Many students think that they have to get scholarships before accepting college admission, but that's just not true. There are fellowships, funding opportunities, and grants that have rolling applications for already enrolled students who demonstrate excellence in academic, athletic, and subject-specific expertise. And for students of color, there are additional opportunities for scholars based on their backgrounds.
Latinx students, in particular, are often disadvantaged in the college application and financial aid process. Many are first-generation Americans, who are new to the entire series of paperwork, applications, and calls for information. It is already difficult to navigate the many applications, competing deadlines, and ongoing high-school workload, but imagine navigating it in a language that is new to you or new to your parents, who play an integral role in the enrollment process.
To make the road to a degree easier, there are a number of foundations and companies actively trying to help Latinx students fund their education. These 10 scholarship applications are open right now for Latinx students to get funding for everything from books to tuition.
The Gates Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship is a highly competitive scholarship to help outstanding minority high school seniors from low-income households pay for expenses above what is offered by financial aid. Each year, 300 students receive this prestigious award.
Deadline: Sept 15, 2021
Eligible students must be:
The Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship
The Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship was established in 1994 in New York City for medical, nursing, dental, public health, and health policy students with outstanding academic records and leadership who are committed to serving Hispanic communities.
Deadline: September 24, 2021
Eligible students must be:
Exxon Mobil Engineering Scholarship
Exxon Mobil Engineering Scholarship seeks outstanding Hispanic incoming college freshmen who plan to complete a post-secondary degree in engineering at a U.S. institution. These awards include one (1) national scholarship of $20,000, paid over four years, and twelve (12) $2,000 local scholarships.
Deadline: October 1, 2021
Eligible students must be:
La Unidad Latina Fund
La Unidad Latina Fund is led by a group of socially conscious college graduates dedicated to the advancement of the Latino community nationwide. Members are on a mission to help high school students reach college graduation and excel thereafter.
Deadline: October 15, 2021
The annual national scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate Latino students awards grants of up to $2,000 per recipient to lessen their financial burden. Applications are accepted each year from September 1 to October 15, and winners are announced in December. In addition, the pre-college program for NYC-based high schoolers is currently open. Learn more here.
Do Something
Do Something is a Youth-Led Movement for good. This not-for-profit is exclusively for young people and social change. Unlike other scholarships that are based on essays and recommendations, this one just requires that you literally do something. These "easy scholarships," as the organization calls them, are rolling opportunities to get college funding to do things that your community needs most, such as encouraging friends to protect themselves against meningococcal disease and spot medical misinformation (due date September 15, 2021) or writing a mental health checklist to help keep your friends calm and safe (due date September 20, 2021). Every month, there are new campaigns and challenges.
Deadline: Rolling.
Eligible students must be:
And that's it: Do Something never requires an essay, GPA, or recommendation to apply. Scholarship money is sent directly to the school of your choice, so it can only be used on costs incurred directly from any post-high school higher education program (for example, community college, college, university, or trade school) that is listed on the itemized tuition bill. According to the org's website, DoSomething scholarship winners are selected through a random drawing of everyone who completed the action steps and verified participation.
Minority Teaching Education Scholarship
Minority Teaching Education Scholarship aims to increase the number of minority teachers in Florida to better reflect the state's diverse population. This scholarship fund offers $4,000 awards, disbursed during the fall and spring semesters, in the amount of $2,000 per semester. Students may be eligible to receive the scholarship for up to two consecutive years.
Deadline: November 30, 2021 (for spring enrollment)
Eligible students must be:
Denny\’s Hungry for an Education Scholarship
Denny's Hungry for an Education Scholarship is administered through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. This scholarship helps minimize some college expenditures. According to the HACU website, these scholarships are only for college students who were enrolled during the 2021 spring semester. All students must have completed their first semester of freshman year at a HACU member institution at the time of applying. High School students are not eligible to apply. Apply here.
Deadline: November 19, 2021 (for spring enrollment)
Eligible students must:
The United States Hispanic Heritage Leadership Institute
The United States Hispanic Heritage Leadership Institute has partnered with Rumba Meats, of the Cargill family of brands, to celebrate Hispanic culture and heritage through food. The partners are awarding 25 post-secondary academic scholarships of $1,000 each and helping empower today's Hispanic youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Deadline: November 30, 2021
Eligible students must be:
There are no citizenship requirements for this scholarship; undocumented and DACA-students are encouraged to apply. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA and have at least one parent of Hispanic ancestry.
ACS Scholars Program
ACS Scholars Program is led by the American Chemical Society. This scholarship aims to diversify the sciences by offering scholarships to students of color who are majoring in Chemistry, Engineering, Nano Science, and more.
Deadline: March 1, 2022
Eligible students must be:
The website says that the amount of each individual award depends upon the availability of funding, the number of scholarships awarded, and evidence of financial need. Awards range between $1,000 and $5,000 per academic year. Scholarships are renewable if scholars maintain performance requirements.
Goldman Sachs MBA Scholarship
The Goldman Sachs MBA Scholarship is a fellowship that awards recipients a $35,000 award in addition to the Summer Associate salary. After successful completion of the summer internship and acceptance of a full-time offer, Fellowship recipients are awarded an additional $40,000, plus any full-time Associate signing bonus, as applicable.
Deadline: March 28, 2022
Eligible students must be:
