The Burger King Scholars program has awarded more than $44 million in scholarships to help more than 39,000 students since being founded in 2000. Even better, you can easily start and finish the application today.

But before you get started, we want to help make sure you have all of the information you need to increase your chances of winning. That’s why in this post, we’re going to cover: 

  • How much Burger King scholarships are worth 
  • Who is eligible to apply for Burger King scholarships
  • What documents you need to complete the application 
  • Important dates like when the application opens and closes
  • Tips for putting together a competitive application

One note before we jump in: If you’d like to apply to more than just the Burger King Scholars Program, Scholly Search is the #1 scholarship app in the world and will instantly match you with hundreds-of-thousands of dollars scholarships based on your interests, accomplishments, and traits. Give it a try today with a 100% free trial!

Let’s jump in with a quick overview of the Burger King scholarships! 

What is the Burger King Scholarship? 

A Burger King scholarship refers to any of the scholarships awarded by the Burger King Scholars program. 

To honor the Burger King brand co-founder, James W. McLamore, the Burger King scholarships are for students who demonstrate integrity, high standards, entrepreneurial spirit, good citizenship, and a passion for their education. 

As a winner of a Burger King scholarship, you can use your award money to pay for tuition, fees, and required books at accredited, two- or four-year colleges/universities in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico.

How Much are Burger King Scholarships Worth?

The various Burger King scholarships are worth different amounts, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. The majority of recipients will receive $1,000 scholarships, but each year the Burger King Scholars program also awards: 

  • Up to 3 James W. McLamore WHOPPER® scholarships of $50,000 granted to the most highly qualified students demonstrating leadership, substantial work experience and financial need
  • Up to 12 Regional awards of $5,000 granted to the two most qualified employees in each of six regions from the pool of eligible and complete applicants
  • One (1) Steven M. Lewis Foundation award of $5,000 granted to the most qualified U.S. Restaurants employee from the pool of eligible and submitted applicants aligned to U.S. Restaurants
  • Up to four (4) Bravokilo, Inc./Bravotampa, LLC awards of $5,000 granted to the most qualified Bravokilo, Inc./Bravotampa, LLC employees from the pool of eligible and submitted applicants aligned to Bravokilo, Inc. or Bravotampa, LLC
  • One (1) Ghai Management award of $5,000 granted to the most qualified Ghai Management employee from the pool of eligible and submitted applicants aligned to Ghai Management
  • One (1) Carrols LLC award of $5,000 granted to the most qualified Carrols LLC employee from the pool of eligible and submitted applicants aligned to Carrols LLC

Do You Need to Work at Burger King to Apply?   

Nope! Although some of the Burger King scholarships we just mentioned are granted only to employees, not all of them are. 

So, no, you don’t need to be a Burger King employee! The $1,000 and $50,000 scholarships are available to all high school seniors who meet the eligibility requirements. 

In fact, there are two different application tracks to choose from when applying for a Burger King scholarship: 

  1. BURGER KING® General Track – Available to all high school seniors who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at a U.S. accredited college/university and meet the eligibility requirements. 
  2. BURGER KING® Employee-Based Track – Available to employees, spouses or domestic partners of employees, and dependent children of employees who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at a U.S. accredited college/university and meet the eligibility requirements. 

If you do happen to be a Burger King employee, then you’ll want to definitely make sure you apply! As you can see in the video below, the Burger King Scholars program really values hard-working employees and wants to see them succeed in accessing higher education!

Burger King Scholarship Eligibility Requirements 

Let’s turn now to look at the eligibility requirements for both the General Track and the Employee-Based Track. 

BURGER KING® General Track Eligibility Requirements 

To apply through the general application track, you must: 

  • Be living in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico
  • Be a graduating high school senior (U.S. and Puerto Rico), graduating from grade 12 (Canada) or graduating from homeschool education in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada
  • Have a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent
  • Plan to enroll full-time, without interruption, for the entire upcoming academic year at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico

BURGER KING® Employee-Based Track Eligibility Requirements 

To apply through the employee-based track, you must:

  • Be living in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico
  • Be an employee* of Burger King Corporation or a participating BURGER KING® franchisee (Franchisees)
    OR
  • Be a spouse (unless legally separated) or domestic partner** of an employee* of Burger King Corporation or Franchisees
    OR
  • Be a dependent child*** of an employee* of Burger King Corporation or Franchisees (Designated Employer)
    AND
  • Be a graduating high school senior (U.S. and Puerto Rico) or have attained a GED, graduating from grade 12 (Canada), graduating from homeschool education in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada or current college undergraduates or graduate level students in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada
  • Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent
  • Plan to enroll**** for the upcoming academic year at an accredited two or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico

* Employees must be active on Designated Employer’s payroll for at least 6 months as of the application deadline date and employed at the time awards are first announced.

** Domestic partner is defined as (i) Employee’s sole Domestic Partner and intend to remain so indefinitely; (ii) Employee and Domestic Partner reside together in the same principal residence and intend to reside together indefinitely; (iii) Employee and Domestic Partner are both at least eighteen (18) years old and mentally competent to consent to a contract; (iv) Employee and Domestic Partner are not related by blood in a close enough manner that would bar marriage under applicable law in effect where they reside; and (v) Employee and Domestic Partner are not legally married to anyone else and are not involved in any other Domestic Partnership.

