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 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.
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
2,000 characters: How could receiving this scholarship help you overcome obstacles, including financial challenges, and ultimately reach your educational and career goals?
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $25,000 award. Up to 25 awards will be granted.
Awards may be renewed for up to one additional year. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance in a full-time course of study and continued enrollment at an accredited four-year college or university. 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 at an accredited four (4) year college or university for the Fall 2023 semester, when scholarship funding will be applied for the 2023-2024 academic year. Failure to confirm enrollment for the Fall 2023 semester will result in forfeiture of the scholarship award.
All applicants will be notified in late May.
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of PepsiCo Foundation. Payment is made in early August.
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
