Are you a Hispanic student in high school? Do you want to go to college but cannot afford the cost? Not to worry, there are scholarships that you can apply for right from high school that you can use towards your college tuition. Curated in this blog post is a list of scholarships for Hispanic students in high school to apply for and get financial support for college.
Many high school students dream of going to college, get good quality education, and achieve their dream. But one of the factors that tend to cripple their dream is finance. The cost of college in the US continues to be on the rise which makes it harder for certain students to afford them, especially those from minority ethnic groups and those below the poverty line.
While the cost of college cannot reduce overnight you can seek for solutions to reduce it for yourself such as taking out a student loan or applying for scholarships. I don’t have so much knowledge of the former but, fortunately, I am an expert on the latter and I strongly recommend that you go for that option.
If you are looking to reduce the cost of college then you should seek for scholarships and apply for them. Unlike student loans, you do not have to repay a scholarship and there is no limit to the amount of scholarship that you can apply for as long as you fit into the criteria and meet their eligibility criteria.
As you can see, scholarships can go a long way to ease the cost of college for you and you can start applying for them while in high school or already enrolled in college. While there are scholarships for everyone this blog post focuses on the scholarships for Hispanic students in high school.
So, if you identify as a Hispanic and you are currently in high school or recently graduated and want to pursue a 2 or 4-year college degree then you should consider applying for the scholarships curated here. Before we get into the scholarships, we also have several related scholarship articles that you may find useful like the law school scholarships for Hispanics and first-generation scholarships in Texas.
Having said that, let’s dive into the main topic.
Table of Contents
9 Scholarships for Hispanic Students in High School
As the cost of higher education continues to climb up, it gets more difficult for students from migrant families or underserved communities to fully finance a college degree. According to The University Network, more than 3 million Hispanic students are enrolled in 2 or 4-year college programs.
As the enrollment of Hispanic students into college continues to rise, scholarship opportunities play a crucial role to enable Hispanic students to complete their degrees. Curated below is a comprehensive list of Hispanic scholarships for high school students, let’s dive in.
The scholarships for Hispanic students in high school are:
- The Gates Scholarship
- Café Bustelo El Café Del Futuro Scholarship
- Prospanica Scholarships
- Latinos in Technology Scholarship
- McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Scholar Program
- American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program
- Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
- Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards
1. The Gates Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship is an annual scholarship offered to outstanding high school seniors from a minority group and a low-income household. This also means that Hispanic students in high school are eligible for the Gates Scholarship award. The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance that other financial aid did not cover and this includes tuition, fees, room and board, study materials, personal expenses, and transportation.
In addition to the eligibility, you must be eligible for the Pell Grant, be a citizen or permanent resident of the US, demonstrate leadership ability, and be in good academic standing with a minimum of 3.3 CGPA on a scale of 4.0 or equivalent. If you are applying for this scholarship then you must have an intent to enroll in a full-time 4-year degree program at an accredited university in the US.
2. Café Bustelo El Café Del Futuro Scholarship
Every year since 2014, Café Bustelo has been offering scholarships to college students at HACU-member institutions to help further their education. The scholarship is an easy one to apply for and does not require much. You must have been accepted into a full-undergraduate degree program at an HACU-member institution within the US and Puerto Rico and must be above 18 years to be eligible.
Applicants are also required to write an 800-word essay in English or Spanish, you will find the topic of the article as well as the deadline for the scholarship application via the provided link below. The scholarship value is $5,000 awarded to 25 students. You can only apply for this scholarship when you have been accepted into a 4-year degree program at a HACU-member institution.
3. Prospanica Scholarships
Prospanica is an association of Hispanic MBAs and business professionals, and every year they award scholarships to students in an undergraduate and graduate business program. Can you apply for this scholarship while in high school? Yes, you can because the scholarship targets entrepreneurial thinkers from a young age who wish to pursue a business program in college.
To be eligible, you must be of Hispanic heritage and a citizen or permanent resident of the US, be in good academic standing with a minimum of 3.0 GPA on a scale of 4.0, and be a member of Prospanica.
4. Latinos in Technology Scholarship
Hispanics and Latinos in the house who want to pursue a college degree in STEM here is an opportunity for you to follow your dreams on a scholarship.
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley as part of its dedication to invest in educational excellence and empower the lives and futures of Latinos in Silicon Valley established the Latinos in Technology Scholarship to support Latino and Hispanic college students who are enrolled in a STEM-related program at a 4-year university.
The scholarship offers financial assistance of $10,000 renewable for up to 3 years, professional development, and access to summer internship programs. You can apply as a high school senior or be newly accepted into a STEM degree program. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and have a minimum CGPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible.
5. McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship
Up to 30 Hispanic students across the US who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need can receive the McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship to support their college tuition. The scholarship is offered annually, so, if it is closed at the time you are reading this, check in again the following year.
To be eligible, you must be a high school senior at the time of application, a legal resident of the US, below 21 years old, have community involvement, are of Hispanic heritage, and intend to enroll in a 2 or 4-year accredited college for a full-time program. Other application requirements include a transcript, personal statement, letter of recommendation, list of community service projects, and FAFSA report.
There are three tiers to the award. Tier one recipients are awarded up to $100,000, tier two recipients are awarded $20,000 or $10,000, and tier three recipients are awarded $5,000.
6. Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Scholar Program
Here is another scholarship opportunity for Hispanic students in high school who want to further their studies in college.
The HSF Scholar Program selects up to 10,000 outstanding Hispanic students annually and offers them scholarships, career services, leadership development, wellness training, mentorship, and other scholar support services. Scholars are selected based on merit and are awarded between $500 to $5,000 based on relative need.
Applicants must be a US citizen or permanent resident, have a minimum high school GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and plan to enroll in a full-time accredited 4-year college to pursue any major.
7. American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program
The American Chemical Society launched a scholars program to provide scholarships to students from minority and underrepresented ethnic groups to support their college education, this makes Hispanic students eligible as well. You can apply for the scholarship if you are a graduating high school senior or college freshman, sophomore, or junior.
Applicants must demonstrate excellent academic performance in chemistry or science and intend to pursue or be already enrolled in chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related program at an accredited college. Other application documents required for the scholarship application are two letters of recommendation, an unofficial transcript, and a copy of the student aid report. Each recipient can receive between $1,000 and $5,000 per academic year.
8. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
Jack Robinson Foundation is offering scholarships to a graduating high school senior from a minority group. You must be a US citizen to be eligible for the award. Since the scholarship is for all minority groups, this makes Hispanic students also eligible but it will be quite competitive so you have to present an outstanding application.
As part of the eligibility requirement, you must present evidence of financial need, demonstrate academic excellence, demonstrate leadership potential and a dedication to community service, and intend to attend an accredited 4-year college in the US. Application materials include one recommendation letter, an unofficial high school transcript, four essays, household information, test scores, demographics, and college plans.
9. Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation launched the Youth Awards in 1998 and it continues to date to fund the tuition of Hispanic high school seniors who want to go to college. To be eligible, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, be currently enrolled in high school and graduating the next year, and if selected attend the virtual regional awards ceremony.
Conclusion
The majority of scholarships for Hispanic students in high school are offered one-time and are already expired at the time of writing this article. However, I was able to gather the scholarships that are offered annually so that you can always have a second chance of applying for them if they were already expired for the year you want to apply for them.
Aside from scholarships for minorities, you should also seek minority scholarships to apply for to increase your chances of getting as much funding as possible.
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