College Scholarship Deadlines 2026-27: Complete Calendar
Gates Scholarship closes Sept 15, Coca-Cola Scholars Sept 30. Here's every major national scholarship deadline from August through March, plus what to do this week.
By Jorbi TeamFour of the largest national scholarships in the country are actively accepting applications right now, in August. The Gates Scholarship portal opened July 15. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation opened its application around the same time. QuestBridge and Morehead-Cain both close October 1, with applications open today. Most seniors won't start thinking seriously about scholarship applications until late September, which is exactly why August is the month that separates students who actually win these awards from students who meant to apply. If you're a Pell-eligible senior, the Gates Scholarship alone could cover your full cost of attendance for four years. You have 18 days to get your application in.
Most seniors don't treat August like a deadline month. They're thinking about school starting, Common App essays, maybe the SAT. But the students who actually win these awards spend August the way other students spend November: heads down, applications in progress, recommenders already contacted.
This calendar gives you the full picture, from right now through March 2027, so you can stop planning to apply and actually do it.
Scholarships Open Right Now: Act This Week
Here are the five major awards currently accepting applications, with their deadlines at a glance.
ScholarshipAwardDeadlineMin GPAThe Gates ScholarshipFull unmet cost of attendanceSept 15, 20263.3Coca-Cola Scholars$20,000Sept 30, 2026 (5 PM ET)3.0QuestBridge National College MatchFull 4-year scholarship (over $360,000)Oct 1, 2026 (11:59 PM PT)None statedMorehead-Cain (UNC)Full ride + 4 summersOct 1, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)None statedJack Kent Cooke College ScholarshipUp to $55,000/yearNov 11, 20263.8
The Gates Scholarship is the most urgent. The portal has been open since July 15, which means students who were paying attention started six weeks ago. You still have 18 days before it closes. The award covers full unmet cost of attendance, which can exceed $200,000 over four years at many schools. Eligibility requires Pell eligibility, underrepresented minority status, and a 3.3 GPA or higher. If you check those boxes, stop reading and open the application right now. Come back to this article later.
Coca-Cola Scholars is the most approachable application on this list. Phase 1 requires no essays and no transcripts. It's essentially an eligibility quiz. The catch: the system closes permanently at 5:00 PM ET on September 30 with zero exceptions. Over 100,000 students are expected to apply for 150 spots. That's a 0.15% acceptance rate. But Phase 1 has the lowest barrier to entry of any major national scholarship, which means the only reason not to apply is forgetting to.
QuestBridge is worth a heads-up on one important detail. Many third-party sites still list "September 30" as the deadline because that was the 2025 cutoff. The official QuestBridge dates page shows October 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific. Always verify at the official site. The award is a full four-year scholarship at 40-plus partner colleges, including Northwestern, valued at over $360,000. Household income generally needs to be under $65,000 per year for a family of four.
Jack Kent Cooke gives you more runway, with a November 11 deadline, but the application goes through Common App and requires teacher recommendations to be submitted through that platform. That means you need to invite recommenders now, not in October, so they have time. Up to $55,000 per year as a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it covers what other aid doesn't, per the JKCF's FAQ page. Minimum 3.8 GPA with demonstrated financial need.
The Full Month-by-Month Calendar: September Through March
September 2026
Two hard closes this month, and one major program opening.
The Gates Scholarship closes September 15. No extensions, no exceptions. If you're eligible, this is your one shot for the year.
Coca-Cola Phase 1 closes September 30 at 5:00 PM ET sharp. The eligibility quiz portion must be submitted by 4:00 PM ET. Again: no essays. This one takes under an hour if you sit down and do it.
September 15 is also when National Merit semifinalists begin their Online Scholarship Application (OSA). If you received a semifinalist notification in late August, your school principal needs to formally initiate this process. The OSA closes October 15, and missing it eliminates your scholarship consideration entirely. Check with your counselor immediately.
One more thing for September: if you haven't sat for the SAT yet, September 12 is your last realistic shot before November 1 Early Action deadlines. Scores come back in time.
October 2026: The Highest-Volume Month of the Year
October is where seniors either get ahead or fall behind for the entire cycle.
Here are all the October deadlines organized by date.
DateScholarship / ActionNotesOct 1QuestBridge National College Match closes11:59 PM PT, same day as Morehead-CainOct 1Morehead-Cain (UNC) closes11:59 PM ET; out-of-state ARP applicants also need UNC EA by Oct 15Oct 1FAFSA OpensFile immediately; some state aid is first-come, first-servedOct 1–30PSAT/NMSQT Testing WindowSchools set their own date; Saturday anchor is Oct 17Oct 15National Merit OSA ClosesSemifinalists only; missing this ends NM considerationOct 15QuestBridge Match Rankings FormRank up to 15 college partnersOct 21QuestBridge Finalist Decisions ReleasedCheck your applicant portal
A few things worth highlighting here. The PSAT testing window is for current juniors (Class of 2028), who are entering the 2028 National Merit Program. Current seniors who took the PSAT in October 2025 are already in the 2027 program; their semifinalist notifications went out in late August 2026. The College Board PSAT Student Guide lays this timeline out clearly. I mention it because I've seen seniors confuse the two cycles and panic unnecessarily.
For Morehead-Cain: the scholarship covers full tuition, room, board, books, a laptop, and four funded summer experiences. The 2026-27 cycle is test-optional. Out-of-state students who aren't nominated through a school need to apply to UNC via Early Action by October 15. Check the official Morehead-Cain deadlines page to confirm your nomination pathway.
