The Matchlighters Scholars Program
The Matchlighters Scholars Program welcomes U.S. residents of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, or citizenship status.
What is Matchlighters?
At CEG, we believe in equal opportunity and access to higher education.
The Matchlighters Scholars Program pairs highly motivated students from low-income households with experienced college counselors. It’s totally free and applying couldn’t be easier.
Are you a counselor interested in volunteering?
The Matchlighters Story
“I come from a single parent household, my father does not support us in any way at all and my mother has just recently been let go of due to financial struggles, but I would like to ask for your help. Please light a little match to guide me through this.”
This is the email that started it all, back in 2015, from a student we’d never met before.
And, just like that, Matchlighters was born.
The Matchlighters Scholars Program connects generous and experienced college counselors with highly motivated students from low-income households across the country, to deliver college admissions help to those who need it most.
The scholarship offers 10 hours of one-on-one support in navigating the complex college admissions process — at no cost.
Many students have solid grades. They just need a little extra help. That’s where we come in.
“Learning about the College Essay Guy and Matchlighters scholarship was life-changing for me.
Slowly my confusion and anxiety about the application process disappeared — the kind support of your team allowed me to enjoy it and to learn from this process more than I could ever dream of.”
Anastasia
Matchlighters Scholar
Step 1
Make Sure You Qualify
In order to qualify for the Matchlighters Scholarship program, you must meet the following requirements:
- You’re a US resident (undocumented students welcome). Unfortunately, we’re not able to support international students at this time.
- You’re trying to get into college or graduate school. You could be a second-semester junior in high school, a senior in high school, a gap-year student, or even a part-time student working a job to support your family. No matter your story, if you’re trying to get into college or graduate school, we’ve got a counselor for you.
- You’ve earned a 3.0 unweighted GPA. You’ll submit your high school transcripts as part of your application.
- Your family income falls within our income guidelines. As part of the application process, you will share documentation of one of the following:
- Enrollment in free/reduced-price lunch program
- Enrollment in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families
- Copy of your family’s federal 2024 tax return (please black out SSNs for security)
- You are motivated and ready to work.
Step 2
Complete the Application Form
Plan to spend 20 minutes or so filling it out. Also, make sure you have access to your high school transcripts as well as a document that proves your financial need.
If you meet the financial and academic requirements, you’ll be accepted.
Step 3
Complete Your Brainstorming Exercises
If you’re accepted, you’ll receive an email with instructions for completing your essay brainstorming exercises.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll send them back to us for review.
And that’s all you have to do.
Based on the preferred start date listed on your application, you will be introduced to a professional counselor for 10 hours of virtual one-on-one support.
I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you for creating such a wonderful scholarship program.
Without Matchlighters and my amazing counselor, I would have never been able to complete and compose such great essays that help me get admitted to Harvard, UPenn, Duke, JHU, Rice, and UCLA! I still cannot believe what happened this past month and all of that incredible news would not have been a reality without the Matchlighters program.
Khoa
Matchlighters Scholar
Here’s where some of our Matchlighters scholars ended up
And here’s what some of our Scholars have been up to
Meet the twins developing an indoor navigation app for the visually impaired
17-year-old twins, entrepreneurs and full-time high school students Alp and Mert Kanıbir, share their story.
After Supreme Court ruling, college applicants still write about race
Walking the streets of England as a Latina teenager, Estefany Cepeda Fana recalled getting “weird looks” around town and even hearing someone call her the n-word.
Nigerian teen gets 19 scholarship offers worth more than $5 million from the US and Canada
Victory Yinka-Banjo, a 17-year-old high school graduate, was offered more than $5 million dollars’ worth of scholarship money for an undergraduate program of study, according to admission documents and estimates of financial aid awards.
Is Your College/University Interested in Meeting our Fabulous Scholars?
We are always happy to host a virtual information session, an interview night, or just make a connection with an incredible student.
View Our CBO Profile Contact Us
Lighting the Way
Meet some of our fabulous Matchlighter volunteers.
Shannon Bergeron
A program volunteer since 2020, Shannon quickly develops strong working partnerships with her Scholars, thanks to her warm and approachable demeanor. With 16 years of experience as a school counselor and leader, paired with her own journey as a first-generation college student, Shannon brings deep expertise and unique perspective to her student-centered partnerships.
The heart of her work is focused on creating a college going culture for all students, as well as breaking down barriers to accessing higher education. Shannon is a fierce advocate for all of her students, especially those who identify as transgender and nonbinary.
Dr. John Young
A veteran former teacher, longtime volunteer and former Matchlighters Scholars Coach, Dr. John is beloved by the many Scholars who have worked with him over the last five years. As the first male to earn a doctorate in Gifted Education from Columbia University Teachers College, Dr. John’s work is focused on supporting academically high-achieving adolescent Black males. With deep care and through powerful mentorship, he helps students to see the possibilities that lie ahead and guides them as they embark on this next stage of their academic journey.
What our Matchlighters are Saying
I am a senior at Brooklyn Technical High School who has recently been enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
I am writing this email to express my heartfelt gratitude for the scholarship program. This program is truly amazing, and I sincerely hope that you continue to support other students after me.
Anna Ye
I am a student who has received the Matchlighters Scholarship and the 10 free sessions.
I’m happy to say that I have received a full 4-year scholarship to Columbia University through Questbridge. I would like to thank Matchlighters for this incredible opportunity. Matchlighters truly changed my life and will forever remain in my heart.
Naima Islam
I am extremely excited to tell you that I was accepted by Cornell Early Decision, Computer Science in Cornell Engineering!
I want to say thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart! Jane is an extremely helpful and responsible counselor. During my college application journey, she was with me the whole time, guiding me and answering all my questions (and I had a lot). Also, she is the best writing teacher!
Janet Lou
Thank you for all the help both you personally and the Matchlighters Scholarship Program in general has been able to offer me.
Without the meetings with my counselor, our meetings together when Natasha was away, and the resources that CEG provided virtually, I know that I would not have been as confident and successful in the entire application process.
Rushil Vashee
Questions?
Click here to see answers to the most frequently asked Matchlighters questions.
Don’t see your question answered?
Email [email protected]