Hispanic Minority College Grants

Collegiate grants and scholarships specifically offered for Hispanics are far fewer in availability than grants for other minorities. The Hispanic population has recently surpassed the African American population in the US; however, the percentage of Hispanics remains highly imbalanced. The Hispanic population is often viewed as uneducated, meaning that most do not pursue education after high school, or are satisfied with a two-year degree or vocational school education. The US Government has recently acknowledged this disparity and has been making efforts to help bridge the gap between Hispanics and other groups. It has recently provided fifteen million dollars towards the effort to develop Hispanic colleges and universities and has also contributed seventy million dollars towards Hispanic universities that are already established.

The Kaiser Permanente College to Caring Program offers an award of up to $8000 to Hispanic nursing students for each year that they are attending nursing school. Scholars may also have the opportunity to participate in an internship at a Kaiser Permanente facility, depending on availability. Additional information can be found by visiting http://scholarships.hispanicfund.org/Kaiser. In order to qualify for this program, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund offers a number of different programs to Hispanic families and students through community outreach and education, scholarships and career opportunities. To date, they have awarded over 100,000 scholarships totaling more than $300 million to needy students. They offer an array of different opportunities for people from different backgrounds, including current college students, community college transfer students, high school students, and Gates Millennium Scholars. Eligibility requirements vary for each of the programs, but their system will tell you which programs you qualify for after submitting your online application at https://apply.hsf.net/applications/.

The Jose Marti Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund is a need-based scholarship for students of Hispanic heritage planning to attend Florida public or eligible private institutions. The maximum amount of the award is currently $2000. Eligible applicants must be Florida residents, be of Spanish culture (born in or having a natural parent that was born in Mexico, or a Hispanic country of Central or South America, or the Caribbean), have earned GPA of 3.0 or above, based on a 4.0 scale, and be enrolling for a minimum of 12 credit hours for undergraduate study or nine credit hours for graduate study. Additional information can be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, State Scholarship and Grant Programs, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 or by calling 1-888-827-2004.

All college bound students should start their quest for financial assistance by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Most other grants, scholarships, and loans are not available to those that have not yet submitted their FAFSA paperwork. The FAFSA can be submitted electronically by visiting http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. State financial aid applications should also be submitted. Deadlines for each state can be found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before003a.htm#state_deadlines. Federal Pell grants should be the next course of action for Hispanic students in low income households. These awards can be impressive if the right candidates are selected. Pell grants are awarded directly through the schools and are credited directly to the student’s account, paid directly to the student in the form of a check, or a combination of both of these methods.