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Cafe Bustelo is proud to support the community by providing twenty-five life-changing scholarships to students at HACU-member institutions. 110 Latino students across the United States have received $550,000 in college scholarships since the Cafe Bustelo Scholarship was launched in 2014.
Hispanic and Latino students looking for financial aid are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. This comprehensive guide will help you to navigate through the application process. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
About Cafe Bustelo Scholarship
To support the Latino community, Cafe Bustelo awards scholarships to people who aspire to better their lives, their families and their communities’ futures, and their own. The American coffee company is looking for college students that have a strong interest in community service and education.
To be considered for the Cafe Bustelo Scholarship, students must submit an essay in either English or Spanish detailing how they aim to give back to their community and what they hope to accomplish with their college degree, as well as how their heritage, family, and community have influenced their decision to pursue higher education (800 words or less).
Cafe Bustelo is an American coffee brand owned by The J.M. Smucker Company. They have been an integral part of Latin culture for millennia and have inspired people to relish true Latin flavor.
Program Benefits
The Cafe Bustelo Foundation will give 25 scholarships. An award of $5,000 will be credited to each recipient’s approved educational expenditures, including tuition fees. A total of $125,000 will be awarded in scholarships. To earn a scholarship, an applicant must meet the eligibility requirements and submit a sufficient number of applications.
Limit the number of scholarship awards that can be given to one person or family. An award shall be forfeited and given to an alternate recipient if the recipient cannot accept his or her scholarship award as specified, if a notification of a scholarship award is returned as undeliverable, rejects his or her scholarship award, or does not comply with all requirements.
All checks issued by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) are non-transferable and will be made payable by check only to that institution. The institution or university will receive the checks in the mail. The receivers are responsible for any unspecified expenses if any.
Eligibility Requirements
Legal residents of the United States, D.C., and Puerto Rico who are 18 years of age or older and enrolled full-time at a HACU member university are eligible to apply for the Cafe Bustelo Scholarship.
Applicants from any other jurisdiction are not eligible to apply. Employees, officers, and directors of HACU or The J.M. Smucker Company, their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors, sales representatives, website developers, and administrators, advertising, sales promotion, and judging agencies, and all other service agencies involved with the scholarship, and members of the immediate families or households of any of the above are not eligible.
Where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law, this scholarship is not eligible to apply.
Cafe Bustelo Scholarship Application
Candidates are required to submit an online application, a resume, and an essay to the HACU within this period. It is impossible to edit or alter an application once it has been submitted. There are X steps to the application process:
- Go to http://www.hacu.net/hacu/scholarships.asp to access the Cafe Bustelo Scholarship application.
- Review and agree to the guidelines and complete the online application.
- Complete the following three questions:
- What is your motivation for applying to the Cafe Bustelo Scholarship?
- What are your academic and/or career goals?
- What skills could you bring to an employer?
- Respond to the following topic by writing an essay of 800 words or less (in English or Spanish) and uploading it to the application website:
“Describe how your Latino heritage, family, and the community in which you grew up have impacted your desire and motivation to obtain a college degree. Additionally, describe what you intend to accomplish with your degree and how you will give back to your community.”
- After completing the online application and essay, click “Submit Application” by the end of the application period.
Applications will be evaluated by a qualified review committee between July 1, 2022, and August 3, 2022. A notification will be sent to the 40 applicants with the highest scores to submit the following supporting documentation to HACU headquarters by August 3, 2022:
- A letter of recommendation from a school advisor, community leader, or mentor that includes a description of how the student has demonstrated commitment to his/her education and community;
- An enrollment verification form; and
- An official transcript from the college or university attending.
As soon as the finalist documentation period ends, HACU will review all of the finalist documents and material. Between August 15 and August 30, 2022, officials of the Cafe Bustelo brand will evaluate the top 40 contenders to select the 25 most deserving honorees.
Cafe Bustelo Scholarship Essay Requirements
To submit an essay, simply type it into the “Essay” area of the application. When writing an essay, the applicant must provide an original piece. A previously published essay, one that is awaiting publication, or one that has been submitted for publication consideration during the application period cannot be considered for the program.
If you’re having trouble putting together an essay, check out our guide on how to write a winning scholarship essay.
Closing Date
The Cafe Bustelo Scholarship application period is between February 28, 2022, and July 1, 2022. Only fully completed applications are eligible.
Contact Details
If you have any inquiries regarding this program, please send your questions to:
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
8415 Datapoint Drive, Suite 400, San Antonio, TX 78229
OR
The J.M. Smucker Company
1 Strawberry Lane, Orrville, OH 44667-0280
Telephone: (800) 990-9039
Cafe Bustelo Scholarship Official Website
Finally, apply to or learn more about the scholarship by visiting its official website at www.cafebustelo.com. Looking for more resources for Hispanic and Latino students? Check out our guides on CLLCF Scholarship and Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards.
