already graduated apply?
No. The 2027 cycle is limited to current high school students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic school year.
Are essays required when the application opens?
No. Phase 1 requires no essays, transcript, or recommendation. Those materials are required later if you are invited to complete the Phase 2 semifinalist application.
Can I mail or email supporting documents?
No. The foundation says applications and additional materials must not be submitted through other channels. Follow only the instructions presented in the official portal.
A practical plan
Before August 3, confirm your graduation year, school location, eligibility category, GPA, and intended degree path. Prepare a clean activity record and identify potential recommenders without asking them to submit anything before the foundation requests it. On August 3, open the official page and follow the portal link when the application becomes available. Submit well before 5 p.m. Eastern on September 30, 2026, then watch for the status notice expected by the end of October.
The 2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is a good fit for a current high school student who can document sustained leadership, academic preparation, and service in an eligible U.S. school setting. It is not a general scholarship for graduates, international students, or applicants who do not meet the stated federal-aid status categories. Use the official application page for the live portal, instructions, and any last-minute notices.