KFC Colonel’s Scholars

Offered by: KFC Foundation

About the Organization

Kentucky Fried Chicken was founded by Colonel Harland D. Sanders in 1952. Within only eight years, there were 190 KFC franchisees and 400 franchise unites in the US and Canada. The Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation, Inc., was founded in 1999. Originally named “Colonel’s Kids,” the foundation was established to honor Colonel Sanders, and to continue his legacy of honoring children. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of lives through disaster assistance efforts and providing scholarship support to high school seniors with financial need.  Fun Fact: You can find a KFC in more than 80 countries around the world. The first overseas KFC restaurant opened in England in 1965.

Scholarship Background

The scholarship offered by the KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program provides funding for tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Awards can be up to $5,000 per year and scholars can receive up to $20,000 over four years to help complete a bachelor’s degree. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships.

Who Qualifies

To qualify, you must be a graduating high school senior and demonstrate financial need. You also must have at least a 2.75 GPA and be enrolling in a public college or university.

Application Process

The online application is broken into seven sections: academics, financial, general, leadership/participation, responsibilities/activities, recommendation, and certification/release. Semifinalists will be notified by email.

Annual Application Window

The application period typically starts in early December and ends in early February.

Tips on How to Win

Demonstrating financial need is an important eligibility factor for this scholarship. In your essay, highlight your personal experience and any hardships you have had to face when it comes to your financial need. List any volunteer activities you’re involved in, and if you have any honors or awards, list those too. It’s okay to brag a little bit – you’re trying to sell yourself as a promising candidate for this scholarship.

Aside from academics and financial need, participation in extracurricular activities like clubs or sports are important factors that show judges you’re a well-rounded student. What you do outside of academics is a chance to show the judges your goals and passions in life. For example, being in an animal rights group shows your interest in the welfare of animals, or playing volleyball shows you like be a good team player. Put a spin on it and find what makes you want to do the activities that you do so you can show the judges the type of person you are and make yourself shine!

Past Winners

2011 Colonel’s Scholar, Daniel Galuppo, won by submitting a photo through twitter with the hashtag #KFCScholar. The photograph was from a recent volunteer trip to Vietnam, where he photographed orphans. Galuppo, originally from Lithuania, has no photos of himself before his adoption and move to the United States. He has made it his mission to visit orphanages so he can give the children pictures of themselves as keepsakes.