Who Needs Más Money For College? Taco Bell Is Giving Hungry Students $6 Million in Scholarship Funds.

There’s nothing more valuable than education and the Taco Bell Foundation is standing behind that belief by handing out $6 million in scholarship cash to students, according to Thrillist.

Today, it costs a pretty penny to attend college in the U.S. A 2019 report broke down the average cost  to attend a four-year out-of-state public school in the U.S. is $40,940 and currently, Americans owe more than $1.53 trillion in student loan debt. Taco Bell is coming to the rescue by increasing their annual scholarship funds by $2 million as compared to last year. 

“With student debt in America reached an all-time high, the Taco Bell Foundation is proud to be part of the solution, fulfilling a growing need for accessible scholarship opportunities,” said Taco Bell Foundation Executive Director Tina Nguyen.

Students between the ages of 16 to 24 are eligible to apply and must “create a two-minute video explaining their scholarly passions and the different they’ll be able to make in the world with said passion,” Thrillist states. Videos are being accepted now until January 23 and applicants are eligible to win awards between $5,000 and $25,000.

Taco Bell isn’t the only restaurant acknowledging the significant debt current students and graduates owe in the U.S.—Chipotle recently began offering tuition coverage for its hourly employees. As a recent college graduate with student loans herself, this writer thinks it’s refreshing to see the restaurant industry helping ease the burden of student debt. 

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