17 Useful Scholarships for Latino and Hispanic Students

If you’re looking to reduce the cost of college, applying to scholarships is a good start. Scholarship awards, along with financial aid, can ease the burden and reduce the amount you need to borrow in student loans. For students who identify as Hispanic or Latino, there are a number of scholarship opportunities available.

Consider these 17 scholarships for Hispanic and Latino students as a starting point in your quest to raise money for your education.

17 scholarships for Hispanic and Latino students

Eligibility requirements vary for these scholarships, but typically, they require a 3.0 GPA and attendance or enrollment at an accredited four-year college or university.

Plus: Where you can find more scholarships for Latino and Hispanic students

1. ABA Diversity Scholarship

This $5,000 scholarship award from the American Bus Association (ABA) is awarded to students who plan to study a major related to the travel and tourism industry. ABA seeks to support students who are traditionally underrepresented in the fields of transportation, travel and tourism.

Winners are selected based on such factors as academic performance, character, leadership, financial need and a commitment to advancing the future of the transportation, travel, tourism or hospitality industries.

2. ALCOA Fund Scholarship

Run by the Cleveland Foundation, the ALCOA Scholarship is available to “African American or Hispanic students who are graduates of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District or a Catholic school in Greater Cleveland”. If you have a GPA of 2.75 or higher and demonstrate financial need, you could win a scholarship award between $2,000 and $5,000.

3. AMS Minority Scholarships

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) provides a $6,000 two-year scholarship ($3,000 per year) to freshman and sophomore students. It awards students who have been historically underrepresented in the sciences, including Black, Latino and Native American students.

To be eligible, you must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and plan to work in the atmospheric, oceanic or hydrologic sciences. Note that marine biology doesn’t qualify.

4. Association of Cuban-American Engineers Scholarship Foundation (ACAESF)

ACAESF provides scholarships awards between $500 and $2,500 to both undergraduate and graduate students of Cuban or other Hispanic heritage. You’ll need a minimum GPA of 3.0 to qualify. You can win this scholarship award for up to three years.

5. Cooperativa Latino Credit Union

The Cooperativa Latino Credit Union (LCCU) has awarded $350,000 in scholarship awards since 2016. Its scholarship awards are available for LCCU members who are pursuing higher education at a technical college or university in the U.S.

To qualify, you must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, as well as show qualities of distinguished character and leadership. The application involves essays and reference letters, both of which can be written in English or Spanish.

6. José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund

The José Martí Foundation has awarded over 650 scholarships to Florida residents of Hispanic descent. To be eligible for this $2,000 scholarship, you must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and demonstrated financial need of at least $2,000.

7. HACU IES Abroad Scholarship

This award is available to students attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution and studying abroad through an IES Abroad program. Priority is given to students who have demonstrated financial need or are first-generation students.

If you win this award, you could receive up to $5,000 for a semester abroad or up to $2,500 for a summer program abroad.

8. Haz La U Program

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive partnered to create the Haz La U or “Make the U” Program, which offers 100 scholarships worth $1,000 each for Hispanic youth.

The Hispanic Youth Awards scholarship requires Hispanic heritage (high school students with heritage from Spain, Brazil and the Philippines are also eligible), a 3.0 GPA, and plans to enroll in an accredited bachelor’s degree program in the fall after high school graduation.

Preferred areas of study are business and entrepreneurship, community service, education, health care and science, media and entertainment and STEM programs (science, technology, engineering and math).

Applications for this scholarship are open starting in the fall, usually in October.

9. Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Youth Awards award a grant that you can use for college or to fund a community service project. To win this award, you must be of Hispanic heritage and have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

The foundation specifically looks for students who excel academically and in their community, particularly in the fields of business, finance, engineering, entrepreneurship, education, health care, science, media, entertainment, social justice or technology.

10. Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is available to Latino students of various ages — from high school seniors all the way up to graduate students. All majors of study are accepted, but there is an emphasis on STEM majors. There’s also a GPA requirement of 2.5 for college students and 3.0 for high school students.

Recipients can receive from $500 to $5,000. Applications open in January and are due in mid-February.

11. Latinos in Technology Scholarship

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley offers up to 100 scholarships for a maximum of $30,000 paid out over three years. Recipients must be of Latino or Hispanic origin and be studying in a STEM field.

This award is available to undergraduate students entering their junior or senior year or community college students transferring to a four-year school. You’ll need to have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have graduated from a high school in a qualifying northern California county.

12. La Unidad Latina Foundation Scholarship

La Unidad Latina Foundation offers scholarships of $500 to $1,000 to qualified recipients. They must also be currently enrolled in a qualified master’s or bachelor’s program and maintain at least a 2.8 GPA.

Students must have already completed one full year of undergraduate study. Undergraduates can major in anything, but graduate students must be pursuing one of these degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Public Administration/Policy, Master of Social Work, Master of Education, Master of Divinity or Doctor of Philosophy.

Applications are generally due in late October.

13. LULAC National Scholarship Fund

The LULAC National Scholarship Fund helps youth in underserved communities by providing scholarship awards that range from $250 to $2,000. To determine winners, the selection committee looks at such factors as academic performance, motivation, sincerity and community involvement.

14. NBCUniversal/LNESC Scholarship

The NBCUniversal/LNESC Scholarship was created to help Latino students pursue careers in media and entertainment. The scholarship of $5,000 each is available to 10 college sophomores and juniors, all of whom must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Students can major in anything but should have an interest in working in the media and entertainment industries.

You can find out about the next round by signing up for email updates from the League of United Latin American Citizens.

15. Prospanica Foundation Scholarships

Prospanica offers scholarships of up to $5,000 for students of Hispanic or Latino heritage. To qualify, you’ll need to be a Prospanica member with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (or of 2.75 if you also have two years of full-time work experience).

This scholarship is available to both undergraduate and graduate students. If you’re an undergraduate, you’ll need to be a sophomore or higher to apply.

16. The Randy Falco Scholarship

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) offers a handful of scholarships. One of these scholarships is specifically for Hispanic or Latino college-bound students who intend to pursue a career in the television industry. The Randy Falco Scholarship awards $10,000 to its recipient.

Applications are usually due in mid-March.

17. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Scholarships

Hispanic students interested in STEM programs can take advantage of a variety of scholarships through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). The GPA requirements for each scholarship vary, ranging from a minimum of 2.75 to 3.0, and some require full-time membership in the SHPE.

Applications for these scholarships typically open in February and are due in June.

Where you can find more scholarships for Latino and Hispanic students

The awards above are just the start of a much longer list. You can find even more scholarships for Hispanic and Latino students specific to the school you plan to attend or are attending, and the location where you live or went to high school, as well as programs for minority groups as a whole. Scholarships.com is a great place to search for more such scholarships, as are Fastweb and Niche.

You might be surprised by what you find if you start looking for scholarships now.