FAQs

GETTING READY TO APPLY

ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS

WORKING THROUGH THE NOMINATION PROCESS

RECOMMENDATIONS AND RELATED ISSUES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION FORMS AND RELATED QUESTIONS

ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS

SELECTION QUESTIONS

MR. COOKE

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND KEY DATES

GETTING READY TO APPLY

When can I apply?

Applicants will be able to access the online application and Parent Financial Information Forms at www.jkcf.org from October 1, 2009 to January 20, 2010. Faculty representatives must submit their online nominations by January 26, 2010.

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What can I do to get ready to apply?

To apply for a scholarship, you are required to complete and submit an online application.  In addition, the following items must be provided to your faculty representative:

  • Official high school transcripts, GED scores, or letter from home-school instructor.
  • Official college transcripts for ALL college coursework.
  • Applicant tax forms.
  • Parent financial information forms (available for download from the Foundation's website).
  • Parent tax forms.
     

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Do I need to submit transcripts from all of the two-year and four-year colleges I attended, even if it was many years ago?

Applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges attended.  An application that does not include transcripts from all colleges will be considered incomplete (the only exception is for transcripts from 1994 or before).

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If I studied abroad and one of my transcripts is in a language other than English, do I need to translate it?

Yes, transcripts and all supporting documents must be in English or officially translated into English.

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ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS

Do I meet the minimum eligibility requirements for an Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship?

Jack Kent Cooke Scholars possess exceptional academic records and demonstrate unmet financial need. At a minimum, each candidate for the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship must:

  • Be nominated by his or her community college or other two-year institution for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program (the Foundation does not accept applications directly from students),
  • Be a current student at an accredited US community college or two-year institution with sophomore status as of December 31, 2009, or a recent graduate (since spring 2005),
  • Plan to enroll in a full-time baccalaureate program at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2010,
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent),
  • Not have previously been nominated for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
     

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I am a community-college student with credit for several courses. I am not sure if I will have sophomore status by January 2010. What constitutes sophomore status?

Please check with your community college for its official policy.  Typically, colleges require students to complete 30 credit hours to complete freshman year.  To be eligible, therefore, typical applicants will have successfully completed at least 30 credit hours, or the equivalent.

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Must I be a US citizen to be eligible?

US citizenship is not required.  Candidates, however, must have attended and be nominated by an accredited two-year institution in the United States.

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Are there age restrictions for applicants?

No. This program has no age restrictions.

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Am I eligible if I am already enrolled in a bachelor's degree program?

No.  Only transfer students who are not already enrolled in a four-year undergraduate institution are eligible.

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WORKING THROUGH THE NOMINATION PROCESS

How do I get nominated?

Only the Foundation’s Faculty Representative at your two-year college can nominate students.  If you meet the minimum eligibility requirements, review the selection criteria in the 2010 Nominee Guidelines - Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program.  If you meet these criteria also, contact the designated Faculty Representative at your two-year college to inquire about the institution's internal nomination process and deadline.  Faculty Representatives verify the applicant's eligibility and academic status, and are responsible for the complete and timely submission of the online nomination and all supporting documents by the deadline.

Applicants are requested to submit an online application and the required copies of supporting documents. The applicants and faculty representative should coordinate their efforts to ensure that the complete nomination is submitted and supporting documents package is received no later than January 26, 2010. Faculty representatives must submit supporting documents in one packet, directly to the Foundation’s processing center.

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How does the faculty representative verify my information and submit the nomination?

The application process is conducted online. Faculty representatives will receive by email a username and password that will allow them to review the applications of students from their institution. The faculty representative will then be able to submit online the completed applications of their institution’s nominees.

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May I submit an application directly to the Foundation, without first being nominated by my community college or two-year institution?

No. The Foundation will only consider applicants who have been nominated by their institution's designated faculty representative.  Other applications will not be considered.

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What should I do if my two-year institution has not yet appointed a faculty representative?

