The Dr Pepper scholarship is a national video contest that awards three $100,000 tuition prizes to students ages 18 to 24 in 2026. Nine finalists earn the prizes in a halftime football throwing contest at three conference championship games on December 5, 2026. Judges score each entry video on career goals, financial need, impact, and presentation before any football is thrown. Prize amounts, eligibility rules, video requirements, judging weights, selection steps, and a separate $10,000 sweepstakes appear in the sections below. The 2026 entry window has closed, and the guide also shows students how to prepare for the next cycle.
What Is the Dr Pepper Scholarship?
The Dr Pepper scholarship is the public name for the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, an annual tuition contest sponsored by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. Dr Pepper has run tuition giveaways for more than 30 years. The official program page reports $21 million in tuition awarded across the last 30 years. Standard scholarships rank applicants by grades, essays, and recommendation letters. The Dr Pepper contest ranks applicants by a 60-second video and, for finalists, by throwing accuracy at halftime of a championship game. A student with a 2.8 GPA (grade point average) can beat a student with a 4.0 GPA, because grades never enter the scoring rubric. The halftime contests air live during the championship broadcasts, so finalists perform in front of a national television audience.
What Prizes Does the Dr Pepper Scholarship Award in 2026?
The 2026 Dr Pepper scholarship pays three $100,000 tuition prizes, three $20,000 runner-up prizes, and three $2,500 consolation prizes. Each championship game hosts three finalists. Every finalist wins money, because third place still pays $2,500 in tuition. Travel support comes with a finalist spot: round-trip airfare for the finalist and one guest, two nights of hotel lodging, and airport transfers. A finalist receives a $200 gas card instead of airfare, if the finalist lives within 200 miles of the stadium. The three games distribute $367,500 in tuition prizes combined. Prize money is designated for tuition and postsecondary education expenses at accredited institutions in the United States.
All three games take place on Saturday, December 5, 2026, and the start times below are Eastern Time (ET).
| Championship Game | Stadium and City | Date and Broadcast | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC Championship Game | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte | December 5, 2026, 12 p.m. ET on ABC | $100,000 | $20,000 | $2,500 |
| SEC Championship Game | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | December 5, 2026, 4 p.m. ET on ABC | $100,000 | $20,000 | $2,500 |
| Big Ten Championship Game | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis | December 5, 2026, 8 p.m. ET on FOX | $100,000 | $20,000 | $2,500 |
Who Is Eligible for the Dr Pepper Scholarship?
Legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 to 24 years old at the time of entry are eligible for the Dr Pepper scholarship. Residents of Puerto Rico cannot enter, and the promotion is void where prohibited. Enrollment rules accept students at many institution types.
- Age: 18 to 24 years old on the date of entry
- Residency: legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia
- Enrollment: attending or accepted at an accredited two-year college, four-year college, technical school, vocational school, or graduate program in the United States
- Cost: no purchase and no entry fee
- Entry limit: one video per person
Grade requirements do not appear in the rules, so a first-semester freshman with no college GPA still qualifies. Sponsor and agency employees, plus members of their households, are excluded under standard promotion rules. Age at the moment of submission controls eligibility, and finalists must prove age and enrollment during verification. Consider one example: a 19-year-old line cook in Ohio who attends a community college meets every requirement, but a 25-year-old doctoral candidate in Texas fails the age rule.
How Do You Enter the Dr Pepper Scholarship?
Students enter the Dr Pepper scholarship by submitting one video at drpepper.com/tuition during the entry window. The 2026 window ran from September 1 to September 30, and the entry page now displays finalist information instead of an upload form. Five steps complete an entry.
- Visit drpepper.com/tuition during the entry window and open the official entry form.
- Record one video of 60 seconds or less that covers your career goals, your need for tuition assistance, and the impact of the award.
- Save the video in MP4, MOV, or WMV format, and keep the file under 500 MB.
- Submit the entry form and upload the video before 11:59 p.m. ET on September 30, 2026.
- Monitor your email and phone after submission, because the contest administrator notifies finalists directly.
Preparation beats timing pressure here. Students who script and rehearse the video in August face no upload stress in late September. A short practice run on a phone also reveals audio problems while reshooting still costs nothing.
What Are the Dr Pepper Scholarship Video Rules?
The video must run 60 seconds or less, use MP4, MOV, or WMV format, and stay under 500 MB. Your recording must be in English, must be original work, and must be suitable for publication. Judges score every video on four criteria, and the official rules assign each criterion a fixed weight.
- Need for tuition assistance: 30 percent
- Impact of tuition assistance: 30 percent
- Career goals: 25 percent
- Presentation quality and delivery: 15 percent
How Should a 60-Second Video Be Structured?
Need and impact together control 60 of the 100 judging points, so the middle of the video deserves the most seconds. One workable split gives 10 seconds to your name, school, and career goal, 35 seconds to your costs and the change the money creates, and 15 seconds to a closing statement. Specific figures persuade judges faster than general claims. A line such as “My university charges $11,480 per semester, and I cover $6,000 of that cost with weekend shifts” proves need in one breath. Three errors sink many entries: a video that runs past 60 seconds, a file in an unsupported format, and a script that never states a dollar figure.
How Are Winners Selected for the Dr Pepper Scholarship?
