Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Award
full cost of attendance (last-dollar scholarship)
Deadline
Sep 15, 2026
Highly selective last-dollar scholarship for outstanding high school seniors from low-income households. Covers full cost of attendance not already met by financial aid. Applicants must be Pell-eligible.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school senior
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Minimum GPA
- 3.3
- Essay
- Required
Application requirements
- Create a myTGS account and apply: Apply through the myTGS portal on the official site. Detailed upload requirements are inside the application system.
- Meet basic eligibility: High school senior; Pell-eligible; U.S. citizen or permanent resident; minimum 3.3 cumulative weighted GPA; plan full-time enrollment at accredited not-for-profit U.S. four-year college.
- Submit the FAFSA: Official site requires FAFSA submission. The award is last-dollar based on cost of attendance not covered by other aid and your Student Aid Index.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · View official source