The 2026-27 Coolidge Scholarship application is now live.
The Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride, four-year, merit scholarship that recipients may use for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university in the United States. Any high school junior who plans to enroll in college in the fall of 2028 and is an American citizen or legal permanent resident is eligible to apply (current high school seniors are not eligible to apply). Winners may use the scholarship to pursue any academic major.
Academic excellence is the primary criterion considered by the Coolidge Scholarship. Secondary criteria include an interest in public policy and an appreciation of the values President Coolidge championed. Successful candidates will also demonstrate humility and have a record of genuine service to their communities. A complete description of the scholarship’s criteria is available here.
The competition for the Coolidge Scholarship is significant -- only a few new Coolidge Scholarships are awarded each year from a pool of candidates that spans the entire country. Even so, students have reported to us in past years that they were glad to have applied even if they didn’t win, because the experience helped prepare them for college applications later on. Furthermore, the Coolidge Foundation invites one hundred of the top Coolidge Scholarship applicants to participate in the Coolidge Senators Program, which includes an all-expenses-paid summit gathering and a $1,000 scholarship. Scholarship applicants are automatically considered for the Senators Program.
Please know that the application requires that candidates read President Coolidge’s Autobiography and other reading assignments, and then write three essays. We therefore encourage students to begin the application early. Candidates who begin the application at the last minute are unlikely to be successful. The submission deadline is 5:00 PM Pacific time, Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
The scholarship application, along with additional information, can be accessed on our scholarship site: www.coolidgescholars.org. Questions? We can be best reached by email at coolidgescholars@coolidgefund.
