Coolidge Scholarship

The Coolidge Scholarship is an annually awarded, full-ride, presidential scholarship that covers a student’s tuition, room, board, and expenses for four years of undergraduate study. The Coolidge may be used by recipients at any accredited college or university in the United States. Anyone of any background, pursuing any academic discipline of study, may apply to this non-partisan, need-blind, program.

Students apply for the Coolidge Scholarship during their junior year of high school. Finalists are flown in for a finalist weekend at the Coolidge Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, Vermont where they interview with the Coolidge Scholars Finalist Jury. Recipients of the Coolidge Scholarship are notified of their award late in their junior year, before college application (note: current high school seniors are not eligible to apply). Finalists who are not named Coolidge Scholars are eligible to receive a smaller, one-time, college scholarship.

Calvin Coolidge worked hard in academics; the young New Englander’s only sport was public speaking, often on public policy. The main criterion that distinguishes Coolidge Scholars therefore is academic excellence. Secondary criteria include: demonstrated interest in public policy; an appreciation for the values Coolidge championed; as well as humility and service.

The summer before their senior year of high school, newly-selected Coolidge Scholars spend several orientation days at the picturesque birthplace of the President, Plymouth Notch, Vt. There scholars get to know Coolidge and his world, and help the Coolidge Foundation oversee its formidable debate programs. Scholars return to Plymouth Notch for a week each summer while in college.

Although only a few students are named Coolidge Scholars each year, one hundred of the top Coolidge Scholarships applicants are named “Coolidge Senators.” Coolidge Senators are invited, all-expenses-paid, to participate in the Senators Summit that takes place each summer in Washington, D.C.  At the Summit, the Senators explore the nation’s capital, learn about President Coolidge, and meet other high-achieving students from across the country.

The Coolidge Scholars Program is operated by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.

Eligibility Requirements

2023-24 Coolidge Scholarship applicants must intend to enroll full-time at an accredited U.S. college or university as an undergraduate for the first time in fall 2025. That is to say, students in their junior year of high school, or the equivalent if home schooled, are eligible to apply. (Students who are currently high school juniors but take some courses at a local college are indeed eligible to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship.)

2023-24 Coolidge Scholarship applicants must be citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States of America by the 2023-24 scholarship deadline.

2023-24 Coolidge Scholarship applicants cannot be the immediate family member of any current employee or trustee of the Coolidge Scholars Program or the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.

Eligibility FAQ

I’m an international student, am I eligible to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship? The Coolidge Scholarship is only open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents currently attending high school abroad are indeed eligible to apply.

I currently am a high school junior, but take some courses at a local college, am I still eligible to apply? Yes, indeed! You must simply confirm that you intend to enroll full-time at an accredited U.S. college or university for the first time in fall 2025.

I am a current high school junior intending to take a gap year after high school, and therefore plan to begin college after the fall 2025. Am I eligible? No, only current high school juniors intending to enroll as full-time undergraduates for the first time in fall 2025 are eligible to apply for the 2023-24 scholarship. No exceptions to this rule can be made.

I am a current high school junior, but will be graduating early, in the spring of 2024 rather than the spring of 2025. Am I eligible? No, only high school juniors graduating in the spring of 2025 and starting college in the fall of 2025 are eligible to apply for the 2023-24 scholarship.

I am a current high school senior, am I eligible to apply? No, only current high school juniors intending to enroll as undergraduates full-time for the first time in fall 2025 are eligible to apply for the 2023-24 scholarship. No exceptions to this rule can be made.

I am a current high school senior intending to take a gap year before beginning college, am I eligible to apply? No, only current high school juniors are eligible to apply. No exceptions to this rule can be made.

I am a current high school senior but I intend to retake senior year if I win the Coolidge Scholarship, am I eligible to apply? No, applicants are not permitted to retake their senior year or otherwise change their high school year or graduation date for the purpose of becoming eligible to the scholarship.

I am a current high school senior but I skipped a grade in the past. Because of this I am the age of a current high school junior, am I eligible to apply? No, only current high school juniors are eligible to apply. No exceptions to this rule can be made. Current high school juniors who skipped a grade in the past are indeed eligible to apply.