Search for Hispanic College Grants

Massive Grant Opportunities for Motivated Students

Hispanics are now the largest minority population in the U.S. When it comes to getting a college education, enrollment and graduation rates are dismal. Compound that with the fact that many businesses and industries are devoid of Hispanic professionals. To offset these statistics you’ll find increasing numbers of proactive organizations committed to helping Hispanic students get into college, often with lucrative grants and scholarships to offset the heady tuition costs.

Use the following sources to explore the abundant grant and scholarship opportunities for Hispanics, Chicanos, Latinos and Mexican students.

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, with philanthropic help, is putting college cash directly into the hands of Hispanic and Latino students AND helping them and their families navigate an often confusing college admissions system. In fact the American undergraduate admissions system from application to acceptance and continuity is challenging and in part for cultural reasons.

  • First in My Family is one of the premier scholarship grants in the country. The award is offered through a partnership with Sallie Mae and HSF and is designed specifically to meet the challenges of a college student from a background in which post secondary education has never been a possibility, a situation that applies often to Hispanic college bound students.

The HSF is your go-to source for very popular Hispanic student grants. You’ll find a varied list many of them sponsored by some of the very best corporations in the country: Ford Motor Company, Wal-Mart, and General Motors, to name a few.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

The HACU is a consortium of American and international colleges and universities with large Hispanic student bodies, making them Hispanic-serving institutions. These schools are making concerted efforts to appeal to and nurture this challenging corps of students. The HACU member list includes 214 Hispanic-serving colleges and universities, most of which offer grant and scholarship opportunities specially packaged to meet the needs of Hispanic college students.

Hispanic College Grants for Students in Underrepresented Fields

Under-representation has been a business buzzword for a number of years and continues to refer to the absence of many minority students from certain fields of study, including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and often also including foreign languages, law, and special education teaching. Grants and scholarships are common from colleges and universities, organizations, and various government agencies all eager to diversify their students and research.

  • The MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Study Awards are presented by the National Institutes of Health to qualified Hispanic and minority students pursuing biomedical careers and fields of study. Eligible candidates must be on track to a PhD to win grant money.
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers annually doles out awards to qualified Spanish students enrolled in engineering programs.

Finding Sources for Hispanic and Latino College Grants

Where exactly do you begin if you’re searching for college grant money?

A. Start with the federal government grants first. File the FAFSA, available in a Spanish format, if necessary. Federal grants for which you may qualify include:

  • Pell Grant
  • FSEOG
  • Academic Competitiveness Grant
  • National SMART Grant

B. Then explore your state grant programs available for minorities or Hispanics. For example,

  • In Texas, Hispanic students and others may qualify for the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant, or the Texas Grant.
  • Florida offers the Jose Marti Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund, an award open to Hispanic undergrads from Florida.

C. Colleges and universities, particularly the HACU institutions, are excellent sources for minority and Hispanic student grant programs. Check with the financial aid office at the colleges to which you’re applying.

D. Professional organizations and societies such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, often provide monetary support in the form of scholarships, grants, research funds and travel grants.

E. Local organizations and businesses can be an overlooked source for college funds.