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Top Scholarships for Immigrants in 2022
If you are an immigrant, or the child of immigrants, there are many scholarships that have been designed with you in mind. Organizations have set aside funds for scholarships for immigrants in any situation. There are scholarships designed for green card holders, DACA recipients, naturalized citizens, and any other citizenship status you could imagine.
We’ve attempted to include a survey of all of these situations in this list, so scroll through to find the best scholarships for immigrants to make your education affordable!
Jump ahead to:
- Top scholarships for immigrants
- Frequently asked questions
- Summary of scholarships for immigrants
- Upcoming scholarships
- Explore these other scholarship categories
Keep on reading to learn all about the top scholarships for students who are immigrants!
Top Scholarships for Immigrants in 2022
$500 WiseGeek Recent Immigrants Scholarship
- Eligibility: All students in any field of study who immigrated to the United States on or after January 1, 2010
- Amount: $500
- Deadline: April 16, 2022
American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program
- Eligibility: Minority students enrolled in a Sociology Ph.D. program, having completed one year of the application. Applicants can be citizens, non-citizen nationals, or DACA recipients
- Amount: $18,000 annually
- Deadline: January 31, 2022
Dream Scholarship
- Eligibility: Illinois residents attending high school, college, a vocational program, or university in Illinois, with a minimum 2.5 GPA and a demonstrated history of community service. DACA recipients are eligible to apply
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: January 31, 2022
Dream.US Opportunity Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school graduates who live in states that do not offer DREAMers in-state tuition or bar them from attending state colleges and universities
- Amount: Up to $80,000 to cover tuition, fees, and on-campus housing and meals for a bachelor’s degree
- Deadline: January 31, 2022
Dream.US National Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors schools and community college students. Students are eligible to apply if they were under age 16 when they came to the USA before November 1, 2015. Recipients must qualify for in-state and attend on of the partner colleges found on this list
- Amount: Up to $16,500 for an associate’s degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree
- Deadline: February 28, 2022
Esperanza Fund Scholarship
- Eligibility: Recent high school or GED graduates residing in DC, Maryland, or Virginia who were born outside of the US, or two parents born out of the US. Must be enrolling full-time in a public college or university, with a 2020 total family income below $100,000
- Amount: $5,000 to $20,000
- Deadline: April 1, 2022
Jack G Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship
- Eligibility: First-generation American students of Arab heritage who are juniors or above studying journalism, radio, television, and/or film
- Amount: $2,500
- Deadline: April 12, 2o22
Related: DACA scholarships
College resource hub for immigrants
Here is a list of resources for college students who are immigrants. Some resources will be geared towards documented immigrants and others are geared towards undocumented immigrants.
U.S. Department of Education Resource Guide for Undocumented Youth
This guide was assembled by the US Department of Education with the intent of providing a comprehensive guide for undocumented students. It includes information on what is within your powers as an undocumented student, as well as a directory to other useful resources.
My Undocumented Life
This website is a comprehensive hub of resources, news, and updates about studying in the United States as an undocumented student. On it, you’ll find guides for every step of the college application process, tailored specifically towards undocumented students.
U.S. Department of Education Resources for Immigrants
There’s no better place to get information than straight from the source. Here is the Department of Education’s page concerning everything to do with resources for immigrants. Whether you are documented or undocumented, there is information here on the rights afforded to you by the state when it comes to education.
List of state bills which impact immigrant students
This list goes over each state’s varying laws concerning how immigrant students can receive financial aid, can apply for schools, and more.
Frequently asked questions about scholarships for immigrants
Can an immigrant get a scholarship?
There are many scholarships available to immigrants in the United States; the Nargis E. Ragab Scholarship for First Generation Immigrants and the Children of First Generation Immigrants is a great example. All of the scholarships on this list are open to immigrants, and each has different requirements for residency status, meaning there are some open specially for DACA recipients, while others are for green card holders, or for people of any residency status.
Can non-citizens get scholarships?
Many scholarships are open to non citizens, such as the Red Thread Foundation Scholarship, which is open to women of international backgrounds regardless of citizenship status. Many of the other scholarships in this list are available for non citizens; check their eligibility requirements to make sure.
How do undocumented students pay for college?
Undocumented students face many hurdles in the struggle to pay for college. Though there are many scholarships that they are not eligible for, there are also scholarships made specifically to help undocumented students pay for college. Many of these scholarships are listed on this page, such as the Dream.US National Scholarship.
Can green card holders get Pell Grant?
Most green card holders are considered “eligible non-citizens” and therefore can get the Pell Grant. Green card holders are also eligible for most of the scholarships on this list, so if you are a green card holder looking for help paying for college, check out some of our top scholarships for immigrants!
Summary of scholarships for immigrants
- $500 WiseGeek Recent Immigrants Scholarship
- Jack G Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship
- American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program
- Dream Scholarship
- Dream.US Opportunity Scholarship
- Dream.US National Scholarship
- Esperanza Fund Scholarship
Upcoming scholarships for immigrants
Nargis E. Ragab Scholarship for First Generation Immigrants and the Children of First Generation Immigrants
- Eligibility: High school seniors or college students enrolled in a two or four-year institution in the United States who are first generation immigrants or the children of first generation immigrants
- Amount: $1,500
Students of Salaam
- Eligibility: Students who immigrated to the United States and are enrolled or planning to enroll in a post-secondary institution in the fall
- Amount: $1,000
- Opens: Spring 2022
Red Thread Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Women of international backgrounds who are entering a US college or university program in the fall
- Amount: Varies
- Opens: January 2022
Vipin Agrawal Memorial Scholarship
- Eligibility: California high school graduates attending college or university in California with a 3.0 minimum GPA, household income below $75,000, pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science, science, technology, engineering, or medicine. Student or their parents must have immigrated to the US.
- Amount: Varies
- Opens: Spring 2022
