BigFuture Scholarships for the Class of 2027

On January 19, 2024, Yadhira from Gwinnett County in Georgia thought it was a school day like any other. She had no idea she would later be awarded a $40,000 BigFuture^® Scholarship because she started her college list.

“This scholarship means a lot to my family and me. As someone with parents who are constantly working and barely being able to see them in the afternoon, it means a lot to know that they have help funding my education,” Yadhira said. “This scholarship not only gives me the financial aid needed. It also connects me to people who will help me especially when during these years, it's not easy to navigate on your own.”

College Board is launching the BigFuture Scholarships program for students in the class of 2027. Since 2019, College Board has awarded over $20 million nationwide to more than 24,000 students, like Yadhira, who completed college and career planning steps on bigfuture.org. Students don’t need to complete an application, test score, or essay. There are no citizenship, family income, or GPA requirements. Students simply need to log in and take career and college planning steps. It’s that simple.

As of December 2, 2024, 10th graders who complete steps on their personalized BigFuture dashboards automatically qualify for monthly $500 and $40,000 scholarships. To ensure the scholarships support those who need them most, students whose families earn less than $60,000 annually earn extra drawing entries. More than half of all scholarships are awarded to these students each year. Approximately half of all past scholarships have gone to students who identify as Black or Latino or first generation.

There are six steps students can complete on BigFuture to qualify—the more steps they take and the earlier they begin, the more entries they’ll earn:

1. Start Your Career List: Students explore careers that match their interests. 
2. Start Your College List: Students find 2- or 4-year colleges that interest them.
3. Start Your Scholarship List: Students find other scholarships to help them pay for college.
4. Strengthen Your College List: Students make sure their college list has a mix of reach, match, and safety schools.
5. Complete the FAFSA®: Students fill out the free government form to apply for financial aid.
6. Apply to Colleges: Students apply to the schools they want to attend.

Students can learn more and get started at bigfuture.org/scholarships.