AANAPISI Scholarship for Undergraduate Students at the University of Minnesota

Applications for an ANAPISI Scholarship for Asian American and Pacific Islander students are open! This financial aid is presented by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and is administered by APIA Scholars.

APIA Scholars has distributed over $150 million in scholarships and provides mentoring services and leadership training so scholars can transition from the classroom to the workforce.

The organization strives to see that all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have access to higher education and resources that cultivate their academic, personal, and professional success regardless of their ethnicity, national origin, or financial means. It seeks to make a difference in the lives of APIA students by providing them with resources that increase their access to higher education which serves as the foundation for their future success and contributions to a more vibrant America.

Since its establishment in 2003, there have been more than seven thousand students who have received scholarships from APIA Scholars. AANAPISI Scholarship is a program designed to prepare the next generation who can make a real contribution to a better America.

On this occasion, we will discuss the whole AANAPISI Scholarship. We have compiled a lengthy explanation of how this program works, what you should prepare before applying, how to apply, and when you should submit your application form along with the necessary supporting documents. This guide will help you apply properly.

Let’s check this out together.

AANAPISI Scholarship Program Overview

The Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Scholarship Program is a collaboration with AANAPISIs and the communities they serve to provide scholarships, expand institutional capacity, and mobilize local resources to help foster economic development. The AANAPISI Scholarship is available annually to students attending APIA Scholars AANAPISI partner campuses listed below.

1. American River College (Sacramento, California)
2. American Samoa Community College (Pago Pago, America Samoa)
3. California State University East Bay (Hayward, California)
4. California State University Sacramento (Sacramento, California)
5. Century College (White Bear Lake, Minnesota)
6. City College of San Fransisco (San Fransisco, California)
7. Coastline Community College (Fountain Valley, California)
8. College of Micronesia – FSM (Kolonia, Pohnpei)
9. De Anza College (Cupertino, California)
10. Georgia State University (Atlanta, Georgia)
11. Guam Community College (Mangilao, Guam)
12. Highline College (Des Moines, Washington)
13. Hunter College (New York, New York)
14. Irvine Valley College (Irvine, California)
15. Laney College (Oakley, California)
16. Metropolitan State University (St. Paul, Minnesota)
17. Mission College (Santa Clara, California)
18. Northern Marianas College (Saipan, CNMI)
19. Pierce College (Puyallup, Washington)
20. Queens College, CUNY (Queens, New York)
21. Dallas College – Richland Campus (Dallas, Texas)
22. San Fransisco State University (San Fransisco, California)
23. San Jose State University (San Jose, California)
24. South Seattle College (Seattle, Washington)
25. The University of California, Irvine (Irvine, California)
26. University of Guam (Mangilao, Guam)
27. The University of Hawai’i at Hilo (Hilo, Hawai’i)
28. University of Hawai’i Manoa (Honolulu, Hawai’i)
29. The University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
30. University of Massachusetts Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)
31. University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
32. University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
33. University of Washington Tacoma (Tacoma, Washington)

However, on this occasion, we will limit the subject matter of discussion to the AANAPISI Scholarship which is specifically provided for deserving students from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Scholarship awards range from one-time $2,500 awards to multi-year $5,000 awards. APIA Scholars provides scholarships to undeserved APIA Students with a special focus on those who:

• Are representative of the APIA community’s diversity, geographically and ethnically, especially those ethnicities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity.
• Are the first in their families to attend college.
• Have placed a strong emphasis on community service and leadership as well as solid academic achievement.
• Live at or below the poverty level, or are otherwise of low socioeconomic status.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the award, you must fulfill the following minimum eligibility criteria.

• You are of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity as defined by the U.S. Census.
• You are a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply.
• You are enrolled as a full-time student in a degree-seeking program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities during the 2021 Spring Semester if the institution is on a semester system or the 2021 Winter Quarter if the institution is on a quarter system.
• You have applied for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. You necessarily needn’t have received federal financial aid to be eligible for AANAPISI Scholarship. Check out our complete guide about FAFSA here to help you get acquainted with the matter.

Please also note the following:

• Full-time enrollment and degree-seeking status are denied by the guidelines set by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities’ Registrar’s Office.
• Non-degree students are not eligible to apply.
• Students who already have a bachelor’s degree are not eligible to apply.
• When you apply, you can be a part-time student, however, you must be enrolled full-time upon receipt of funding.
• Solely online students are not eligible to apply. If you are enrolled in online and on-ground courses, no more than half of your courses can be online.

How to Apply

The AANAPISI Scholarship Program application must be completed online and submitted electronically once all of the required questions have been answered. You do not have to complete the online application in one sitting. Until you are ready to submit, you may access your application and edit your answers as many times as you like with your login from any computer with internet access.

To apply, click here. With advanced preparation, the online application should take only 30 to 60 minutes to finish.

What you have to prepare before applying include:

1. Personal Information: Standard questions such as contact information, biodata, ethnicity, gender, etc. This is also where you will put the information for your recommender to submit their letter of recommendation. Double-check your recommender’s contact info is accurate before putting it in the application.
2. Family Education: Be prepared to know your parent(s)/guardian(s)’s highest level of completed education.
3. High School and College Information: Basic information about your high school and college, your current student status (i.e.: are you a graduating high school senior or a current undergraduate college student) including GPA, your future student status (i.e.: what year of college you will be in). If you are already a college student, you will provide information about your current college and major. If you are not yet a college student, you will provide information about your intended college and area of study.
4. Financial Information: If you are selected as a finalist, you will be asked to submit your Student Aid Report from the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year for verification purposes.
5. Extracurricular Activities, Work Experience & Family Responsibilities: Prepare a list of your extracurricular activities and work positions, and any substantial family responsibilities you have. Include descriptions, start and end dates, and amount of time per week for these. It is not required to have any extracurricular or work experience, particularly if you have significant family responsibilities, but this information allows APIA Scholars to see you through a broader lens.
6. Essays: There are 4 essay prompts; you must pick 3 to answer. You need to write 500 words or less for each of the 3 prompts you choose. This is where you truly get to tell the organization who you are, what is important to you, what excites you, and who you hope to be.

At this step, you’re almost done. Take time to review all steps of your application. Check for any errors. Make sure you feel you have done your best to tell the organization in your own voice about you, your experiences, and your passions.

You can always save your application and complete it at a later date.

Closing Date

The AANAPISI Scholarship online application opens on September 9^th, 2020, and will be closed on November 11^th. Make sure to submit your application before the closing date for late or incomplete application will not be reviewed.

Contact Details

Please contact info@apiascholars.org if you have any questions regarding the scheme. You may also want to review its detailed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document here to see if your question has been addressed previously.

Official Website

Interested in applying or want to find out more information about the AANAPISI Scholarship? Visit the official APIA Scholars website at https://apiascholars.org.