Burger King Scholars Program
Offered by Burger King Foundation; administered by Scholarship America
About this scholarship
The Burger King Scholars Program awards $1,000 to $60,000 to help high school seniors and Burger King employees and their families pay for college or post-secondary vocational and technical education. The program has distributed $60 million to more than 51,000 students since 2000. In 2025 alone, nearly 4,500 recipients shared more than $4.8 million. Three top applicants receive the $60,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER Award each year, while other award levels vary. Selection considers academic performance, work experience, extracurricular activities, community service, and financial need. The program’s general student pathway has historically served graduating high school seniors in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Canada who plan full-time study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, vocational-technical school, or Canadian equivalent. Separate pathways serve eligible Burger King employees, spouses or domestic partners, and dependent children, and their enrollment rules may permit part-time study. Applicants should use the official program portal for the exact 2027–28 pathway requirements when it opens. The Foundation has announced that applications begin October 15, 2026 and close when 30,000 applications have been received or on December 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.
Eligibility
- Apply through either the general graduating-senior pathway or an eligible Burger King employee-family pathway
- Reside or study in a location covered by the selected program pathway
- Plan enrollment at an accredited college, university, vocational-technical school, or eligible Canadian equivalent
- Meet the enrollment-intensity rule for the selected pathway
- Provide an academic record and any pathway-specific employment documentation
- Demonstrate academic effort, work or extracurricular involvement, community service, and financial need
- Follow the official 2027–28 portal requirements published when the cycle opens
- Apply before the 30,000-application cap or December 15, 2026, whichever comes first