Scholarships >> Browse Articles >> Merit Awards

Scholarships >> Browse Articles >> Need-Based Awards

Scholarships for Hispanic and Latino Students

Gates Millennium Scholarship Program (GMSP)
The Gates Millennium Scholarship Program is funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Awards for Hispanic and Latino students are awarded in partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Applicants must be US citizens or eligible non-citizens who are high school seniors intending to enroll full-time in a college or university. Candidates must have a 3.3 or higher GPA and demonstrate financial need (eligible for the Pell Grant). Recipients are selected on the basis of leadership and academic excellence. The deadline is in early January. For more information, call 1-877-690-4677 or write to Gates Millennium Scholars, PO Box 10500, Fairfax, VA 22031-8044.

Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE)
The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement provides several undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to Hispanic and Latino students. An example is the ComEd Latino Scholarship Fund which awards five $2,500 scholarships to Illinois residents who have a 3.0 or higher GPA. Eligible majors include accounting, business, chemistry, communications, computer science, engineering, pre-law, mathematics, media relations and physics. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic excellence and community service. The deadline is in late August.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
HACU scholarships require the recipient to demonstrate financial-need and to be attending a HACU member institution. Many require a minimum 3.0 GPA. Awards are available for students attending 2-year and 4-year colleges. Amounts range from $500 to $3,500 a year. Fields of study include accounting, allied health, automotive design, business, business administration, computer, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering, engineering, fashion design, finance, food merchandising, health sciences, information technology, marketing, mechanical engineering, nursing, public relations, retail management and sales. The deadline is in early June.

Hispanic College Fund (HCF)
The Hispanic College Fund awards more than $2 million to 615 recipients each year, an average of $3,250 per student. Most of the scholarships were granted to students majoring in business, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required. Applicants must also be US citizens or permanent residents. Most of the scholarship programs require applicants to be high school seniors who are planing on enrolling full-time in college. Examples include:

• NASA-MUST: Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology is a renewable scholarship for undergraduate students that covers up to half tuition and fees, capped at $10,000 per year. It also includes a 10-week summer internship with $6,000 stipend and $1,000 travel allowance. Applicants must major in STEM fields of study (science, technology, engineering or mathematics). US citizenship is required. The deadline is in early February.
• Google Scholarship Program in Computer Science and Computer Engineering is a $10,000 scholarship open to Hispanic students who are juniors or seniors in college or pursuing a Master’s or PhD, with at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must be majoring in computer science or computer engineering, demonstrate financial need and be enrolled on a full-time basis. US citizenship or permanent residency is required. The deadline is March 15.

For more information, call 1-800-644-4223 or 1-202-296-5400, fax 1-202-296-3774, write to Hispanic College Fund, Inc., 1301 K Street NW, Suite 450-A West, Washington, DC 20005, or send email to hcf-info@hispanicfund.org.

Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation offers the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards (HHYA) to graduating high school seniors with a 3.0 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale. Awards are granted in several categories, including academic excellence, business, education, engineering, mathematics, journalism, leadership and sports. Award amounts include $1,000 (bronze medallion), $2,000 (silver medallion) and $3,000 (gold medallion). National HHYA recipients receive $5,000 and a laptop computer. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents. The deadline is March 30.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides scholarships open to graduating high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students and community college students intending to transfer to a 4-year college. Applicants must be US citizens or eligible non-citizens and have a 3.0 or higher GPA. Most awards have deadlines in mid-February, although there are some awards with deadlines as early as mid-November and as late as July 15. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $20,000. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund awards more than 4,000 scholarships totaling more than $25 million a year. For more information call 1-877-HSF-INFO (1-877-473-4636) or write to Hispanic Scholarship Fund, 55 Second Street, Suite 1500 San Francisco, CA 94105. (Organizations interested in supporting the efforts of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund should contact the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute.)

Previous: Prestigious Scholarships for Hispanic and Latino Students, Page 1

Next: Prestigious Scholarships for Hispanic and Latino Students, Page 3

---