Frequently Asked Questions

The Bezos Scholars Program is a transformative, year-long, no-cost leadership development program that amplifies youth voice and action so young people with passion can start making a difference today. Each year, 17 exceptional juniors from the U.S. and Africa, along with educators from each of their schools, are selected as Bezos Scholars.

Student Scholars engage in leadership development skill-building through project-based learning and receive free college advising. At the center of the program are Community Change Projects—fresh and sustainable approaches to meeting community needs, conceived and launched by Scholars with our support.

Thirty scholars are selected each year, including:

• 12 U.S.-based high school students and a nominated educator from each of their schools.
• Five students and one educator from the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

To be eligible to apply, a student must be enrolled in and attend an eligible U.S. public high school that meets ONE or more of the following criteria:

• At least 30% of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
• The school is designated as a Title I school.
• The state has identified the school as economically underserved; it meets the threshold for a state or district “high need” or meets the equity index used to allocate additional funding.
  • This means the state identified a school as needing additional financial support because a large portion of its students come from low-income families or face other significant challenges that can hinder their learning.

*Students currently attending a school that a Scholar was selected from in 2024 or 2025 are not eligible to apply for the 2026 cohort. See the list of current ineligible schools. This policy encourages equity of opportunity, allowing us to bring the Scholar experience and the Community Change Projects Scholars create to more schools and geographical locations.

African Leadership Academy (ALA) students must be year one students and apply through the process shared at their school. Any students residing outside of the U.S. and who don’t attend ALA are not currently eligible to apply.

While the program does not award college scholarships, Scholars receive free, personalized college advising that helps them find and access financial aid and scholarship opportunities for higher education.

Using a holistic selection process that considers multiple aspects of a candidate, our selection committee evaluates and scores candidates based on three main criteria:

• Intellectual Curiosity and Commitment to Education
  Scholars are motivated students who challenge themselves in and outside the classroom. If you have faced academic challenges while in high school, share how you persevered, what you learned, and how those experiences shaped you in one or more of your application essays.
• Demonstrated Leadership and Community Engagement
  Scholars are rising leaders in their schools and communities. They inspire others through their actions and ideas and are independent, creative thinkers who lead with humility, compassion, and purpose.
• Readiness and Capacity to Engage in the Program
  Scholars can balance academics, extracurriculars, family, and community commitments. They communicate authentically, thrive in collaboration, and embrace challenges that push them beyond their comfort zone.

We conduct two rounds of review and utilize a selection committee comprised of Bezos Scholar alums and leaders in the fields of education, youth leadership and development, science and the arts. All our members share a strong commitment to championing young leaders and review and score applications using our selection criteria and rubric.

Round One Review

• Each application is reviewed three times by three different selection committee members, working independently from one another. 
• Staff reviews round one scores, using an overall average score to select semi-finalists.
• Semi-finalists are notified and asked to re-confirm their and their educator nominee’s interest and commitment to be considered as Bezos Scholars before being invited to a virtual interview.

 Round Two Review

• Semi-finalists participate in a virtual interview conducted by a staff member and Bezos Scholar alums.
• Staff reviews round two scores to select 12 finalists and two alternates, who are on standby in case one of the finalists declines our invitation or becomes unable to participate in the program. 
• Student finalists are accepted into the program based on two key factors: the completion of a short recommendation form by the student’s principal, and the participation of their educator nominee in a virtual meeting with a staff member. During this meeting, the educator will learn about their role in the program, have the opportunity to ask questions, and confirm their decision, separately from the student, to accept the invitation to become a Scholar.
• Once a student finalist and their educator nominee confirm their acceptance, and their principal completes their short recommendation form, they are officially welcomed as Scholars and onboarding materials are sent.

Our application is on Kaleidoscope, a scholarship and opportunity platform. We review each application holistically to gain a full understanding of every applicant. To be considered, all components must be completed and submitted by the application deadline listed on the Apply page. The application has several parts designed to help us get to know you as a student and leader:

• Confirm Eligibility: Confirm you meet the requirements to apply.
• Personal Information: Includes demographics about the applicant, their family and school, and how they learned about the program.
• School and Classes: Provide basic information about the applicant’s high school, confirm their unweighted GPA is a 3.0 or higher, share information about at least one advanced course that they have taken or are currently enrolled in as well as three other classes that were meaningful to them and highlight their commitment to their education.
• Extracurricular Activities and Employment: Applicants are required to share two current extra-curricular activities, prioritizing the commitments that are most meaningful to them. It is optional to add any employment held for more than one month’s time during a student’s high school career. If an applicant has not held employment or chooses not to submit it, the application will still receive full consideration.
• Video Recording: Applicants need to submit a one-minute self-recorded video so we can learn more about their “why” for applying. In the video, applicants need to clearly answer the following prompt: “What personal experiences or values inspired you to want to become a Bezos Scholar?”
• Written Responses: Craft thoughtful responses to three essay prompts. Each prompt is broken up into shorter responses that each have a word limit. Essay responses should highlight applicant’s character, strengths and leadership skills, lived experience and areas for growth while showcasing their integrity, compassion and creativity.
• Educator Nominee: Student applicants are required to identify and nominate a trusted adult from their school to become their educator nominee. Educators cannot apply to the program without the nomination of a student. Nominated educators of selected students will be required to travel to Aspen, participate in the year-long program, and collaborate with Scholars and the teams they build to help develop and launch Community Change Projects. Choosing the right person as an educator is imperative. Applicants will need to be ready to enter their educator nominee’s name, email, the educator’s relationship to them, their role/position at the applicant’s school, three key reasons this person was selected, and add a personalized message to the nominee to be included with the email invitation sent to them, asking them to complete the form.
• Review and Submit: Review everything entered in the application, clicking on each section to review copy and content, checking for errors and completion. Edit as needed and once everything looks correct, make sure to click submit at the bottom before the deadline! As a reminder, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their educator nominee submits their form by the application deadline.