Every year, the Foundation invites every licensed and accredited two-year institution in the US to reconfirm its existing faculty representative or name a new one. If your school has not yet appointed a representative, we recommend that you contact the president's office at your community college to urge the president to designate a representative so that you may be considered. The president may call 1-800-498-6478 to appoint a representative. You may also call 1-800-498-6478 to request assistance with the designation of a representative.

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How will I know if my community college or two-year institution is eligible?

Licensed and accredited community colleges and two-year institutions in the US are listed in two locations:

  1. The Higher Education Directory, published by Higher Education Publications, Inc., and available at most libraries.
  2. The US Department of Education's Website.

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What happens if an application is incomplete or arrives after the deadline?

Applications are completed online and must meet both the deadline set by your two-year institution and the one established by the Foundation.  Be sure to meet all deadlines established by your institution.  Incomplete applications and those submitted to the Foundation after the deadline will not be considered.

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What happens if an institution misses the nomination deadline?

Faculty representatives must complete and submit nominations online no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, January 26, 2010. There is no grace period after the deadline has passed. Faculty representatives are responsible for submitting the online nomination(s), AND mailing the corresponding supporting documents so that they arrive on or before the January 26 deadline.

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RECOMMENDATIONS AND RELATED ISSUES

Tell me more about the required letters of recommendation.

As part of the online application, applicants must identify two people who will be asked to submit recommendations online. One or both should be from a professor or teacher.

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When will the recommenders know that it is time to submit their recommendation?

Recommenders will receive an email with instructions within 24 hours of the applicant clicking on the 'save' button in his or her application.  The email message will provide a special link to the recommender submission page. It is the applicant’s responsibility to follow up with their recommenders to be sure they have received the online submission form and completed the recommendation prior to the deadline set by the two-year institution.

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FINANCIAL INFORMATION FORMS AND RELATED QUESTIONS

How does the Foundation determine unmet financial need?

The Foundation considers academic excellence first in evaluating candidates.  However, to be competitive, nominees must also show unmet financial need, which has two components:

  1.    Education costs that are appreciably greater than the total amount of other scholarships or grant awards.
  2.    Insufficient student and family income to meet educational costs.

Factors relevant to this determination include:

  • Students receiving full funding for their four-year degree will not be competitive for this scholarship, as they have no unmet financial need.  
  • One possible indicator that candidates have financial need is that they were eligible for need-based aid while attending a two-year college.
  • Non-US citizens may be eligible for the Foundation’s scholarships if they demonstrate unmet financial need, regardless of their eligibility for other types of federal and institutional financial aid.

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Why does the Foundation require financial information from my parents?

The Foundation requires both student and parent financial information for many reasons.  One reason is that research shows that students from lower-income backgrounds are less likely to complete a college degree or assume educational debt, and therefore may need greater assistance than others.

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I am an independent student. Do my parents still need to complete the financial information forms regardless of whether I receive support from them?

The parents of all applicants must complete financial information forms.  Even for financially independent applicants, the Foundation considers parental information when assessing need.  However, when applicants are financially independent from their parents, we consider parental income as being less significant in the financial need calculation.

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What documents can I submit if my parents are living abroad and do not file US taxes?

Applicants and/or parents living abroad and not filing US tax returns for 2008 must complete the forms to the best of their ability and attach a statement (in English or a certified translation into English) from their employer(s) listing all income and benefits for 2008.

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Will I be liable for taxes on the scholarship?

A portion of each scholarship award may be considered taxable by the US Internal Revenue Service.  Scholars are responsible for ascertaining tax liability for the scholarship, and for reporting the taxable portions of their scholarship as income.  See publication 970 on the IRS website for details.

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ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS

Where do I go to get started?

The Application Materials section of the Foundation's Web site has two links:

  • One for the applicants who are creating an account and beginning a new application.
  • Another for applicants who are returning to an application already in progress.

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While creating my registration account, I was told that the account already exists. I have never tried to log in before, so how is that possible?

During registration you must select a unique User ID - something that no one else in the system has ever used before. If you get this message, you likely have chosen a User ID already in use by another applicant.

