Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is a highly selective scholarship for the nation’s top community college students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year colleges or universities. Each Cooke Scholar has access to generous financial support for two to three years, college planning support, ongoing advising, and the opportunity to connect with the thriving community of fellow Scholars.

Alessandro Bailetti

"The fact that I'm a minority scientist, the fact that I'm an immigrant, the fact that I went to a community college first," Alessandro said, "makes me want to also mentor those future scientists."

Alessandro Bailetti
Cooke Scholar
Alessandro Bailetti

Alessandro Bailetti

After community college, Alessandro was planning on transferring to a good liberal arts school in Florida. Even when he found out he had been accepted to an Ivy League university, he thought he "wasn't good enough" for Cornell and considered rejecting the offer. Then he received the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
"I [was] an immigrant with only five years in the United States, with good enough English to pass through my classes," Alessandro recounted, "but I never thought I was good enough for Cornell. When I got the scholarship, that was the moment I said 'I can go to Cornell right now.'"
79% Participated in an Honors Program
Or Pursued Honors Coursework
3.94 Average
Community College GPA
78% Held Leadership Role
In a Club or Activity

Program Experience

Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships they may receive.
This highly competitive scholarship includes:
  • The opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S.
  • Ability to pursue any area of study
  • Personal advising about selecting a college and navigating financial aid
  • Multifaceted advising about how to transition to a four-year college and maximize the student experience
  • Opportunity to apply for the Internship Stipend program, Conference and Travel Stipend, and Graduate Scholarship

 

Contact Us

The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship application is currently closed. It will open in fall 2024.

Please direct questions about your application or the program to scholarships@jkcf.org.