Generation Google Scholarship 2026: Award Amounts, Eligibility, and How to Apply

Generation Google Scholarship 2026: Award Amounts, Eligibility, and How to Apply

The Generation Google Scholarship is one of the most recognized awards in the world for students who are building careers in computing. Funded by Google as part of its Build Your Future initiative, the program supports students who are pursuing degrees in computer science and closely related technical fields, with a particular focus on students from groups that have historically been excluded from or underrepresented in the technology industry.

Unlike a single global competition, the Generation Google Scholarship runs as a set of regional programs. There are versions for North America, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and for the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), including a dedicated program for India. Each regional version has its own award amount, its own administering partner, its own eligibility rules, and its own application deadline. Google decides your region based on the location of the college or university you attend, not on your citizenship or where you currently live.

This page explains what the scholarship offers, who it fits, how the application works, and how to prepare a strong submission. Because the details differ from region to region and change from year to year, treat the figures below as a guide and confirm the exact terms for your region on the official Google Build Your Future scholarships page before you apply.

Generation Google Scholarship at a Glance

What the Scholarship Offers

The core benefit is a cash scholarship award. For the North America program, the confirmed amounts have been US$10,000 for students studying at an accredited university in the United States and CAD$5,000 for students studying in Canada. These awards are intended to help cover tuition and education-related costs for the upcoming academic year.

For other regions, the amount is different and is set in the local context, so an EMEA award may be denominated in euros or pounds and an APAC award in US dollars or a local currency. Across the various regional programs, publicly reported award values have ranged from around US$2,500 to US$10,000 depending on the region and year. Because these figures are not uniform, do not assume the North America amount applies to your region. Check the specific regional page for the exact figure.

Beyond the money, recipients join a recognized cohort of scholars. In past years, Google has invited Generation Google Scholarship recipients to a virtual or in-person retreat or summit that connects them with Googlers and with one another. The networking, mentorship exposure, and the credibility that comes from holding a named Google scholarship can matter as much as the cash itself when students go on to apply for internships and full-time roles.

Who the Scholarship Is For

This scholarship is aimed at students who are serious about a technical career in computing and who also care about making the field more inclusive. The strongest candidates tend to combine three things: solid academic performance in a technical program, evidence of leadership, and a demonstrated passion for increasing diversity and representation in technology.

Google explicitly encourages applications from students who are members of groups that are historically underrepresented in the technology sector. That has included women, Black or African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, Native American, Indigenous, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students, and students with disabilities, among others, with the specific emphasis varying by region. Some regional versions are more narrowly framed. For example, an EMEA version has been offered specifically for women in computer science in Ireland. The program is not limited only to students from these groups in every region, but the mission of widening participation is central to how applications are judged.

If you are a student who has organized a coding club, mentored younger students, contributed to an open-source project, run a hackathon, led a chapter of a student organization, or otherwise worked to bring more people into computing, this is a scholarship where that work will be recognized and rewarded.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility rules differ by region, but the common threads across the Generation Google Scholarship programs are consistent. In general, to qualify you should meet criteria along these lines:

• You are currently enrolled full-time at an accredited university or college, or you are a high school senior who intends to enroll full-time for the coming academic year (the inclusion of high school seniors varies by region).
• You intend to be enrolled full-time in a bachelor’s degree program for the upcoming academic year. Some regional versions also consider master’s students.
• You are studying, or plan to study, computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• You have a strong academic record.
• You can demonstrate leadership and a genuine commitment to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science and technology.
• You meet the region-specific study-location and residency requirements. Remember that Google assigns your region based on where your university is located.

For the North America program, recent cycles have also asked applicants to demonstrate financial need and have excluded children of Google employees. Because these specifics can be added, removed, or reworded from year to year, read your region’s current eligibility list carefully rather than relying on a previous year’s rules.

Required Application Materials

The Generation Google Scholarship is an online application, and the materials it asks for are typical of a competitive merit scholarship. For the North America program administered by the Institute of International Education, applicants have been asked to provide:

• A resume or CV, usually as a PDF.
• A current or most recent academic transcript. Unofficial transcripts have generally been accepted.
• Responses to several short-answer essay questions.
• Two letters of recommendation (the number can vary by region and year).
• General background information, which may include family and household details for regions that assess financial need.

