Eliminating barriers to educational success

In 1958, optometrist Dr. Irving Fradkin had a simple but profound idea: if everyone in his community gave a dollar to a scholarship fund, it would be enough to help every local student attend college.

His experiment worked — and that first effort evolved into Scholarship America, the nation’s largest scholarship administrator.

At Scholarship America, our mission is to eliminate barriers to educational success so that any student can pursue their dream.

Our vision is to empower an America where those with the most need have the opportunity to thrive through equitable pathways to education and training, and we’re committed to creating a world where every student can access the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed. Our expert approach and focus on students facing financial challenges help break down barriers and open doors to education. That’s how, in our over 60 years of history, we have managed to administer and award $5.4 billion in scholarships to more than 3 million deserving students on the pathway to education.

With committed supporters ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies, we’ve been able to guide and uplift students on their educational journey.

We’re proud of all the good we’ve done. And we’re ready to do more.