7 Amazing Scholarships for Hispanic High School Students

To help the nation’s growing population of Hispanic students achieve their college goals, a number of organizations have developed programs and scholarships designed to support the transition to college and offset the high cost of postsecondary education.

Here are a few programs and scholarships still accepting applications this year:

Accenture Scholarship
Offered through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Foundation, this scholarship is designed to promote Accenture’s commitment to global diversity programs.  Applicants must be SHPE members (free for high school students); accepted to or attending an accredited university in the US, and studying one of the engineering disciplines.  Five $3000 awards are available along with the possibility of an internship with Accenture.  Applications must be received by May 1, 2013.

American Chemical Society Scholars Program
High school seniors entering college and planning to pursue full time study in a chemically-related field are eligible for an ACS Scholars Award.  Along with an application, students must submit an official transcript or grade report, ACT or SAT score report, a copy of a Student Aid Report (SAR), and two letters of recommendation by March 1, 2013.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The AIChE Minority Scholarship award is presented to 10 incoming minority college freshmen planning to enroll in a four-year college offering a science/engineering degree.  While students admitted for science and engineering degrees are encouraged to apply for this scholarship, preference will be given to students admitted into chemical engineering programs.  This year’s deadline is June 14, 2013.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
The mission of the CHCI Scholarship Program is to provide financial assistance that will increase graduation rates among Latino students in postsecondary education.  These opportunities are for students who have a history of performing public service oriented activities in their communities and who demonstrate a desire to continue their civic engagement in the future.  There is no GPA or academic major requirement, but students must demonstrate financial need.  The application deadline is April 16, 2013.  Note that the CHCI publishes a free guide to scholarships, internships, and fellowships for Latino students, which is available online for download.

Esperanza Education Fund Scholarship
The Esperanza Education Fund will award scholarships—ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on financial need—to immigrant students in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, attending public colleges and universities regardless of ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status.  Applicants must submit an electronic application (including two essays), two letters of recommendation, official score reports and transcript by no later than April 1, 2013.

HSF/Walmart Foundation High School Scholarship
The Walmart Foundation High School Scholarship Program is available to graduating high school seniors of Hispanic heritage from selected geographic locations, including Washington DC and Baltimore.  Applicants must complete a FAFSA and must have plans to enroll full time in a degree-seeking program at an accredited 4-year US institution.  Applications are due March 31, 2013.

The Herb Block Scholarship

This scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to high school graduates, first-year college students and adult learners who wish to continue their studies at the DC area’s community colleges.  To be eligible, an applicant must be a permanent resident of DC; Prince George’s or Montgomery Counties in Maryland; Arlington or Fairfax Counties or the cities of Falls Church or Alexandria in Virginia. The Herb Block Scholarship is a “last dollar” scholarship valued up to $8,000 per academic year (not to exceed $16,000 over the life of the scholarship.  Applications for fall semester awards are due July 7^th; applications for spring semester are due November 10^th.

This is the second in a two-part series on scholarship opportunities for Hispanic students.