The McDonald's HACER National Scholarship Program awards up to $100,000 to exceptional high school students in the United States. Over 33 million dollars worth of scholarships have been awarded to date.
Scholarship Details
- 3 tiers of awards worth $100,000, $20,000-30,000, and $5,000 respectively
- Need-based with additional consideration to merit
- Up to 30 recipients per year
Eligibility Criteria
- You’re a high school senior
- Must be a legal U.S. Resident, U.S. Citizen, or a DREAMER/DACA recipient
- You’re under 21 years old
- You carry a minimum 2.8 GPA
- You’re eligible to attend a two- or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school with a full-time course of study
- You’ll disclose other scholarship programs that you’ve applied for
- You’ll enroll and attend an accredited institution in the academic year after your selection (verification needed, as scholarship funds are paid directly to the schools)
Application Process
- Gather all required documents, including:
- Academic transcripts
- Personal statement
- List of other scholarship funds for which you have applied
- Letter of recommendation
- List of community service projects
- FAFSA (semi-finalists only)
- Complete the FAFSA in advance of the deadline
- Fill out your McDonald's HACER application and upload all required documents
- Submit your completed application, including all required documents
- Complete an interview with the scholarship committee and submit FAFSA documents if chosen as a semi-finalist
Please note, FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) is no longer required during the initial application process. If you are selected as a semi-finalist, you will be required to provide your FAFSA Submission Summary. Any student dedicated to uplifting the Hispanic community is encouraged to apply; you do not need to be Hispanic yourself to apply for the award.
