Each student will receive as much as $30,000 a year for tuition, room and board at any four-year college or university in the country. In all, the foundation has set aside $1.4 million for the group.

The foundation, formed from the estate of the former Redskins owner, has given scholarships since 2002. But this is the first year that all of its money earmarked for undergraduates will go to community college students who are transferring to four-year institutions.

Foundation officials said they are focusing on students making that transition because traditional financial aid programs largely ignore the growing group.

As four-year colleges are becoming more selective and expensive, experts agree that increasing numbers of students are attending community college as a first choice rather than a fallback. The result has been a greater number of academically advanced students who pursue two-year associate degrees before completing a bachelor's degree, said Joshua Wyner, the foundation's chief program officer.

He said the students, many of whom have grown up in low-income families, find little financial aid and few college spots reserved for them.

"These are the kids with the will to succeed. . . . [They] are going to light the room on fire," Wyner said. "Should those students be given the opportunity for a four-year education? I think virtually every American would say 'yes.' "

Wyner said the foundation's research has shown that only one other scholarship program in the country exists to aid such students and that it awards far less money.

The winners of the Cooke scholarships come from 17 states and eight foreign countries and were chosen from among 863 students nominated by 559 community colleges. Each has recently completed or is about to finish a two-year associate degree. They include a former professional rodeo rider from Texas who hopes to become a doctor and a Massachusetts woman with multiple sclerosis who has maintained a 3.98 grade point average.

Three of the recipients attend community colleges in Maryland. Dede Adomayakpor, 23, a native of Togo, has worked her way through Montgomery College and will graduate this year. She said that without the scholarship money, she would have trouble pursuing her dream of attending Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.

"It's very, very encouraging for me. Life here is very difficult, especially for international students," she said. "With the money, I will just go to school and study."

Another of the Maryland recipients, Raili Raud, 24, found her way to Garrett Community College in McHenry only after working four years at a restaurant in her native Estonia. She has been accepted to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and wants to become a neuroscientist.

Montgomery College President Charlene R. Nunley said that every spring, she sees excellent students who cannot afford to continue their education. She said she hopes other organizations will follow the foundation's lead. "They're doing a great job, but they're really taking the tip of the iceberg in terms of students who need aid," she said.

In addition to the scholarships announced today, the foundation also gives money to students pursuing graduate degrees and grants to help low-income, high-achieving high school students by providing tutoring, arts or music education and, in some cases, private school tuition.