For comprehensive information about our application and detailed instructions, download our Application Guide. The selection committee will begin reviewing applications in February and all applicants will be notified of their status by early March.

Each Student Scholar is provided free, individual virtual advising with our informed, skilled and supportive college advisor. Our advisor has experience working with students from all over the world, with various backgrounds and resources, to help ensure that they have diverse opportunities to access and obtain higher education.

Here is a preview of what the college advisor can offer which is specific to and curated for each Scholar: 

• From the start of each Scholar’s year to right before high school graduation, our advisor works with each Scholar to build a trusting relationship and learn their needs and goals. This includes working with other supporters (i.e., parents/guardians, educator Scholar, school staff, mentors, etc.) who are also invested in the student’s success and education. 
• One-on-one sessions can include anything related to applying to higher education opportunities: forming a balanced college list, essay review, college, financial aid, and scholarship applications as well as the decision-making processes.  
• Each student receives a personalized letter of recommendation that explains the Bezos Scholars Program, describes the student’s Community Change Project, and highlights their leadership qualities, skills, and notable achievements beyond the program.

Being a Bezos Scholar is a benefit when you apply for and attend college in several ways. Scholars:

• Learn to manage complex projects with deadlines and moving parts, skills that strengthen your college applications and set you up to handle college coursework.
• Practice communicating clearly with partners, peers, and adults, which helps with essays and interviews and makes group projects in college easier to navigate.
• Build confidence presenting your ideas publicly, useful for strengthening your application and succeeding in college classes that require discussions or presentations.
• Gain experience turning big ideas into real outcomes, which becomes a compelling application story and prepares you for independent college assignments and research.
• Develop a strong sense of purpose and direction, helping you write more grounded applications and make smarter choices about majors, clubs, and opportunities in college.

Continuing Projects are Scholar-founded projects that have sustained beyond their launch year. They are led by student leaders who were not Scholars, alongside an educator supporter, who is often but not always a former Scholar.

• On average, 70% of projects continue beyond their first year.
• Some Continuing Projects are in their tenth or even fifteenth year!
• Check out this story on the longest-running Scholar-founded continuing project. 
• These projects receive funding and ongoing support, strengthening the leadership skills of approximately 40 student leaders, 105 student team members, and 30 educators each year.
• Participants receive a virtual orientation about the grant proposal process, one coaching meeting, and feedback on their grant proposal before receiving project funding.

Continuing Project student leaders will be invited to join the Student Changemaker Cohort, an expanded offering that provides workshops on leadership development and project advancement, along with personalized coaching tailored to their needs.

Becoming a Bezos Scholar is just the beginning. After completing the yearlong program, Scholars join the Alum Network—a global community of more than 300 former students (ages 18–37) and 200+ educators who continue to lead, learn, and create change in their communities. The Alum Network offers multiple ways for former Scholars to stay connected and engaged:

• Alum Internships: Annual placements with Foundation partners such as TED Fellows and Aspen Challenge, giving alums professional experience with organizations driving global impact.
• BSP Alum App: The app connects alums and staff to share opportunities, make requests, and build community.
• Regional Gatherings: Alums can host local meetups with reimbursement support. Staff also host annual gatherings in cities with a strong alum presence.
• Alum Reunions: Large-scale reunions bring together alums from all cohorts—most recently in 2014 and 2023, each a three-day event engaging around 100 participants. Future reunions are planned every five to eight years to maintain meaningful connections and momentum.
• Alum Council: Launched in fall 2025, the Alum Council was created in response to alum feedback and a shared desire to strengthen connections across the growing network. The Council serves as a leadership body dedicated to fostering engagement, gathering and sharing feedback, and creating meaningful opportunities for alums to connect. Over a two-year term, six Council Chairs help shape programming, organize virtual and in-person gatherings, and guide the future direction of the Bezos Scholars Alum community.

Through these opportunities, former Scholars continue to grow as leaders and collaborators—expanding the impact of the Bezos Scholars Program long after their program year ends.

As part of the Bezos Scholars Program, every Scholar launches a project to raise awareness and mobilize action in their hometowns. These projects, known as Community Change Projects, are designed to address a unique community need. Scholars build a committed team to support the project, with a vision of making a meaningful impact on their peers, school, and the broader community for years to come.

Each project is student-led, inclusive and fosters a sense of community and shared leadership. Students and educators function as a collaborative team throughout the year and work alongside each other on Scholar opportunities, activities and commitments as well as project ideation, creation and implementation. Scholars gain significant personal and team-based leadership skills through this project-based learning experience. They receive ongoing coaching and support from their educator, school, and community, as well as $1,000 in funding from the Bezos Family Foundation which can be re-applied for annually. Because the projects are designed to be sustainable, many have been successfully running for over five years or more!

A successful Community Change Project starts with understanding the needs of your community. Scholars are guided through a process to define their purpose by exploring their strengths, passions, and the issues that motivate them. They then engage with diverse community members to learn about the most pressing challenges and needs. By gathering insights and ideas from those directly affected by these issues, Scholars build relationships, develop empathy, and gain a deeper understanding of their community’s needs.

Scholars choose a specific community need that their project will address and identify the target audience it will serve. They must also recruit a team of students and adult allies that help them develop a project plan and submit a grant proposal to secure funding. Throughout the process, Scholars work toward monthly milestones, receiving workshops, support, and resources. Projects are launched by February of the Scholar’s senior year, and they involve future student leaders from their teams to ensure the project continues for years to come.

Learn more about the issues Scholars have mobilized change around and how their efforts have rippled out to make a positive difference in the community.