Judges score every video, the nine highest-scoring entrants become finalists, and a halftime throwing contest ranks the finalists at each game. The judging panel scores every submitted video against the four weighted criteria. Nine entrants receive finalist spots, three at each championship game. Finalists throw footballs into an oversized Dr Pepper can on the field at halftime, and the finalist with the most successful throws at each game wins $100,000. Second place at each game pays $20,000, and third place pays $2,500. The contest administrator contacts potential finalists by phone or email, and finalists complete eligibility verification before travel is booked. Each game runs the same contest format, so finalists in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Indianapolis compete under identical rules.
When Does the Dr Pepper Scholarship Open and Close?
The 2026 entry window opened on September 1, 2026, and closed at 11:59 p.m. ET on September 30, 2026. Finals follow on Saturday, December 5, 2026, with the ACC game at noon ET on ABC, the SEC game at 4 p.m. ET on ABC, and the Big Ten game at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Dr Pepper opened the entry window on September 1 in both 2025 and 2026. Students aiming for the next cycle should record the video during summer 2027 and check drpepper.com/tuition in late August 2027 for confirmed dates and the official rules.
Is the Dr Pepper Scholarship Legit?
Yes. The Dr Pepper scholarship is a genuine promotion run by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., and entry is free. Three decades of operation and $21 million in awarded tuition give the program a public track record. ABC and FOX broadcast the finals, and the official rules stay posted on the sponsor site. The sponsor never charges an entry fee, and the entry form never requests bank account credentials. Treat any page that demands a $25 processing fee as a copycat, because no such fee exists in the official rules. Students should enter only through drpepper.com and ignore social media accounts that promise guaranteed finalist spots.
How Does the Dr Pepper Scholarship Differ From the Dr Pepper $10,000 Football Tuition Sweepstakes?
The $10,000 Football Tuition Sweepstakes is a separate random drawing, and the sweepstakes is not the video contest. Entries run from October 1 through November 30, 2026, at drpeppertuitiongiveaway.com, with a limit of one entry per person per day. One winner receives a $10,000 tuition award administered by Scholarship America, and the award can pay current education expenses at a Title IV institution or eligible student loans. Entrants must be legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old or the age of majority in their state. The winner must use the award by December 31, 2027. A student age 20 can enter both promotions in the same season, but the video contest judges content while the sweepstakes draws one name at random.
Tips for a Stronger Dr Pepper Scholarship Video
A strong video states a specific goal, a specific dollar figure, and a specific community impact inside 60 seconds. Six habits separate finalist videos from the rest of the entry pool.
- Open with your goal in the first five seconds, because judges hear hundreds of slow introductions.
- State your real annual cost with a dollar figure, not a general complaint about expensive tuition.
- Give need and impact the most recording time, because the two categories carry 60 of the 100 judging points.
- Rehearse aloud until the video ends between 55 and 58 seconds, leaving a small buffer under the limit.
- Film in a quiet room with the light source in front of your face, and keep the camera at eye level.
- Practice short, accurate football throws in November, if you reach finalist status, because accuracy decides the $100,000 prize on the field.
A nursing student who says “$14,260 per year” gives judges a fact to score. Vague wording such as “college is pricey” gives judges nothing to score.
FAQs
How much money can you win from the Dr Pepper scholarship?
The top prize is $100,000 in tuition at each of the three championship games. Runner-up finalists receive $20,000, and third-place finalists receive $2,500, so all nine finalists win a tuition prize.
What is the Dr Pepper scholarship deadline?
The 2026 deadline was 11:59 p.m. ET on September 30, 2026. Entries opened on September 1, 2026, and submissions at drpepper.com/tuition are now closed for the 2026 cycle.
Is there a minimum GPA for the Dr Pepper scholarship?
No. The Dr Pepper scholarship has no minimum GPA requirement. Judges score the entry video on career goals, financial need, impact of tuition assistance, and presentation quality only.
Can graduate students enter the Dr Pepper scholarship?
Yes. Graduate students ages 18 to 24 can enter. Eligible programs include accredited two-year and four-year colleges, technical and vocational schools, and master and doctorate degree programs in the United States.
Does entering the Dr Pepper scholarship cost money?
No. Entry is free, and no purchase is necessary. Buying Dr Pepper products does not improve judging scores or selection chances in the video contest.
How long can a Dr Pepper scholarship video be?
The video must be 60 seconds or less. Acceptable formats are MP4, MOV, and WMV, the file must stay under 500 MB, and the recording must be in English.
How many finalists does the Dr Pepper scholarship select?
The contest selects nine finalists, three for each championship game. Each finalist competes in a halftime throwing contest on December 5, 2026, at the ACC, SEC, or Big Ten title game.
When does the Dr Pepper scholarship open again?
Dr Pepper has opened the entry window on September 1 in recent cycles. Students should check drpepper.com/tuition in late August 2027 for the confirmed 2027 window and official rules.
Conclusion
The Dr Pepper scholarship rewards a clear 60-second story instead of grades, essays, or recommendation letters. One focused video, recorded before the September deadline, puts a student within reach of the largest tuition prize in the contest. Nine finalists compete on December 5, 2026, in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Indianapolis for three $100,000 tuition prizes.
