Image Credit: Taco Bell Foundation
Each year, thousands of high school students apply for the few spots offered by competitive merit scholarships. The Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship is one of the most popular in the United States. This post gives an overview of the Live Más Scholarship, including key dates, application requirements, and tips for how to win.
What is the Live Más Scholarship?
The Live Más Scholarship is sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation. Since 1992, the foundation has awarded more than $246 million in grants and scholarships and reached over 13 million young people across the country. Live Más scholars receive awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, and past recipients can apply to renew their scholarship. The program has grown over time. In its most recent cycle, the foundation awarded a record $14.5 million to its largest class yet, with more than 1,500 scholarships.
Image Credit: Taco Bell Foundation
Part of the funding is reserved for the Live Más Scholarship Restaurant Employee Program. To qualify for that track, a student must have been employed at a Taco Bell for at least 30 continuous days. Otherwise, they apply through the general scholarship program.
This program is more than a scholarship. We’re not merely a one-off check writer – we’re a continued partner and collaborator who’ll be there with connections and opportunities throughout your journey to help your passion shine so brightly, it changes the world.
Taco Bell Foundation
The foundation describes the program as not “needs or achievement based,” but “a passion-based scholarship program.” Live Más scholars are selected on demonstrated passion, social impact, personal presentation, and educational goals.
What’s the Eligibility for the Live Más Scholarship?
To apply, make sure you meet all the eligibility requirements:
- Legal resident of the U.S.
- At least 16 but not yet 26 years of age.
- Currently enrolled in (or planning to enroll in) an accredited post-secondary education program in the U.S.
- In good academic standing.
There’s no application fee, and there’s no requirement about your major or field of study.
What are the Requirements to Apply?
To be considered, applicants submit a 30-second to 2-minute video (under 500 MB) that answers the following questions:
- What is your passion, and how are you currently pursuing it or planning to pursue it?
- How do you plan to use your passion to make your community, country, and/or world a better place?
- What is your education plan (program, college, or certificate/degree), and how will it help you pursue your passion and create positive impact?
The video can be a short film, an animation, or a simple testimonial.
For the renewal program, the video must show how you’ve furthered your passion since winning the scholarship.
Applicants submit their video online on the Live Más scholarship website.
Live Más Scholarship Acceptance Rate
The Live Más Scholarship is highly competitive. The foundation receives thousands of applications each year for a few hundred new scholarships (plus renewals), which puts the acceptance rate in the single digits. To give your application the best shot with the selection committee, follow the tips below.
How Do I Win the Live Más Scholarship?
Since the Live Más Scholarship is competitive, you need a strong application to stand out. If you’re a Live Más hopeful, follow these steps.
Start early
Giving yourself ample time to prepare will show in the quality of your application. Because selection relies entirely on the short video, you need to put your best foot forward to make a lasting impression on the reviewers.
Creating an authentic, attention-grabbing video that captures who you are takes time. It’s best to start putting it together at least two weeks in advance.
A typical Live Más timeline looks like this (confirm the current year’s dates on the scholarship site):
- Early November: applications open.
- Early January: application deadline.
- Spring: winners announced via email.
Challenge yourself and excel in school
Academic achievement isn’t a listed selection criterion, but challenging yourself with a rigorous workload shows the committee that you regularly seek out challenges and work to overcome them. Put simply, strong grades can’t hurt your case.
Highlight your personality and achievements
Use your application to your advantage. Personalize your video as much as possible to convey who you are and why you deserve a spot over everyone else.
Don’t be afraid to use vivid visuals. Are you passionate about Chinese ink painting or refurbishing used furniture? Show it. Be sure to include elements of community service and tie your passion to civic engagement, whether through projects you’ve already done or future plans.
Create a technically sound video
Since your application is just a video, make sure its format, visuals, and sound match the quality of the content. Think of it like a chef plating a meal: how it’s presented matters almost as much as the taste.
Your video should be easy to follow and effective at presenting your story to the committee. Lean on visuals, and consider pairing images with a compelling voiceover from a script you’ve written beforehand.
If you’re handy with editing (or know a friend who is), put those skills to use. Keep the viewer engaged and leave them wanting to support you, and ultimately award you the scholarship.
Fulfill all application criteria
Make sure you’ve met every requirement before the deadline, and that your video uploaded successfully in the format you intended.
Conclusion
This post gave an overview of the Live Más Scholarship and how to improve your chances of winning. Scholarships like this don’t just ease the financial burden of college, they also connect you with other bright students and a supportive community.
Each scholarship can only take so many recipients, so the key is to apply to several to improve your odds. Check out Rishab’s ultimate scholarship guide, with 90+ vetted scholarships worth your time. Best of luck.
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