The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in Lansdowne, Virginia, has announced scholarships to seventy-two high-achieving community college students who will use their awards to enroll at a four-year college or university.

Selected from thirteen hundred applicants, members of the 2021 class of Cooke Transfer Scholars will each receive up to $40,000 annually as well as comprehensive counseling, internship and study abroad opportunities, funding for graduate school, and opportunities to engage with alumni of the program. Scholars were selected based on academic achievement and persistence, financial need, and leadership potential.

The program is designed to boost the number of community college students completing their education at top four-year institutions. According to the foundation, community college students who transfer to selective four-year institutions have similar or better graduation rates than students who enroll directly in such institutions from high school or transfer into one from another four-year institution.

"We know how much exponentially harder this past year has been on students. It's an honor to award this group of individuals as they have achieved so much both in the classroom and in their daily lives," said JKCF executive director Seppy Basili. "We are proud to welcome this new class of Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars to our community and are excited to support them as they transition to four-year institutions."

For a complete list of the 2021 Cooke Transfer Scholars, see the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation website.