The essay questions are the heart of the application. They typically ask you to describe your background, your interest in and experience with computer science, your leadership, and what you have done to advance diversity and inclusion in your community or your field. This is where you turn a list of activities into a story that shows judgment, initiative, and impact.

There is no application fee reported for the program.

Application Process, Step by Step

1. Confirm your region. Start on the official Google Build Your Future scholarships page and identify which regional version matches the location of your university. This determines the award amount, the administering partner, the eligibility rules, and the deadline that apply to you.
2. Read the current-cycle eligibility criteria in full and make sure you qualify before investing time in the application.
3. Gather your documents early. Request your transcript and give your recommenders several weeks of notice so they can write strong, specific letters.
4. Draft your essays well ahead of the deadline. Write, set them aside, and revise. Ask a mentor, professor, or peer to read them.
5. Complete the online application form on the administering partner’s portal. For North America this has been the IIE application system.
6. Review everything for accuracy, upload your files in the requested formats, and submit before the deadline. Late applications are generally not accepted.
7. Watch your email, including spam folders, for follow-up. Selected applicants are notified after the review period, and shortlisted candidates may be asked for additional steps in some regions.

Timeline and Deadlines

The Generation Google Scholarship runs on an annual cycle, but the calendar is not the same across regions. Historically, application windows have opened in the summer and closed in late summer or the autumn, with some regional versions running later into the winter. For the North America program, recent cycles have used a deadline in mid-August, and reporting for the current cycle points to a deadline around August 14. Because deadlines shift year to year and differ by region, and because reporting sources sometimes disagree, treat any specific date here as provisional and verify the exact deadline for your region directly on the official page before you rely on it. Awards are typically announced for use in the upcoming academic year, so plan to apply the year before you need the funds.

Preparation Strategy

The applicants who succeed are usually not the ones with the single highest test score; they are the ones who present a coherent, credible story about who they are and where they are going. To build that:

• Lead with specifics. Instead of writing that you are passionate about inclusion, describe the workshop you ran, how many students attended, and what changed as a result.
• Tie your technical interest to a purpose. Selection committees respond to students who can explain not just that they like to code, but what they want to build and why.
• Make your leadership legible. Even small initiatives count if you show that you started something, carried responsibility, and produced a result.
• Brief your recommenders. Give them your resume, the essay themes, and a reminder of specific things you did in their class or program so their letters reinforce your narrative with concrete detail.
• Match the mission. The scholarship exists to broaden participation in computing, so make sure at least one part of your application speaks directly to that goal in your own voice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying to the wrong region. Your region is set by your university’s location, not your nationality. Getting this wrong can invalidate an application.
• Treating the essays as an afterthought. Generic, last-minute essays are the most common reason strong students are passed over.
• Missing the deadline because you assumed last year’s date. Deadlines move. Confirm the current one.
• Ignoring formatting instructions. If a transcript or resume is required as a PDF, submit a PDF.
• Giving recommenders too little time or too little context, which produces vague letters.
• Overlooking region-specific requirements such as financial-need documentation where it applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Generation Google Scholarship still active? Yes. It is an ongoing, recurring annual program offered through Google’s Build Your Future initiative, with separate regional versions.

How much is the award? For North America, it has been US$10,000 for students studying in the United States and CAD$5,000 for students studying in Canada. Amounts for EMEA, APAC, and other regions differ and have ranged more broadly. Confirm the figure for your region on the official page.

Do I have to be a computer science major? You should be studying computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field. Check your region’s exact wording for which majors qualify.

Is there an application fee? No application fee has been reported for the program.

Can graduate students apply? Some regional versions consider master’s students, while others focus on undergraduates and, in some cases, high school seniors intending to enroll. Verify the level requirements for your region.

Who administers the application? Google partners with regional organizations. In North America, the Institute of International Education (IIE) has administered the application.

Official Links

• Google Build Your Future scholarship page: https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/scholarships/generation-google-scholarship
• Google Careers scholarships overview: https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/buildyourfuture/scholarships/generation-google-scholarship
• Institute of International Education (IIE) Generation Google Scholarship: https://www.iie.org/programs/generationgoogle/

Always confirm the current award amount, eligibility criteria, required materials, and deadline for your specific region on the official Google page before applying, because these details are set per region and updated each cycle.