File your FAFSA the day it opens. Seriously. Create your FSA ID at StudentAid.gov before October 1 so you're not scrambling. Some state aid programs run out of money.
November 2026: Full-Ride Flagship Month
Five major deadlines land in November, and they overlap with EA/ED application season. This is the month most students underestimate.
November 1 is the priority deadline for the Forty Acres Scholars Program at UT Austin. The scholarship is a full ride, and consideration is automatic for students who apply to UT by that date. You don't submit a separate scholarship application; you just apply to the university on time. After that, selected candidates are contacted for additional steps. The final UT application deadline is December 1, but November 1 is when Forty Acres consideration begins, as the Texas Exes scholarship page makes clear.
Also November 1: QuestBridge finalists must submit all supplemental materials to their ranked college partners.
Regeneron Science Talent Search closes November 5 at 8:00 PM ET (customer support closes November 4). If you've been doing independent STEM research, this is the competition scholarship that offers 300 awards with a top prize of $250,000. The application has been open since June 1, so this is a late-stage reminder, not a fresh start. Full details at the Society for Science.
Jack Kent Cooke closes November 11. Up to $55,000 per year. If you haven't invited recommenders through Common App yet, do it today.
Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student closes November 12 at 11:59 PM PT. Applications go through your local Elks lodge, with multi-year scholarships totaling up to $50,000. Check elks.org for lodge-specific instructions.
December 2026 and Into Spring 2027
December brings QuestBridge Match Day on December 1, when matched students find out they've been admitted early with full four-year scholarships to a partner college.
The Ron Brown Scholar Program closes December 1, with counselor recommendations due December 15. It's a $40,000 scholarship for African American high school seniors.
Watch for the Dell Scholars Program to open around December 15. Based on prior cycles, it carries a $20,000 need-based award from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Confirm exact dates at dellscholars.org when the 2027 cycle is announced.
January through March 2027 is when the major notifications roll in. Coca-Cola Scholars are announced in March. Gates Scholars are notified in April, with finalist interviews in March. Morehead-Cain finalists go through their Selection Experience in March. Jack Kent Cooke decisions follow. Regular Decision college applications, typically due January 1 to 15, carry their own institutional scholarship consideration, so submit those on time regardless of EA/ED outcomes.
The Horatio Alger Association Scholarship typically closes in late March with awards around $25,000. The exact 2027 deadline hasn't been confirmed yet; check horatioalger.org directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What scholarship deadlines are coming up right now in August 2026?
Three major scholarships are open right now. The Gates Scholarship closes September 15, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program closes September 30, and QuestBridge closes October 1. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC also closes October 1, and Jack Kent Cooke closes November 11. Seniors who meet the eligibility requirements for any of these should begin applications immediately.
Is the QuestBridge 2026 deadline September 30 or October 1?
The official 2026 deadline is October 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Many third-party sites still show "September 30" because that was the 2025 deadline. Always verify at the official QuestBridge dates page.
Do I need essays for the Coca-Cola Scholars application?
No, not in Phase 1. The initial application is an eligibility quiz with no essays and no transcript required. It closes at 5:00 PM ET on September 30, with the eligibility quiz itself due by 4:00 PM ET. If you make it past Phase 1, essays and additional materials come later in the cycle.
What GPA do I need for these major national scholarships?
Requirements vary significantly. Gates requires a 3.3 minimum; Coca-Cola requires 3.0; Jack Kent Cooke requires 3.8. QuestBridge and Morehead-Cain don't publish a minimum GPA, though both are highly competitive. Meeting the minimum doesn't mean you'll win; it means you can apply.
When does FAFSA open for the 2026-27 aid year?
FAFSA opens October 1, 2026. Create your FSA ID at StudentAid.gov before then so you're ready to file on day one. Some state aid programs and institutional scholarships are first-come, first-served, so filing in October rather than December can genuinely change how much you receive.
What to Do This Week
Here are five specific steps to take before September 1. Concrete tasks, every one of them.
1. Submit the Coca-Cola Phase 1 application today. No essays. No transcript. The whole thing takes under an hour. There is no good reason to wait, and the September 30 deadline will sneak up faster than you think.
2. Open the Gates Scholarship portal if you're eligible. Pell-eligible, underrepresented minority, 3.3 GPA or higher. You have 18 days. This is the one scholarship on the list where I'd drop everything else and work on it first.
3. Request letters of recommendation in person, with a brag sheet. Bring a one-page resume that lists your activities, honors, and goals. Ask face-to-face, not over text. For Jack Kent Cooke specifically, go into Common App and formally invite your recommenders through the platform so they receive the request link. Finishing your Common App personal statement in August pays off fast: most scholarship essays are variations of it, so one solid draft powers applications all the way through November.
4. Build a master tracking spreadsheet. Columns: scholarship name, award amount, eligibility requirements, deadline, essays required, recommendation requirements, submission link, status. Set personal deadlines three to five days before official ones to buffer for technical issues or slow recommenders. This is the single organizational habit that separates students who actually submit from students who miss by one day.
5. Contact your school counselor about PSAT registration. If you're a junior, the testing window opens October 1. You cannot register for the PSAT through College Board directly; it goes through your school. Many counselors have internal sign-up deadlines in September. Don't assume you're automatically registered.
The students who win these awards aren't smarter than you. They start earlier. August is your head start. Use it.