Up To $600K Burger King Scholarship Application 2024

Burger King Foundation awards millions of dollars in scholarships to college students every year, this is known as the Burger King Scholarship or Burger King Scholars Program. All the details regarding this scholarship are compiled here to guide you on how to apply and become one of the winners.

The Burger King Scholarship is from the popular US-based fast-food restaurant, Burger King, where you buy the delicious hamburgers that you eat. I just had to clarify before you start having doubts or getting confused about whether it is the same Burger King that you know is also providing millions of dollars every year in scholarships. Yes, the same Burger King.

However, the multinational restaurant chain has a foundation known as the Burger King Foundation, a public nonprofit organization through which donations for the Burger King Scholarship come from, as well as other charity/philanthropy programs focusing on scholarships, literacy, and creating sustainable learning environments.

The foundation also partners with other nonprofit organizations to carry out its mission, which is to create brighter futures by empowering individuals and feeding potential through education and emergency relief.

Burger King Foundation was built on the inspiration of Jim McLamore, the co-founder of Burger King. Jim believed in the importance of higher education for all. So, when he passed away, the Burger King Scholars program was created in 2000 to honor him.

The Burger King Scholars program aimed to advance the education of deserving students in North America and serve as a tribute to Burger King’s co-founder, and it has been doing so to date. Donations for the Burger King Scholarship come from the McLamore Family, Burger King guests, franchisees, system vendors, and supporters who believe in the mission of the program, and the Burger King Foundation.

It might come as a surprise to you that a restaurant, Burger King, is offering scholarships, well, this is not a new thing. A lot of restaurants, and even shopping malls, and various other associations and organizations, offer scholarships to support the education of students.

An article I published a while ago features a list, with details, of 11 National Restaurant Association scholarships that are offered annually. The National Rifle Association Scholarships and UKAA Scholarship are also examples of scholarships from other associations offered yearly.

If you read through my recently published blog on unclaimed scholarships in Canada, you will see that millions of dollars worth of scholarships go unclaimed each year in Canada. And they go unclaimed because no one is applying for them and the reason for this is that no one knows that organizations and associations like Burger King are offering huge scholarship money.

In that same blog, you will learn that universities and colleges are not the only providers of scholarships. Huge amounts of scholarship money also come from religious groups, private corporations, businesses, individuals, NGOs, and professional and social associations.

Then in another blog post, Sweet and Simply Scholarship, I outlined a guide within the post on how to find and apply for scholarships. These are important resources that will aid you as a college student.

We have derailed a bit from the main topic, so let’s get back to it.

Table of Contents

About Burger King Scholarship

I had already given information on the providers of the Burger King Scholarship, the story behind how it was formed, and the purpose behind it. But there is still more you need to know about the scholarship, we shall address that under this section.

PS: Burger King Scholarship and Burger King Scholars Program are the same, I may use the terms interchangeably going forward. So, take note.

The Burger King Scholars Program is dedicated to students in North America. It is awarded to deserving high school seniors who are starting college the next academic year and Burger King employees and their families.

Receiving this scholarship will offset the cost of the post-secondary institution the recipient is attending whether it is a university, college, trade school, vocational school, or trade school.

Thousands of students are selected annually for the Burger King Scholarship. In 2023 alone, 4,000 students received over $3.2 million in scholarships awarded by the Burger King Foundation. To receive the scholarship, you have to apply online.

How Much is the Burger King Scholarship?

The Burger King Scholarship ranges from $1,000 to $60,000 per student. The fund can only be applied to tuition, room and board, study materials, or anything relating to getting a higher education.

In 2011, a new category was added to the Burger King Scholars Program by the McLamore Family Foundation to help make a greater impact. It is the James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarship Award that was created and added as the new category.

This scholarship awards three $60,000 awards to deserving students each year.

Eligibility Criteria to Apply for Burger King Scholarship

The Burger King Scholarship has two tracks; the High School Senior Track and the Employee-Based Track. The eligibility criteria for these tracks are different so I will outline them one after the other.

Burger King Scholarship Criteria for High School Senior Track

Below are the eligibility criteria for all high school seniors interested in applying for the Burger King Scholarship:

You must be living in the US, Puerto Rico, Guam, or Canada
Be a graduating high school senior graduating from grade 12 or graduating from home school education.
Have an average high school CGPA of 2.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0
Plan to enroll in an accredited post-secondary institution in the US, Puerto Rico, Guam, or Canada.

For the High School Senior Track, scholarships are for undergraduate study only. Awards to High School Senior Track recipients are one-time only; past recipients may not reapply for additional awards

Burger King Scholarship Criteria for Employee-based Track

The employee-based track has two components as follows:

1) For employees, spouses or domestic partners of employees, and dependent children of employees pursuing a traditional postsecondary education:

You must be living in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam or Canada
Be an employee of Burger King Corporation or a participating BURGER KING franchisee (Franchisees)
OR
Be a spouse (unless legally separated) or domestic partner of an employee of Burger King Corporation or Franchisees
OR
Be a dependent child of an employee of Burger King Corporation or Franchisees (Designated Employer)
AND
Be graduating high school seniors (U.S., Puerto Rico, and Guam) or have attained a GED, graduating from grade 12 (Canada), graduating from home school education in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada, or current college undergraduates or graduate level students in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam or Canada
Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent
Plan to enroll at an accredited post-secondary institution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam or Canada.

