dell scholars

What dell scholars does

Dell Scholars is a non-profit scholarship program established in 2004 and operated by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. It serves first-generation, Pell Grant-eligible college students in the United States, awarding each selected scholar a $20,000 scholarship together with a structured support package that includes academic coaching, career guidance, and mental health resources. The program selects approximately 500 scholars per year and has supported more than 6,000 students in total, producing over 4,500 graduates since inception.

The program is funded directly by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation rather than from tuition, fees, or commercial revenue, so it operates as a charitable grant-making initiative with no consumer pricing or transactional business model. Service delivery is reinforced by partnerships with more than 25 college readiness programs that feed the applicant pipeline, and by Dell Scholars Connect, an ongoing community platform that maintains engagement with scholars and alumni beyond the scholarship period. A secondary employer partnership program connects graduates with organizations seeking diverse talent, but no commercial revenue, contracts, or pricing model is associated with this channel based on the input data.

Dell Scholars is not a commercial technology or services company; it is a foundation-operated education-access initiative whose outputs are credentials, graduation rates, and employment outcomes rather than revenue. As such, traditional PE/VC/M&A financial metrics are only loosely applicable, and the principal analytical concerns are funder concentration, cohort consistency, and outcome quality rather than growth, margins, or addressable market capture.

Name

dell scholars

Legal name

Dell Scholars

Website

https://dellscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dell Scholars is a non-profit scholarship program of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation that awards $20,000 plus academic, career, and mental health support to roughly 500 first-generation, Pell Grant-eligible U.S. college students each year, having supported more than 6,000 scholars since 2004.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• College scholarship program
• Higher education access
• Nonprofit scholarship foundation
• College completion support
• Student financial aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: As an initiative of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Dell Scholars is funded through philanthropic donations rather than commercial revenue. The program provides a $20,000 flexible scholarship to each scholar, covering tuition, housing, laptops, and other college expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dell Scholars is a scholarship and college-completion program that awards each selected scholar a $20,000 flexible scholarship covering tuition, housing, a laptop, book credits, and emergency funds. The program wraps that financial award with academic coaching, career guidance, wellness resources, and access to a private scholar community platform. Approximately 500 new students are selected each year through partnerships with approved college readiness programs.

Product overview

The Dell Scholars program is a single, unified scholarship and college completion initiative run by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The core offering is the Dell Scholars Scholarship Program, which provides $20,000 in flexible funding along with a comprehensive support ecosystem. This ecosystem includes four key support modules: Academic Support Services (coaching and check-ins), Financial Support (scholarship funding, laptop, book credits, emergency funds), Professional Development (career guidance and internship support), and Wellness Support (teletherapy and discounted services). Additionally, the program operates Dell Scholars Connect, a private community platform for scholars, and maintains an Employer Partnership Program that connects graduates with hiring organizations. The program serves approximately 500 new students annually and has produced over 4,500 alumni since 2004.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dell Scholars Scholarship Program Award-based scholarship and college-completion program for first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible high school seniors, providing $20,000 in flexible funding plus academic coaching, career guidance, and wellness support. Approximately 500 scholars are selected each year.
• Dell Scholars Connect Private community platform for selected Dell Scholars to stay in contact with each other and with the foundation, providing networking and community features for program participants.
• Employer Partnership Program Connects employers with well-prepared Dell Scholars before graduation through customized hiring solutions, skilled intern placements, and workforce development networking events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ scholars supported since 2004
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Michael & Susan Dell FoundationflagshipOthersThe Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is the parent organization that founded and funds the Dell Scholars program. The program is described as an initiative of the foundation, with the foundation providing all financial support, operational resources, and strategic direction.
• The University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough a partnership with UT Austin, qualifying first-year students become Dell Scholars and receive notification with their initial financial aid package. There is no separate application for UT Austin students - eligibility is determined at point of entry in freshman year.
• AVIDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program. AVID works with students in the academic middle to prepare them for college.
• KIPP Academy / KIPP Through CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.
• GEAR UPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program. Federal TRIO program supporting low-income students.
• Upward BoundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.
• 10,000 DegreescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.
• Breakthrough Central TexascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.
• College PossiblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.
• Bottom LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 25+ approved college readiness programs that identify and refer eligible high school students to the Dell Scholars program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Gates Scholarship: The Gates Scholarship, run by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for high-achieving, minority, Pell-eligible high school seniors. It is the closest large-scale national peer to Dell Scholars given the shared foundation-funded, need-and-merit, multi-year college-completion model.
• Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Program: The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation awards multi-year scholarships (up to $55,000/year) to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need, paired with advising and transition-to-college support. Comparable to Dell Scholars on selectivity, foundation funding model, and the bundle of financial + non-financial support services.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: The Coca-Cola Scholars Program awards 150 achievement-based scholarships of $20,000 per year to high school seniors, with lifelong access to an alumni network. Comparable as a large, nationally recognized, corporate/foundation-funded scholarship with a strong alumni community, though it skews toward merit rather than need.
• QuestBridge: QuestBridge matches low-income high-achieving students with full scholarships at partner colleges, plus a supportive community. Directly comparable to Dell Scholars in serving first-generation/Pell-eligible students with both financial awards and non-financial support infrastructure.
• Horatio Alger Association Scholarship Program: The Horatio Alger Association awards need-based scholarships (up to $25,000) to high school juniors who have faced and overcome adversity. Comparable to Dell Scholars' focus on perseverance and adversity, plus its emphasis on a strong alumni network.
• Ron Brown Scholar Program: The Ron Brown Scholar Program provides $40,000 ($10,000/year) scholarships to African-American high school seniors, plus mentoring and a service orientation. Comparable as a smaller-scale, foundation-funded, leadership-and-merit scholarship for underrepresented students.
• Posse Foundation: Posse identifies and trains diverse cohorts of high school students for college success, and partners with colleges to award full-tuition scholarships. Comparable as a non-cognitive-skill-driven, cohort-based college access and completion program for first-generation students, though delivered via a partner-college model instead of direct cash scholarships.

Emerging players

• Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: Operated primarily in Africa (with recent US expansion), the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is a large-scale, foundation-funded scholarship with comprehensive support including mentoring and transition-to-work. Comparable on mission and wraparound service model; differs in geographic focus.
• Robertson Scholars Program (Duke / UNC): The Robertson Scholars Program is a full-ride, four-year undergraduate scholarship at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill with leadership development and a strong alumni network. Comparable on the comprehensive support + strong alumni model, but smaller in scale and limited to two partner universities.

Broad incumbents

• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): UNCF administers hundreds of scholarships for African-American students attending HBCUs and other institutions, plus manages scholarship administration on behalf of corporate donors. Comparable as a large-scale scholarship administration and student-success entity serving underrepresented populations, though it operates more as an aggregator/admin than a single direct scholarship program.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/dell-scholars-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dell scholars