Corporate Scholarships
Key takeaways:
- Many corporations and their affiliated charitable foundations offer generous scholarships to help students pay for college.
- While most corporate scholarships target high school seniors, there are also a number of awards which are reserved for current employees and children of employees.
- Awards can be need-based, merit-based, or tied to a specific academic major, so eligibility may vary widely between programs.
Corporate scholarships are often among those with the highest award amounts. While some of them are offered directly by the corporation, others are offered through charitable foundations that have been created by the company. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is a good example of the latter. It provides scholarships to around 1,400 students annually, totaling over $3.4 million each year. Check out our interview with Veda Kommineni -- just one of the many Coca-Cola Scholars we have featured on Scholarships.com.
Jump to:
- 25 Best Corporate Scholarships
- What are corporate scholarships?
- How to apply for corporate scholarships
- What are the best corporate scholarships?
- Frequently asked questions about corporate scholarships
The 25 Best Corporate Scholarships with Approaching Deadlines in 2026
What are corporate scholarships?
Corporate scholarships are those which are funded directly by corporations or by the charitable foundations they have created. While many corporate scholarships are offered only to high school seniors, there are also those who include undergraduate and even graduate students among their qualifying applicants. Some of these scholarships will be open to any student who meets a program's basic scholastic, financial need and extracurricular criteria. Others are intended exclusively for employees, retirees, or their children. Because eligibility is sometimes connected to a specific employer, industry, or academic major, it's worth checking whether you or a family member qualifies through a workplace connection.
How to apply for corporate scholarships
Before applying, it is a good idea to check whether a scholarship requires an employment connection, a specific major, or membership in a particular group, since requirements will vary widely from one sponsor to the next. The best way to determine which corporate scholarships are available to you is to create a free Scholarships.com profile. Once you have completed your profile, any and all corporate scholarships for which you qualify will automatically be listed among your scholarship matches. Many corporate scholarships will ask for an essay, video submission, or proof of community involvement as part of the qualification process. Employee-only awards may also require you to register through a company portal or third-party scholarship management organization.
What are the best corporate scholarships?
Each person's definition of the "best" corporate scholarship is going to be different, including whether you or a parent works for the company at the time of application, etc. Employee-specific awards, like the Costco Employee Scholarship or KFC Foundation Scholarships, tend to draw smaller applicant pools since they're limited to a single company's workforce. Broader awards, such as the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship, is an excellent example of a generous, yet quite open scholarship because it does not have an employment requirement and serves a broad range of students. We interviewed Savannah Brewer about her experience winning the award and her experience leading up to and beyond. Savannah was just one of many scholarship winners we featured who won the Live Más, along with many others.
Frequently asked questions about corporate scholarships
How do I find corporate scholarships?
Create a free Scholarships.com account and add your background and employment details to get matched with relevant awards, or search our scholarship directory without registering.
Do I need to work for the company to qualify?
Not always. Many corporate scholarships, like the Pizza Hut Scholarship Program, are open to any eligible student, while others are limited to employees, retirees, or their children.
Are corporate scholarships need-based or merit-based?
It depends on the sponsor. Some programs, like the McDonald's HACER National Scholarship, weigh both need and merit, while others focus solely on one or the other.