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How do I change my password or User ID?

If you are the applicant, you have options for changing your password. Upon failure of an attempted login, select the button that is provided to have your password sent to your email account. If this option does not work for you, the alternative is to contact us at 1-800-498-6478 or contact us to request assistance.

Your User ID is a unique identifier that was created when you first filled out the profile section. You may not change the User ID, but if you have forgotten it, you can contact us to obtain it. To verify your identity, you will be asked some questions based on the information you originally provided when you set up your user profile.

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I am locked out of my account. What do I do now?

If you have tried multiple times to log in and continue to receive a message that your User ID or password is not correct, your account will be disabled automatically. Please contact us to request that a password reset or an account reset.

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How does the recommender verify and submit a recommendation?

Recommenders will receive an email with log in instructions within 24 hours of the applicant entering and saving their recommender's email address in the application.  The email message will provide the recommender with a special link to the student's application.  The recommender must click "Submit" in order to certify that their recommendation is complete.  Recommenders will know their job is done when they see the student's application status change to "Recommended."

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How long does the recommender have to submit their letter of recommendation?

Recommenders have until the January 26 deadline to submit their letters on behalf of the student.  We encourage recommenders to submit their letters well before this deadline in order for the faculty representatives to view the letters when making the decision to nominate.  Faculty representatives will not be able to nominate a student without two letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf.  We encourage the student applicants to communicate with their recommenders to make sure they successfully submit the letters on time. 

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SELECTION QUESTIONS

Are there limits on the types of four-year colleges Scholars may attend or the areas of study Scholars may pursue?

Scholars may use the award to attend any accredited four-year undergraduate school in the US or abroad to pursue a bachelor's degree in any area of study.  For examples, see the list of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars and the colleges they attend.

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Are Scholars allowed to receive other grants or scholarships and still qualify for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship?

With few restrictions, the Foundation permits Scholars to receive other awards.  In fact, Scholars must apply for financial aid from their four-year institution each year and most receive other forms of aid in addition to the Foundation's award.
 

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Does the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship support study in non-degree programs?

No. Only students who will pursue baccalaureate degree programs at accredited colleges or universities are eligible for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program.

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What are the chances of being awarded a scholarship?

The Foundation expects to receive approximately 700 applications and will award 30 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships in 2010.  Each licensed and accredited community college and two-year institution in the US with a designated Faculty Representative may nominate up to two students each year.

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How much support does the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship provide?

Each award will fund a portion of educational costs, including tuition, room and board, books, and other required fees for the period required to complete the undergraduate degree program, generally two or two-and-a-half years.  The amount and duration of awards varies by student, based on the cost of attendance and length of the program as well as the amount of other scholarships or grants the Scholar receives.  The maximum amount of the Foundation’s scholarship is $30,000 per year.

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MR. COOKE

Who was Jack Kent Cooke?

Mr. Cooke was a philanthropist, businessman, and devotee of learning and the arts who left the bulk of his estate to establish the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to help students of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education.  Learn more about Mr. Cooke

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APPLICATION DEADLINES AND KEY DATES

What are the application deadlines?

Each two-year college will designate an internal deadline several weeks prior to the Foundation's deadline. Contact the designated faculty representative at your two-year college to inquire about the internal deadline for your school. The online application with attached supplemental documentation must be submitted by January 20, 2010. Faculty representatives must submit the online nomination by January 26, 2010.

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What are the key dates in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program application and selection process?


October 1, 2009
Application materials are posted on the Foundation's website and program materials are mailed to designated faculty representatives

Date set by your school
Internal campus deadline for submission of application materials

January 20, 2010 (Closes 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
Deadline for applicant to submit the online application and supplemental documentation

January 26, 2010 (Closes 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
Deadline for receipt of online nominations and official transcripts from faculty representatives

March 2010
Applications reviewed by scholarship review panels

Late April 2010
Scholarship recipients notified

May 2010
Notification of award status is mailed to all applicants

July 29 - August 1, 2010
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation annual Scholars Weekend