Founders Scholarships
A bet on the students who are already running.
Founders School sets aside a small number of full and partial scholarships for exceptional applicants with a business already in motion.
Who it’s for
The strongest candidates share three things.
Real traction.
A product, a service, an audience, or revenue that exists outside of school assignments. Something you can show.
An industry we're deeply familiar with.
Our team’s deepest expertise is in software, AI, ed-tech, content, and consumer products. If your work fits where we’re strong, we can move you faster.
The cognitive horsepower to handle the academic side.
Founders School is honors-track by default — 1500+ SAT, multiple APs, real college-prep transcript. The scholarship is for builders who don’t have to choose between business and academics.
How it works
Year 1, funded. Year 2, self-funded — by you.
Funded in full or in part.
Awards range from partial tuition support up to a fully-funded year covering the $150,000 tuition. For students enrolling from outside New York whose award is large enough to make it possible, boarding can be included as well.
Self-funded.
Our goal during your scholarship year is to get your business to the point where it can pay your tuition the following years. Ten months pair-working every afternoon with an entrepreneur, drop-in support from elite founders, and the same loop our full cohort runs — except you have a head start.
We are betting that if we put a serious builder in this environment for a year, the business they walk out with justifies continuing in the program.
What we’re looking for
You don’t apply separately.
The application is the same form every Founders School applicant fills out. The scholarship review is layered on top — if your application looks like a scholarship candidate to our admissions team, we’ll tell you.
What moves an application into consideration
- A business with traction we can verify (URL, revenue, audience numbers, shipped product).
- A clear, specific articulation of what you’re trying to build and why it could be a real company.
- Strong performance on our CCAT cognitive assessment (we use it in place of transcripts).
- Evidence of proactive outreach, self-direction, and the kind of intensity that makes you stand out.
Scholarship awards are decided case by case. We don’t run a fixed count or a published quota, and the size of each award is calibrated to the candidate — if your application clears the bar, we’ll make the call on what makes sense.
What it is not
Three quick clarifications.
It is not financial aid.
We don’t means-test. The award isn’t based on family income or what you can afford — it’s based on whether we believe a year in this program will materially change the trajectory of the business you’re already building.
It is not a four-year commitment.
The scholarship covers Year 1 (and, for honors-track students transferring in, that may be the only year you need with us before graduation). We don’t guarantee it continues into Year 2. If at the end of Year 1 the business isn’t yet at the point of self-funding and continuing makes sense for both sides, we’ll have that conversation then.
It is not the $1M guarantee.
Our four-year program guarantees students who enroll as freshmen will graduate with $1M in profit, or get their tuition refunded. The Founders Scholarship is a separate thing — a bet at the front door instead of the back end.
How to apply
Four steps. Most candidates have an answer in two weeks.
- 01
Submit your application
Apply at founders.school/apply. Be specific about what you’re building. Link to the product, the audience, the revenue — whatever exists. There’s a checkbox to indicate if you want to be considered for the scholarship.
- 02
Take the CCAT
We’ll send the link after your application is received.
- 03
First-round call
Our admissions team will reach out within a week to learn more.
- 04
Final conversation
If your application enters scholarship consideration, you’ll meet with the Founders School team to talk through your business and the year ahead.
Questions we get a lot
Frequently asked.
Is the scholarship need-based?
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No. We don’t look at family income. We look at the business and the builder.
Can I apply for a partial scholarship?
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You don’t apply for a specific tier — every applicant is reviewed for the program first, and scholarship consideration is layered on top. Awards range from partial to full Year 1 funding, sized to the candidate. If we want you in the program but a scholarship isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you and we can talk about enrollment from there.
Does the scholarship continue into Year 2?
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Our goal is for you to be self-funding from Year 2 onward, primarily through the business you build during your scholarship year. We don’t guarantee continuation — but if circumstances warrant revisiting it next year, we will.
What if my business takes off and pays for itself in Year 1?
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Great. That’s the goal. Nothing about the scholarship requires you to stop running your business or share equity with us. The award is yours.
Do I have to be a freshman?
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No. We’ve reserved scholarships across grade levels. That said, the bar gets higher the older you are — a sophomore with a small audience and an early product is an easier yes than a senior in the same position.
What if I’m outside New York?
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For larger awards, the scholarship can cover boarding for non-local students. You’ll live in NYC for the school year.
Ready to apply?
If you’re already running something — show us.
Tell us what you’re building. Be specific. Link to the product, the audience, the revenue. We’ll take it from there.