Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra seniors and alumni who graduated since 2004 are eligible to compete for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship Program, one of the largest and most competitive scholarship programs in the country for graduate and professional education. Hofstra has had two successful Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholars in recent years.

The scholarships, which can be as much as $50,000 a year for six years for a total of $300,000, will be awarded in early summer 2009 for use during the 2009-2010 academic year. The awards will be renewed by the Foundation each year based on performance. The Foundation, which receives about 1,000 scholarship applications each year, awarded 34 scholarships for the current academic year and in June 2009 will award 50 scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year.

To be eligible, a student must have a GPA of 3.50 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent), plan to begin their first graduate degree next fall and must be nominated by the undergraduate institution. The university can nominate two candidates. The on-campus deadline for on-line submission of the complete application for both current students and alumni is January 20, 2009.

Interested students and alumni should contact Neil H. Donahue, associate dean of Hofstra University Honors College, at (516) 463-5442 or Neil.H.Donahue@hofstra.edu. For further information on this and other graduate scholarships, students can go to www.Hofstra.edu/ScholarshipNexus.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 140 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education and allied human services, and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence.