If you’re one of the very lucky few who doesn’t have to worry about how you’re going to PAY for college, then awesome. But that’s not most of us. So, you’re probably thinking about financial aid, grants, work study, and any other way you can fund the next few years of your education (in which case, here's some great information for you).
You have a lot of options when it comes to getting financial help, and the good news is that there are foundations and organizations that really want to help deserving students get what they need. This help often comes in the form of scholarships, and there are a few standout opportunities you can explore.
Let’s dig into one of the big ones—the Gates Scholarship (Gates as in Bill Gates?! Yes, indeed!)
What is the Gates Scholarship?
The Gates Scholarship is pretty amazing is what it is!
Gates Scholarships are highly-selective (so not everyone can get one) financial rewards for high-achieving high school seniors. They’re intended for under-served, minority students who’ve demonstrated remarkable leadership and academic achievement in high school and who come from low-income households.
The entire goal of the Gates Scholarship Program is to help students realize their full potential instead of focusing on worries about money. Makes sense, right? If students know the cost of college is taken care of, they can devote their energies to their educational experience instead of focusing on the stress that comes with trying to cover tuition, books, housing, and food.
The Gates Scholarship is what’s called a “last dollar” scholarship, meaning it covers any remaining costs that aren’t already covered after things like Pell grants or other aid have been applied. But it goes further than many last dollar scholarships in that it also includes tuition, room and board (you need to eat and sleep, right?), fees (these pile up quickly), books, transportation, health insurance premiums, a computer, and, in some cases, summer courses.
The Gates Scholarship fills the gap that other financial aid doesn’t cover, and sometimes this can be a substantial amount.
Gates Millennium Scholars Program
There is also a Gates Millennium Scholarship program, and its focus is still on helping underrepresented students achieve access to higher education by eliminating the financial concerns that come with paying for college. The big difference is that the Gates Millennium Scholarships also paid for graduate studies if students were pursuing graduate degrees in computer science, education, engineering, library science, math, public science, or other science-related fields (remember, the Gates Scholarship is only for undergraduate students). But the Millennium program’s last cohort was the class of 2016.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Wait, there’s more? Yes, there is! The Gates Cambridge Scholarship awards 80 full-cost scholarships every year to students who live outside of the United Kingdom to attend Cambridge University. The majority of these scholarships are awarded to Ph.D. students who show great potential in their leadership abilities and whose course of study shows a commitment to helping others.
Gates Scholarship requirements
There are some concrete eligibility requirements for Gates Scholars (what the Gates Foundation identifies as “Basic Eligibility”) and some less tangible qualities (the “Ideal Candidate”). Let’s start with the concrete. The Gates Scholarship program states that students must be:
a senior in high school
a United States citizen, United States national, or permanent resident
African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native (tribal enrollment is required), Asian and Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
Pell-grant eligible
in good academic standing with a weighted GPA of at least 3.3
For basic eligibility, students must also plan to be full-time students in a four-year degree program at a private or public college or university.
Do you meet these requirements? Great! Here’s the not-so-basic…
“Ideal candidates” will have:
an exceptional academic record (meaning in the top 10% of your class)
demonstrated leadership ability (do you volunteer for community service or serve a leadership role in an extracurricular activity? These count!)
excellent personal skills (things like perseverance, motivation, emotional maturity)
How do you demonstrate these unquantifiable character traits? You’ll get to write an essay and sit for an interview (more on that below!)
How much is the Gates Scholarship?
That depends on your individual financial situation. Remember, the Gates Scholarship covers anything not already taken care of by other financial aid or by what your family can contribute, so this number will change from student to student.
Here’s a formula that might help clarify:
Cost of attendance per year (COA) – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) – any other scholarships, grants, financial aid = Gates Scholarship Award Amount
How to apply for the Gates Scholarship
There are two phases in the application process, and the first phase is open to anyone who meets the basic eligibility requirements we mentioned. In this first phase, you’re really just checking off boxes, so even though there is a lot of information you need to submit, you’re not having to create a lot of content in this phase.
First, you’ll need to create a myTGS profile. This is the spot where you’ll submit all materials for your application.
When Phase I opens on July 15, you have until September 15 to submit:
A copy of your most recent high school transcript (your school counselor submits this for you)
A Student Aid Report (SAR) (you’ll get this once you complete your FAFSA)
Your CSS profile (colleges and other scholarship-awarding organizations use this to award non-federal financial aid)
A headshot photo (smile!)
A resume (here are some tips for you)
Once you’ve gathered all of this information and submitted it to your myTGS profile, the selection committee will narrow down the large pool of applicants to 2,000 semifinalists who then get to complete Phase II of the application process. This announcement comes on December 1.
If you are selected as a semifinalist, first of all, congratulations! You’re joining a select few who make it to this phase of the application process.
When Phase II opens on December 1, you will need to complete the following by January 15:
Submit letters of recommendation/academic evaluations from two of your high school teachers
Write several essays in response to prompts provided by the Gates Foundation
Submit additional documentation such as Education and Involvement updates which tell the selection committee about your 12th-grade classes and your 12th-grade activities
Your FAFSA form to confirm you are still Pell-eligible
This is a lot of work! And it’s meant to be. The Gates Scholarship is selective and the application requires a good deal of effort on your part, but imagine if you’re one of the 300 who gets this award!
When is the Gates Scholarship deadline?
Well, there are a few! It’s a lot to keep track of but also really important that you do since these deadlines are firm:
July 15: Phase I opens
September 15: Deadline for submitting Phase I materials
Then, you wait …
December 1: Semifinalists are announced
January 15: Deadline for submitting Phase II materials
Then, you wait …
March 1: Finalists are announced
March 1-31: Finalists complete interviews (either in-person or online, depending on where you live)
Then, well, you get it …
April 20 – Gates Scholars are announced (woohoo!)
Gates Scholarship FAQ
Do I have to be a certain major to use the Gates Scholarship?
You do not! You can use the Gates Scholarship for any major, as long as you’re going to a not-for-profit, four-year college or university.
Does community college count?
Yes, it does! As long as you get a bachelor’s degree at the end of your four years, the Gates Scholarship covers costs at community colleges.
Do I have to reapply every year?
The good news is that you don’t have to go through the application process every year. But you DO need to re-submit a completed FAFSA, current transcripts, and verification of enrollment every year.
You also need to show that you’re making satisfactory progress towards your degree (so, you have to go to class! And you have to do well!).
Is it worth applying for the Gates Scholarship, even if the chances of getting one are slim?
Here’s what we’ll say to this … if you need help paying for college, it’s important to explore all the options available to you. So, if you meet the Basic Eligibility for the Gates Scholarship and know you also possess many of the qualities of the Ideal Candidate, you should possibly go for it! But remember …
This particular application process is very involved, and it will require your time and effort. And because the Gates Scholarship is so selective, it doesn’t make sense for you to apply if you aren’t really going to do the work you need on your application. But if you can commit to doing everything you need to put your best foot forward during the application process, the payoff could be life changing.
Hopefully, this guide helped with your understanding and decision making process. Best of luck in the application process.
Special thanks to Jessica B. for writing this blog post.
Jessica has a Ph.D in English from the University of Southern California and teaches English at a LosAngeles-area independent school, where she has also been English department chair and a class dean. Sandra Cisneros is her hero, and she loves books, her awesomely-sarcastic family, the beach, cozy sweaters, and more books. Oh, and her sweet pitbull/lab mix named Ruby.
Top values: Curiosity, equity, wonder
