Bill Gates Scholarship funds are designed to help students from low-income families go to college. The goal is to help more than 27,000 highly motivated, low-income students go to college by 2016. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports eight scholarship programs. Of these programs, one of the most popular is the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Other scholarship programs supported by the foundation include Mary Gates Scholarships, Gates Cambridge Scholarships, and Gates Public Service Law Scholarships, among others.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship Program is for minority students from low-income families. Students seeking graduate and undergraduate degrees are eligible for this scholarship. While students must meet need-based income guidelines, such as being eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, there are other criteria as well. The selection committee will look for those students who have the potential to become leaders, as well as those students who have achieved academically and have served their communities.
There is no set amount for the Gates Millennium Scholarship as it is a need-based scholarship. This means that the amount of the scholarship will depend on the cost of tuition, books, and fees, as well as the amount the student receives from any other scholarships, grants, or financial aid. The scholarship also takes into account living expenses, so it could literally mean the difference between a student’s ability to attend college or not.
Remember, there are eight scholarship programs in total supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so you’ll want to review them carefully to see which ones you might qualify for. Follow all instructions exactly when applying for scholarships and carefully observe application deadlines. Winning a Bill Gates scholarship could make a big difference in your future, so apply for any of them that you meet the eligibility criteria for.