A New Orleans Senior Just Earned A Record-Setting Number Of College Offers

New Orleans student Dennis Barnes has a lot to be proud about this year. The high school senior just received offers from 125 colleges and universities. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he also earned a jaw-dropping $9 million in combined scholarships. 

So what’s his secret? A lot of hard work. Barnes attends the International High School of New Orleans, where he maintains a cumulative grade point average of 4.98. (Yes, GPAs can go that high!) According to New Orleans NBC news affiliate, 4WWL, not only is he maintaining that grade average in pursuit of his high school diploma, but for the last two years Barnes has been dual enrolled at Southern University of New Orleans and earning college credits there. He also holds leadership positions in the National Honor Society and has received multiple honors for excellence in the Spanish language.

When it came to applying to college, he aimed high and applied to 200 schools. “I submitted college applications in August, with an eye on raising the bar high for college admissions. Decision letters were an overflow in my mailbox and hundreds of scholarship offers,” Barnes said, per 4WWL.Those scholarship offers topped $9 million and the offers are still rolling in. He’s apparently hoping to hit $10 million in scholarship offers in the next month. 

If you think that number has to be a record, you’re correct. Barnes is most likely headed to the Guinness Book of World Records, having bested the former record holder, a Lafayette high school senior who received $8.7 million in scholarships in 2019, per WWL TV. Barnes will announce his college decision on May 2.