As of 2018, there are 4.9 million immigrants and foreign-born citizens in Texas which comprises 17% of the population, making education paramount for them. However, children of Immigrants, especially first-generation Americans, find it difficult to receive the proper financial support they need from their parents.
Due to the fact that most of these children’s parents didn’t complete college and they are residing in a community that doesn’t propagate education, they tend not to have the motivation and necessary funds.
Fortunately, there is a handful of scholarships for immigrants in Texas, and there are still other scholarships exclusively for Hispanic/Latino students that are the first to pursue a 2 or 4-year college/university. And, if you’re a first-gen student but not of Hispanic heritage, then you should check out other first-generation scholarships.
But don’t limit yourself to scholarships solely for Immigrants, endeavor to also apply for other financial aid like law school scholarships in Texas or even Athletic Scholarships if you’re skillful in a particular sport.
Before we list these scholarships for immigrants in Texas, let’s first explain the difference between first, second, and third-generation Americans.
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Who are First, Second, and Third generation Immigrant Children
First generation immigrant child is someone born in the United States to parents that immigrated to the country.
Second-generation immigrants are children born to at least one foreign-born parent, or you can say they are the children of the first generation.
The third generation is children with two U.S. native parents.
Let’s put it this way, if you immigrated to the U.S. with your spouse; your kid will be first generation; your grand kids will be second generation; and your great-grand kids will be third generation.
Scholarships for Immigrants in Texas
1. Ann Biggs/Thelma Salazar Endowed Scholarship for First-Generation Immigrant Children
To be eligible for this scholarship you need to be a child of first-generation immigrants to the United States. Preference will be given to children of immigrants from Mexico or Central America.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re an incoming freshman, current undergraduate, transfer student, incoming graduate student, or current graduate student, you can apply for the scholarship. But, preference will be given to students working on their baccalaureate degree.
2. Law Office Of Jae Lee Immigrant Student Scholarship
This is one of the scholarships for immigrants in Texas for first or second-generation immigrants from low-income families worth $1,000 per semester.
Coming from a Law firm, you should expect them to focus on students that intend to study law, right? Actually, they don’t, the scholarship is for any student currently enrolled in or accepted for admission to a college, university, or graduate program with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Also, to be eligible, your family must be considered to be low-income, with an annual household income of less than $50,000.
3. Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The HSF scholarships are awarded to 10,000 outstanding students. That’s one of the highest numbers of recipients you’ll ever see from a foundation.
Scholars will have access to a full range of invaluable Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training. Also, scholars will receive up to $5,000, have access to select internship and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners, and many other access.
4. Texas Baptists’ Mary Hill Davis Minority Scholarship
These scholarships for immigrants in Texas are awarded to ethnic/minority Baptist students from ethnic/minority Texas Baptist churches planning to attend a Texas Baptist university. The scholarship is worth $1,000 per semester to full-time students, and $500 per semester to part-time students.
5. Hispanic Scholarship Consortium
If you’re a student leader with a clear vision for your future, then you should apply for the HSC Scholars program. This is one of the scholarships for immigrants in Texas that also provide mentorship and leadership training.
Besides being immigrants, applicants also need to plan to enroll in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States, also hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and must reside in Texas (U.S. citizenship not required).
6. The Hector and Gloria López Foundation Scholarship
Currently, this foundation is awarding a $2.4M grant benefitting Latino, first-generation students at UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio). Like every other grant for immigrants in Texas, recipients don’t need to pay it, and their criteria for choosing are mostly focused on financial needs.
The best part is that recipients will receive full tuition assistance, however, only 15 outstanding students will be chosen, which makes it extremely competitive.
7. Texas Christian University – Community Scholars
This scholarship is basically for local, predominantly minority high school students of color. The program goes as far as covering scholars’ cost of TCU education, the silent word is that it’s very competitive.
8. ASA – Minority Fellowship Program
American Sociological Association an annual stipend of $20,000 to eligible underrepresented groups: Black/African American; Latino/a/x, American Indian or Alaskan Native; or Asian or Pacific Islander. Candidates need to be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, or be eligible under DACA.
9. Chin: Shui Kuen and Allen Chin Scholarship
Unlike most of the other scholarships for immigrants in Texas we have listed, this scholarship can’t be renewed, and the amount worth $1,000 is awarded to up to 2 students each. Candidates need to be students or parents currently/formerly employed at an Asian-owned or Asian cuisine restaurant and have a community advocacy and social justice work on behalf of Asian American, immigrants, and/or other progressive causes.
10. National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarships
Annually, NAHN awards scholarships to active and eligible members who are enrolled in accredited LVN/LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), associate, diploma, baccalaureate, and graduate nursing programs. The amount awarded depends completely on the amount donated.
Basically, the major requirement for receiving this scholarship is just to become a member.
11. Immigrants Rising Scholarships
Immigrants Rising Scholarship, which was created with the core purpose of providing information, resources, and support to undocumented students to help them pursue higher education. For that purpose, they have several scholarships and fellowships that don’t require proof of U.S. citizenship to access them.
Some of them are worth as little as $500 while some are worth as high as $40,000.
Conclusion
The truth is these scholarships for immigrants in Texas might not be enough to offset the cost of education, that’s why you shouldn’t restrict your scholarship search. You should also apply for scholarships that didn’t mention anything about immigrants.
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