
14 Corporate Scholarships Worth Checking Out, Part 2
If you’re looking for free money for college, you can’t do better than the scholarship programs offered by some of America’s largest corporations. If you clicked on over here from part one of our two-part list of 14 of the more popular corporate scholarship programs, then you’re already familiar with our first seven scholarships from corporate giants like AT&T and Ford. For part two, here’s seven more popular scholarships from behemoths ranging from General Electric to Walmart.
8. General Electric
The General Electric (GE)/LULAC Scholarship awards $5,000 to full-time students pursuing business or engineering careers. Students must be sophomores in the fall of the application year and maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA. The scholarship, which is renewable for up to three years, is awarded based on “academic performance, performance in business- or engineering-related subjects, likelihood of pursuing a career in business or engineering, writing ability, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.”
9. Intel
The Intel Science Talent Search program, America’s most prestigious pre-college science competition, awards up to $100,000 to graduating high school seniors that conduct an independent research project. The list of rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements is long, but worth the read. After all, there’s $1.25 million in annual award money up for grabs.
10. J.P. Morgan Chase
J.P. Morgan Chase offers two Smart Start Scholarship programs. The Thomas G. Labrecque Smart Start Program awards full-tuition scholarships (after financial aid) to 10–20 graduating high school seniors in New York City. The program provides scholarships to students not majoring in life sciences or the arts who are attending one of several New York–area colleges, a paid internship at J.P. Morgan Chase for four years, and a yearly stipend for books and supplies. The Louisiana Smart Start Program provides graduating African-American high school seniors in the state with full-tuition scholarships to any four-year college or university in Louisiana and a yearly stipend for books and supplies.
11. McDonalds
Ronald McDonald House Charities U.S. Scholarships offers four types of awards to students based on ethnic heritage: RMHC/Scholars (to all ethnicities), RMHC/Asia (to applicants with at least one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage), RMHC/African-American Future Achievers (to applicants with at least one parent of African-American or Black Caribbean heritage), and RMHC/HACER (to applicants with at least one parent of Hispanic/Latino heritage). Each scholarship has its own eligibility requirements. Together, RMHC scholarship programs have awarded $44 million since 1985.
12. Microsoft
Microsoft Scholarships are awarded to students pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science and related technical fields who maintain a 3.0 GPA. There are four types of scholarships: General Scholarships, Women’s Scholarships, Minority Scholarships, and Scholarships for Students with Disabilities. Scholarships can either cover part or all of tuition costs. Eligibility requirements include quality of application, interest in the software industry, commitment to leadership, and financial need.
13. Tylenol
The Tylenol Future Care Scholarship program awards $250,000 worth of scholarships to about 40 students annually who are pursuing medical careers. The scholarships are either $5,000 or $10,000 and are awarded based on leadership qualities and academic performance.
14. Walmart
Walmart Foundation Scholarship Programs award scholarships to students across the United States who are employees of the company (Walmart Associates Scholarship) or dependents of employees (The Walmart Dependent Scholarship). Walmart awarded more than $10 million in scholarship money in the 2011–12 academic year alone.
College is insanely expensive, but a scholarship from one of these captains of industry can go a long way to helping pay for college and ensure than you graduate with as little student loan debt as possible.