Ge Reagan Foundation Scholarship
Before you spend hours on this
Will this scholarship actually lower your cost?
Not always. Many colleges reduce your financial-aid package when you win an outside scholarship — sometimes dollar-for-dollar — so the money can end up saving the school instead of you. It's called scholarship displacement. Two free tools tell you where you actually stand:
General guidance, not financial advice — your school's financial aid office is the only authority on how they treat outside awards. Always confirm with them before deciding.
Best fit for
Juniors going into senior year who've led something meaningful (founded a club, run a community project, served in student government) — and can write about it with conviction. NOT for kids who just have high stats.
What they actually look for
About 25 winners selected from 65,000+ applicants — but they care more about LEADERSHIP CONSISTENCY than raw stats. Kids who've led the same organization or initiative for 3+ years win way more often than kids with a long scattered list. They explicitly want to see drive matched to citizenship — Reagan-style civic optimism, not just résumé padding.
What you'll need
- US citizenship + plan to enroll full-time at a four-year US college
- Minimum 3.0 unweighted GPA (most winners are 3.7+)
- Demonstrated leadership in school, community, or work
- Two recommendations (one from a teacher, one from a leadership mentor)
- Essays on Reagan's four pillars: leadership, drive, integrity, citizenship
- Financial need section (CSS-style — they want family income context)
When to start
Application opens early November of senior year, closes early January. Get your two recommenders lined up in October so you're not chasing them over winter break.
Watch out for
The financial need section trips up middle-income families. They DON'T require Pell-level need — they want demonstrated need or commitment to civic service. If your family income is $100K-$200K but you've worked, contributed to family expenses, or your parents support extended family, write that into the need narrative explicitly.