2) Employees and spouses or domestic partners of employees pursuing an enrichment program (Enrichment programs include, but are not limited to, language, computer, and accounting courses.)

You must be living in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam or Canada
Be an employee of Burger King Corporation or a participating BURGER KING franchisee (Franchisees)
OR
Be a spouse (unless legally separated) or domestic partner of an employee of Burger King Corporation or Franchisee (Designated Employer)
AND
Plan to enroll less than part-time or on an intermittent basis in GED, enrichment, certification, or other course that enhances learning during the 2024-25 academic year (Note: Program or course must be taken at an accredited institution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam or Canada)

The Employee-Based Track scholarships are for undergraduate study, graduate study, and nontraditional courses at accredited institutions.

Eligibility Criteria for James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarship

For this award, a total of three recipients will be chosen from both the high school senior track and employee-based track applicants based on the following criteria:

You must be a US or Canadian citizen
Must be a senior in high school or home school in the US, Puerto Rico, Guam, or Canada.
Students applying for a full-time program at a 4-year accredited college or university located in Canada or the US are eligible.
Students who have an unweighted CGPA of at least 3.5 or higher on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent
Students who demonstrate an active leadership role in community service, athletics, and/or similar co-curricular activity (such as student government, team sports, fraternal life, etc.)
Students who demonstrate substantial work experience and financial need.

Ensure you satisfy the criteria before applying else your application will not be considered and will be rejected. All applicants are evaluated and selected based on the following factors:

33% for academic record
33% for participating in school/community activities
33% for work experience
33% for financial need.

Note that awards are not renewable and cannot be deferred. However, the $1,000 Employee-Based Track recipients may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements and receive up to a maximum of four awards (up to $4,000). Regional and special-named award recipients may reapply and be considered for the $1,000 general awards (up to $4,000).

All award checks will be issued in U.S. currency. Checks to recipients will be mailed in early August to the student’s home address and made payable to the school for the student. Checks to recipients pursuing an enrichment program will be processed as requested by the student based on their enrollment.

How to Apply for the Burger King Scholars Program

To apply for the Burger King Scholarship, you will need to gather the following documents and information:

Your high school or college transcript of grades must display the student name, school name, grades, and credit hours for each course, and the term the course was taken.
A list of your work experiences and involvement in school and community activities
Burger employee information if your application is to be affiliated with an employee

Once you have them, you can begin the application.

Start by going to the official scholarship website and clicking on the Create an Account link at the bottom of the page.

You will need to create a username and password to register for a student account. You will be notified through an email validation process before an account is created for you. You must use a valid email address. The final step in creating your account is to complete the information requested in the student profile.

After your student account is created and you have provided profile information, you will have access to the application. During the application process, you will be able to leave the site by clicking on the Log Out or Save and Log Out links located on the site. To log in, you must enter your username and password as provided when registering for a student account.

Carefully review your application before submission.

You may want to print a hard copy of your application to retain for your records. Printed copies of the online application should not be sent to Scholarship America or the Burger King Foundation.

All application pages with required fields must be completed in the format described to apply. Standard capitalization (Jill Smith, 101 Main Street, New York, NY) must be used when entering data. Once the application is submitted, no further revisions can be made.

Applicants are solely responsible for gathering and submitting all information necessary to the application process. Scholarship America will email acknowledgment of receipt of all submitted applications. Applications found to be incomplete as of the application deadline or upon receipt of 50,000 submissions will not be processed.

All information submitted is reviewed only by Scholarship America. Limited recipient information will be shared with representatives of Burger King Corporation and/or BURGER KING® Foundation and respective donors/franchisees or other designees.

All applicants will be notified by email in May. If selected as a potential recipient you will be required to submit additional information to Scholarship America. Recipients failing to provide additional information will be ineligible.

Responsibilities of Recipient

As a recipient of the Burger King Scholarship, the following are what you should do:

Submit a completed Scholarship Acceptance Form to Scholarship America by the indicated deadline
Notify your college or university about the award and deliver the scholarship check to the school on time
Notify Scholarship America of any changes in address, school enrollment, or other relevant information
You will be asked to participate in surveys while you receive the awards and for up to two years beyond your enrollment. Recipients have no other obligation to the Burger King Foundation

For further information concerning the Burger King Scholars Program, contact the following:

Email: burgerkingscholars@scholarshipamerica.org

Call 507-931-8340

Conclusion

The Burger King Scholars Program is one of the easiest scholarships to apply for. There is no essay to write or loads of documents to submit to apply for the scholarship.

They will only be screening 50,000 applicants, once the number of applicants reaches this number, applications will halt.

Read the eligibility criteria carefully and ensure you satisfy them before sending your application. If you have any questions, refer to the contacts provided above.

Good luck!

Up To $600K Burger King Scholarship Application