*** Dependent children are defined as biological, step- or legally adopted children living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.

**** Employees and their spouse/domestic partner may be enrolled part-time or full-time. Children of employees must be enrolled full-time, without interruption, for the entire academic year.

Additional Eligibility Requirements For the James W. McLamore WHOPPER® Scholarship

If you want to be considered for the $50,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER® Scholarship, there are a few additional requirements. You can apply through the General Track or the Employee-Based Track, but you must also:  

  • Be a citizen of the United States or Canada
  • Be a senior at a high school or home school in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico
  • Be applying as a full-time freshman to a four-year accredited, college or university that is located in the United States or Canada and is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
  • Have a cumulative unweighted grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.3
  • Have a minimum ACT Composite score of 25 or a minimum combined SAT score of 1220
  • Demonstrate an active leadership role in community service, athletics, and/or similar co-curricular activity (such as student government, team sports, fraternal life, etc)
  • Demonstrate substantial work experience and financial need
  • Not be an officer, director, spouses/domestic partners or child of an officer or director of the BURGER KING℠ McLamore Foundation

How to Apply for a Burger King Scholarship

Applying for a Burger King Scholarship is a piece of cake as long as you meet the eligibility requirements we just mentioned and have all of the required documents.

Since the Burger King Scholarship Program is officially administered by Scholarship America®, you’ll need to create an account there to access the official application. Once your account is registered, you can begin completing the application in English, Spanish, or French. 

The application will require you to upload: 

  • A list of your work experiences and involvement in school and community activities
  • A current (official or unofficial) transcript of grades (Unofficial or online transcripts must display your name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term the course was taken)
  • BURGER KING® employee information if your application is to be affiliated with an employee
  • If applicable, your family’s financial information. A copy of your parents’ most recent tax form filed with the IRS or Revenue Canada may be helpful to look at when filling out that section of the application

Then once you’ve uploaded everything, remember to submit the application. Scholarship America® will email you afterward to acknowledge they’ve received your application. 

And that’s it! If you watched the video we shared earlier, you heard previous applicants say it only took them about 20 minutes to complete the application! 

You can also get a full view of what the official application looks like and how to complete it, from start to finish, by watching this helpful Burger King scholarship application tutorial: 

Application Timeline for the Burger King Scholarships

Alright, so by now you know whether you’re eligible and how to apply for a Burger King scholarship. But when should you take action so you can make that scholarship money yours?  

Let’s look at the important dates for the Burger King scholarships, including when the application opens, the deadline, and the decision date. 

October 15: The application for the Burger King scholarships opens

December 31: The application for the Burger King scholarships closes 

May: Scholarship America® will announce the winners of the Burger King scholarships and request additional information 

August: Winners of the Burger King scholarships will receive scholarship checks by mail. Winners must then notify their college or university about the award and deliver the scholarship check to the school as soon as possible 

One more thing! 

Although the application deadline is December 31, we’d encourage you to apply way before then. Why? Because if 50,000 applications are received before December 31, the application is no longer be available.

Tips to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Burger King Scholarship 

To win one of the Burger King scholarships, you’ll need an application that stands out among all the other hopeful applicants. So, here are some tips to increase your chances of winning!

Gather Your Application Materials in Advance 

The application for the Burger King Scholarships doesn’t require things like essays or recommendation letters. But you should plan ahead by gathering the required application materials well before the application even opens. Why? Because, as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm! You only have a shot at winning a Burger King scholarship if you’re one of the first 50,000 applicants. So, try to be one of the first to apply! 

Achieve a Solid Academic Record and Test Scores  

Scholarship America® makes half of its decision on whether to award you a Burger King scholarship based on your academic record. As you saw in the eligibility requirements, the minimum cumulative GPA you need for the General Track and Employee-Based Track is a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. And if you want to be considered for the $50,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER® Scholarship, you’ll need to achieve a 3.3 and at least a minimum composite score of 25 on the ACT or 1220 on the SAT. So, make sure to study hard for all of your classes and exams! 

Participate in Extracurricular Activities, Community Service and Work Experience 

Scholarship America® makes the other half of the decision based on the strength of your participation in extracurricular activities, community service, and work experience. Undoubtedly, the most competitive applicants will have participated in all three. So, make sure to consistently participate in these types of activities throughout your time in high school. It won’t just benefit your application for Burger King scholarships. Extracurricular activities, community service, and work experience will also benefit all of your college applications, personal statements, and scholarship essays! 

Where to Find More Scholarships 

The Burger King Scholarships are amazing and absolutely worth applying to so you can reduce the costs of your college education. But don’t stop there. There are many other scholarships you can apply for and win! 

To easily find them, download Scholly Search, the #1 scholarship app in the world that instantly matches you with hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in scholarships based on your interests, accomplishments, and traits! 

You can also check out the rest of our blog where we share tips on how you can find ways to pay for college and win other scholarships like the Coca-Cola Scholarship and various Full-Ride Scholarships.

Good luck!