Asian College Grants

Minority and Subject-Specific Awards

Over the last few decades there has been a big push to encourage minority students to pursue a college education. Slowly but surely the field is getting more level, but there’s a long way still to go. But money talks. And not every student has the same financial advantages. Grant programs commonly provide funds specifically aimed at minority students, including Asians.

General minority grants abound, but many ethnic-centric grants are also quite specialized: programs funded by public and private sources aiming high to diversity granular fields of study, for example, or meet high-demand for certain professional expertise.

Various types of Asian student grants include:

  • Ethnic minority student grants for Asian students
  • Grants for Asian Studies
  • Grants for students studying an Asian language.

Best sources for these grants:

  • Government sources
  • Colleges and universities
  • Professional associations
  • Non-profits

Asian College Grants from Government Sources

The federal government is a well-known supporter of student diversity and as such many of the major federal departments run annual internship grant programs aimed at attracting minority students. The Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice, NASA, Department of Agriculture, and others are excellent sources. Anticipate that Asian minority grants will most likely come from sources where not many Asian students have gone before.

Also do NOT overlook any minority student grant programs your state of residence may offer. Explore your state’s Higher Education website for current programs and funding.

Colleges and Universities as Grant Sources

Good news is that you can find all types of grants through your college or university, including undergraduate and graduate student grants. Explore not only the school’s general tuition grants, which may include those for Asian and minority students, but also evaluate your free aid opportunities through your major department of study. Just an example:

  • Duke University students studying in the Asian Studies Department are privy to a number of graduate and doctoral level fellowship grants for summer study and research. The grants are to be used to help defray the cost of travel for students that must research on-site in Asia. Grants are $2,500.

Professional Associations

Almost any type of professional organization or association supports student education and professional development—their future rests on that mission. To those ends many such organizations, small or large, offer some form of student grant and scholarship awards often funded by member donations.

  • Asian American Journalists Association provides a handful of awards programs, including annual internship grants for Asian student journalists. Grants range from $2,000 to $3,000.

Non-Profits

Non-profit organizations often have quite lucrative stores of grant money socked away for students and researchers. The key when searching these sources is to target those that apply to your circumstances: type of student, your hobbies and interests, as well as your field of study. For example:

  • The Ford Foundation is renowned for its doctoral and post-doctoral dissertation grants aimed at ethnic minority students. The mission of these grants is to provide incentive to Asian students and others to pursue faculty positions in academia. Dozens of grant awards are available each academic year.

Use all of your personal and academic resources to narrow down the scope of grant programs for which you are definitely eligible. This way you only expend energy on those programs in which you have a stake.