McDonald's HACER National Scholarship

To date, more than $33 million in McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarships have been awarded to Hispanic and Latino students across the country. The McDonald's HACER® National Scholarship Program offers scholarships to up to 30 outstanding students from all over the country. It continues to provide educational opportunities to help narrow the gap that exists for Hispanic and Latino college-bound students, further reinforcing McDonald’s long-standing commitment to feeding and fostering the diverse communities it serves.

There are three tiers of funds, aimed to help recipients finance their college tuition. Tier 1 recipients are awarded up to $100,000. Tier 2 recipients receive $20,000 or $10,000 and Tier 3 recipients receive $5,000. Recipients are selected based on their academic achievement, community involvement, personal statement and financial need.

What materials and documents are required?

No essay is needed. The only other requirements are these documents:

• Transcript
• Personal statement
• Letter of recommendation to be submitted online
• List of community service projects
• Please note, FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) is no longer required during the initial application process. If you are selected as a semi-finalist, you will be required to provide your FAFSA Submission Summary. In preparation for semi-finalist decisions, complete your FAFSA application.

How are scholarship winners selected?

The scholarship recipients are selected based on:

• Academic achievement
• Financial need
• Community involvement
• Personal statement
• Personal qualities and strengths as portrayed in a personal interview, either in-person or by phone

Winners are selected by June. (Check for emails by April to find out if you are a semi-finalist.)

Are you eligible?

Check out the requirements below to find out if the McDonald’s® HACER® National Scholarship is right for you:

• You’re a high school senior
• Must be a legal U.S. Resident, U.S. Citizen or a DREAMER/DACA recipient
• You’re under 21 years old
• You carry a minimum 2.8 GPA
• You’re eligible to attend a two- or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school with a full-time course of study
• You’ll disclose other scholarship programs that you’ve applied for
• You’ll enroll and attend an accredited institution in the academic year after your selection (verification needed, as scholarship funds are paid directly to the schools)
• You have at least one parent of Hispanic/Latino heritage