The PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E. (Success Matters in Life & Education) Scholarship is designed to help students transition from designated partner community colleges to four-year colleges and universities.
The PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship seeks to break down barriers for students lacking access to financial support and professional development opportunities. To qualify for this need-based scholarship, students must identify as a member of an underserved community (i.e., not receiving enough help, products, or services), or otherwise meet one of the eligibility criteria listed in the application.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Applicants to The PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship must:
PepsiCo employees and children of PepsiCo employees are ineligible.
Study in any medical field is NOT eligible.
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
Financial need will be considered. Recipients must demonstrate need.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of PepsiCo Foundation play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
*Essay Topic
Essay 1: How could receiving this scholarship help you overcome obstacles, including financial challenges, and ultimately reach your educational and career goals? (2,000 characters)
If selected, the student will receive a total annual award of up to $20,000, broken into two semester by semester payments up to $10,000 per semester, based on cost of attendance at their enrolled 4 yr college or university.
Awards are approved and renewed on a semester by semester basis. For example, recipients will receive up to $10,000 for Fall 2025 semester based on cost of attendance. Recipients must meet renewal requirements by a set date in Fall 2025 to receive a renewal payment of up to $10,000 for Spring 2026 semester. Awards are renewable up to one year, or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance, continued enrollment at a 4-year college or university in a PepsiCo approved major, and participation in Professional Development programming provided by PepsiCo. If an award recipient changes their major to an area of study outside of the eligible Business and STEM Majors, they will forfeit eligibility for the scholarship.
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Award funds may be used primarily for tuition and fees and for education-related expenses including room and board and indirect educational expenses included in the cost of attendance.
In addition to funding towards cost of attendance, the scholarship also offers a rich series of professional development events, workforce readiness tools, and mentorship, to help recipients prepare for the transition to a successful corporate career.
Recipients MUST be enrolled in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited four (4) year college or university for the entire 2025-2026 academic year (fall and spring terms.) Scholarship funding will be applied for the entire 2025-2026 academic year. Failure to confirm enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester will result in forfeiture of the entire scholarship award.
All applicants will be notified in May.
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of PepsiCo Foundation. Payment is made in August for the 2025 fall semester, and again in January 2026 for the 2026 spring semester. (up to $10,000 per semester provided student meets eligibility requirements)
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
