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Nowadays, a higher educational background is needed if you want to have a promising career. Paying college or university fees is already expensive, not to mention the cost of supporting tools. Worry not because there are tons of scholarships ready to aid your financial needs.
With the growing number of Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) students in college and university, many organizations and communities see the need for supporting the diversification in order to strengthen the US future. By providing financial aid through the APIA Scholarship, deserving APIA students will have more chances to pursue their dreams.
So, if you are an Asian American or Pacific Islander scholar, you are very welcomed to apply to these APIA scholarships dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander students. With the wide range of required major of studies, we have listed the most eligible 7 for you. Some scholarships may be reserved only for Asian Americans or specifically for Pacific Islanders, and some will accept both, so make sure to check the eligibility requirements when applying. Discover more and find out the right one to fund your college fees!
1. APIA Scholarship by APIA Scholars
Amount : $2,500
Application Period : September – February of every year
APIA scholarship, or formerly known as APIAFS, is managed by the representative of each sponsor company. Supported by Toyota, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and many more, it offers you one-year $2,500 up to multi-year $20,000 of financial aid.
This scholarship is dedicated for those who are the first in their family to attend an accredited college or university in the US. Besides being of APIA ethnicity, applicants must be registered as a citizen of the US, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
In order to meet the requirements, you also need to show excellent performances in academics (by having a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale) and community service. Another thing you’ll have to provide is the FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) document. All the required documents are submitted online.
If you are interested in applying, you can see the details by visiting their website or contacting them at info@apiascholars.org and (877) 808-7032. The registration portal of the APIA scholarship can be accessed at https://portal.apiasf.org/.
2. NAAAP Philadelphia Future Leaders Scholarship
Amount : $1,000
Application Period : February – April of every year
NAAAP stands for the National Association of Asian American Professionals, a non-profit and all-volunteer association of Asian American professionals. Since 2010, this organization has aid Asian American senior high school and college students in the Philadelphia region.
To be eligible, you have to attend Greater Philadelphia high school or college with a minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 when applying for this scholarship. But for high school applicants, you don’t have to plan to go to colleges in Greater Philadelphia. There are some documents you need to prepare such as essay, resume, unofficial transcript, and 2 recommendation letters from professors/councelors. In addition, the recipient will also be selected based on their leadership potential, extracurricular involvement, and awards.
If you have any inquiries, make sure to mail to NAAAPPHILA@gmail.com or visit http://phl.naaap.org/scholarship-program/.
3. Central California Asian Pacific Women (CCAPW) Scholarship
Amount : differs
Application Period : differs
CCAPW was formed in 1980 and has been a community that accommodates Asian Pacific women to gather, learn, network, and serve the API communities. For years, they have provided financial assistance for API women pursuing higher education. This scholarship has 4 categories (winning applicants will be assigned to one category) which are:
- General Scholarship: For several students from all areas of study.
- State Center Community College Foundation Scholarship: One award to a student pursuing an Associate’s Degree and/or transfer to a university.
- Mae Takahashi Scholarship: One award to a student pursuing a career in a health or business field.
- Graduate Scholarship: One award to a student pursuing studies at the graduate level.
To fulfill the eligibility, applicants must be a first-generation student in her family; the US citizen; and currently residing on or originally from Fresno, Merced, Madera, Kings, and Tulare. Applicants will be selected based on academic performance, leadership quality, contribution to API communities, and ethnic diversity.
To be precise about the scholarship’s amount and application period, please visit http://ccapw.org/scholarships/ or mail to ccapwscholarship@gmail.com. The submission portal can be found on the website.
4. Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Intern Scholarship by FAA
Amount : varies
Application Period : throughout the year (January – May | June – August | August – December)
Powered by The Federation Aviation Administration, this intern scholarship program aims to help the students, especially for minorities, to pursue and get direct experiences for their careers. This scholarship is intended for (but not limited to) Asian American and Pacific Islander students who are majoring in Air Traffic Control, Aviation Management, Business Administration, Computer Science, Economics, and Engineering and Information Technology field.
Applicants are required to be a citizen of the US, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and attending a college or university with a high percentage of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. As for the compensation, The FAA offers a weekly stipend, the cost of travel, orientations, workshops, field trips, mentoring and coaching.
For better information, please kindly visit https://www.faa.gov/jobs/students/internships/minority/.
5. CANFIT Scholarship
Amount : differs
Application Period : January – March
CANFIT is an organization that focuses on youth’s health and fitness, primarily on a low income, African-American, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities.
This scholarship open for graduate and undergraduate students of APIA ethnicity, in the region of California, who are showing interest in Nutrition, Physical Education or Public Health, and Culinary Arts. By providing financial aid, CANFIT hopes to encourage more students to consider careers that will improve the adolescent healthy lifestyle.
To apply, you need to fill out some forms on their website and mail the application to the following address: PO Box 3989 Berkeley, CA 94703 with the subject of “Scholarship Application”. The minimum requirement of GPA for undergraduates is 2.5, meanwhile, it is 3.0 for graduates.
Get your question answered by visiting http://canfit.org/scholarships/FAQ/ or contacting info@canfit.org.
6. Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids Minority Scholarship
Amount : differs
Application Period : differs
This scholarship is sponsored by Grand Rapids Community Foundation. The advantage of applying through their website is applicants only have to submit for one general application once, and they let them enter in the selection process of more than 70 scholarship programs. All the documents required are a transcript, essay, list of awards and volunteer/employment/extracurricular activities, and financial condition of the applicants.
Students who are pursuing studies in Fine Arts, including all visual and performing art forms, with a minimum GPA of 2.5 are eligible to apply. In addition, applicants must be a Kent County resident, have a financial need, and go to college or university in West Michigan.
If you want to know more about this scholarship, please visit this page or mail to rbishop@grfoundation.org.
7. Actuarial Diversity Scholarship
Amount : $1,000 – $4,000
Application Period : November – March
Sponsored by The Actuarial Foundation, this scholarship supports diversity within the profession through an annual scholarship program for (but not limited to) Pacific Islander students intend on pursuing a career in the Actuarial field.
Each applicant must fulfill these following criteria to be selected: a full-time undergraduate student at a US college or university, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (emphasize on math or actuarial courses), answer some questions related to Actuarial, and freshmen must have a minimum ACT math score of 28 or SAT math score of 620. In other words, students of any major are welcomed to apply, but you have to show interest in being an Actuarial professional.
For more information, please visit https://www.actuarialfoundation.org/scholarships/actuarial-diversity-scholarship/.
Before ending this short article, we present you with some tips that you may practice to win the APIA Scholarships. But, beforehand, you have to know that there are still many more scholarships are not yet mentioned here, but they are out there waiting for you to apply, either it is APIA scholarships or not. So, it’s highly recommended to keep checking and searching to find the right one for you. Good luck!
TIPS
To be the APIA scholarships winner or recipient, you can do these things:
- Get yourself motivated.
- Prepare all the documents needed, even far before the starting date of application.
- Prepare yourself for the interview.
- Predict or plan the future outcome of what you’ll get with the scholarship.
- Learn from the past winners of the scholarship by reading their stories at each scholarship website.
- Discuss problems with other applicants through college students’ forum called College Confidential.
