New Orleans high school student sets new record with over $9 million in scholarship offers

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A student from the International High School of New Orleans (IHSNO) has set a new record after receiving offers from 125 colleges and universities, totaling more than $9 million in scholarship money. This is reportedly the highest amount offered to any high school senior in U.S. history.

IHSNO announced the news on its Facebook page, saying, “Congrats to our superstar senior Dennis Barnes on his monumental achievement of receiving more than $9 million in scholarship offers.”

Barnes reportedly applied to 200 colleges across the United States and plans to announce his final decision on May 2.

Barnes broke the previous record held by a Louisiana high school student, who received $8.7 million in scholarship offers in 2019. IHSNO is contacting Guinness World Records to make Barnes’ new record official. More decision responses are still expected to come in from other schools, with Barnes aiming to reach $10 million in scholarship offers by the end of April.

Barnes is an exceptional student, with a cumulative grade point average of 4.98 at IHSNO and a member of the National Honor Society. He is also fluent in Spanish and has an official certification from the Institute Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports. Recently, he was presented with the Jose Luis Baos Award for Excellence in the Spanish Language by Maria Page, the Honorary Consul of Spain in New Orleans.

Barnes intends to pursue a dual undergraduate degree in computer science and criminal justice. He has been enrolled in a dual enrollment program at Southern University of New Orleans for the past two years, earning college credits while working towards his high school diploma. Barnes is set to graduate from IHSNO on May 24.

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