Class of 2023 meaning

Beginning December 6, 2021, all juniors in the U.S. and U.S. territories in the Class of 2023 can earn chances at $500 and $40,000 scholarships by taking steps on BigFuture to plan and pay for college. This scholarship program was formerly known as the College Board Opportunity Scholarships for the classes of 2020-2022.

BigFuture Scholarships will award more than $3 million to more than 4,000 students in the Class of 2023. At least half of the scholarships – more than $1.5 million – will be awarded to students whose families earn less than $60,000 per year.

For counselors and other educators who’ve been encouraging students to participate in the College Board Opportunity Scholarships, here are the key changes you should keep in mind for juniors who want to win BigFuture Scholarships:

• Monthly $500 and $40,000 Award Drawings: Every single month, BigFuture will now recognize two $40,000 winners from the Class of 2023 between January 2022 and February 2023. (This means we will not wait to until the end of students’ senior year to select $40,000 winners.) We’ll also continue to select hundreds of $500 winners every month.
• More Action = More Chances at Scholarships: Students who complete any of the six prioritized steps on BigFuture, beginning with building a college list and practicing for the SAT, will be eligible for each month’s scholarship drawings.
  • By completing one step, students will earn entries into drawings for both $500 and $40,000 scholarships.
  • For each additional step they complete, students will earn additional entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000.
  • Students who qualify as lower income earn two entries in every drawing, thus increasing their chances at being awarded scholarships. There are no changes to the six steps that students take to qualify for scholarships.
• Automatic Inclusion for Juniors: Students do not need to sign up to be entered into monthly drawings for $500 or $40,000.
  • When they complete one of the six steps on BigFuture, any Class of 2023 student with a College Board account who attends high school in the United States, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories will be automatically entered into monthly drawings.
  • U.S. citizens or residents who have College Board accounts and attend a Department of Defense Activity (DoDEA) school abroad will also be entered into drawings when they complete a step.
  • Beginning December 6, students can opt out of drawings at bigfuturescholarships.org/opt-out. After students complete any step to qualify for drawings, they will receive an email confirmation that includes a link with instructions on how to opt out.
• Integration with BigFuture: In January, a new BigFuture home page will launch and include a dashboard where students can track their progress to qualify for $500 and $40,000 scholarships.

How to Get Started: Beginning December 6, students, parents and educators can learn more at bigfuturescholarships.org. Juniors who take the first step of building a college list with six or more schools will be automatically entered in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000.

Counselors can access resources to promote BigFuture Scholarships for the class of 2023 here

All seniors in the Class of 2022 can continue to sign up and take steps to earn College Board Opportunity Scholarships at cb.org/opportunity. The Opportunity Scholarships program will end on February 28, 2022. College Board will announce the 25 Class of 2022 winners of the $40,000 scholarships in March as promised.

Counselors can access resources to promote the College Board Opportunity Scholarships for the class of 2022 here

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