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Regardless of the fact that the Hispanic population now outnumbers that of African Americans in the United States, the percentage of Hispanics that attend college at any level remains alarmingly imbalanced.
Not only do many college and university programs, especially four-year and graduate, remain quite lacking in diversity, but statistics overwhelmingly show that Hispanics receive less scholarship and grant money and those that do pursue education beyond high school often stop at a technical or two-year degree.
According to many sources, as a whole the Hispanic population is considered undereducated due to a number of significant social and economic anomalies.
Cultural Challenges of Hispanic Students
The good news is that since 1990 the percentage of Hispanic students moving directly from high school to college has risen by almost 70%. One of the most outstanding obstacles has been lack of financial resources, in combination with familial and societal support:
- In the interest of supporting the challenges of such cultural structures, Sallie Mae Corporation, in concert with the Hispanic College Fund, administers the "First in My Family" Scholarship Fund. Hispanic students from disadvantaged backgrounds and from families with no history of college education may be eligible to receive these grants.
Economic Challenges - Federal, State and Private Grants
As cultural attitudes have changed, the remaining issue is largely economic. Now, more and more federal, state and private companies and organizations are being driven to support all minority students in higher education. The more diverse the workforce and more educated the population in general the more globally effective the country becomes across the board:
- The Federal Pell Grants should be a first course of action for Hispanic students from low-income households. These grants can be quite impressive when awarded to the right candidates.
- Hispanic students considering degrees in health care may explore the Hispanic Nurses Association grants and scholarships, the March of Dimes Nursing Scholarship program, the Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students program, and the Nursing Education Loan Repayment program.
- The Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Professions provides generous monetary support to institutions that provide high-quality degree programs targeting minorities seeking health care professions.
- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute, in conjunction with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, maintains an updated list of current grants for Latino students. The funds specifically address issues related to an undereducated group, including grants for students to return to college, for those in mid-college career and those for students completing 2-year degrees as incentive to continue onto a 4-year program.
- The state of Texas offers grants to Hispanic students enrolled in either a four-year nursing program or a vocational nursing program. The goal of the grant is two fold - support the education of a significant part of the state's population as well as shore up the state's healthcare system, especially in areas considered medically underserved.
Corporate Support Benefits Everyone
Corporations the likes of Xerox and AT&T recognize the advantages to supporting the advanced education of minority students. Diverse corporate environments, from entry-level to leadership roles, position companies to be more globally competitive and provides a continual resource pool of highly educated candidates:
Different opportunities exist for graduate and undergraduate Hispanic or Latino students. Listed below are some resources you may find helpful:
Hispanic-Serving Colleges and Universities
In 2002, the federal government disbursed an initial $15 million dollars for a variety of start-up grants to Hispanic colleges; then added another $70 million that went to rev up existing grant programs. Hispanic-serving colleges are those whose student bodies are at least one quarter Hispanic. These institutions are concentrated in California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and New York and New Jersey:
- National Hispanic University in California features the Silicon Valley Scholarship. This program is an example of those that support Hispanic students pursuing a particular career path. In this instance students enrolled in an engineering or computer science program with a GPA of at least 2.5, are eligible.
- Jose Marti Challenge Grant is offered by Florida's Department of Education. The grant is awarded to financially underprivileged Latino students planning on pursuing a four-year undergraduate degree. Applications are due before graduation from high school and the student must meet academic standards.
According to the U.S. Department of Education the more obstacles, both financial and social that an undergraduate level student faces, the less and less likely they are to ever get to a four-year college degree. In order to remove the financial obstacle, Hispanic students are eligible for a large number of grants targeted to their specific needs, as well as those designed for minorities in general.
Requirements for many Hispanic-specific grants include heritage, citizenship, full-time enrollment and sometimes maintenance of an above average GPA.
Different opportunities exist for graduate and undergraduate Hispanic or Latino students. Listed below are some resources you may find helpful:
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute has developed one of the most complete and concise collections of Hispanic-specific financial aid information currently available. By calling toll free, 1-800-EXCEL DC, students have access to more than 200,000 resources. CHCI assembles a comprehensive college financial aid strategy, based on the student's particular field of interest. There is no charge for this service and bilingual assistance is available. CHCI's Clearinghouse Coordinator provides individual counseling and assistance to all CHCI summer interns and fellows.
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Regional Scholarships
Current listings include:
- 100 Hispanic Women-Young Latinas Leadership Institute
- Amigos Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
- Bar Association of San Francisco-Bay Area Minority Law Scholarship
- BECA Foundation-Alice Newell Joslyn Medical Fund
- BECA Foundation-Daniel Gutierrez Memorial General Scholarship Fund
- BECA Foundation-General Scholarship Fund
- BECA Foundation-Pepperdine University Scholarships
- California Chicano News Media Association (CCNMA)-Joel Garcia Memorial Scholarship
- Chicana/Latina Foundation Scholarship Fund
- Coalition for Nursing Careers in California
- Cuban American Scholarship Fund
- Golden State Minority Foundation
- Hispanic Education Foundation, Inc.
- Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)-Scholarship Program
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)-Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Fund Program
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/Little Village Chamber of Commerce (LVVC)-Ambassadors Scholarship Program
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA)-Scholarship Program
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/South Texas-Scholarship Program
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/Toyota Foundation-Scholarship Program-Puerto Rico
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)/Toyota-Scholarship Program
- Jose Marti Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund
- La Raza Lawyers Scholarship Program
- Latina Leadership Network (LLN)-Scholarship Program
- Latin American Educational Foundation Scholarships
- Latino College Expo, Inc.
- Maxwell House Coffee-Minority Scholarship
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)-Ellen and Federico Jimenez Scholarship
- National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA)/Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES)-Undergraduate Scholars Program
- New Jersey Mental Health Institute (NJMHI)-Hispanic Higher Education Scholarship Program
- PacifiCare Foundation-Latino Health Scholars Program
- Pacific Gas & Electric Company-Hispanic Employees Association Scholarship Fund
- San Jose GI Forum Scholarship Foundation
- Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation-Aztec Scholarship
- TELACU Education Foundation-Arts Award
- TELACU Education Foundation-Cesar Chavez Memorial Leadership Award
- TELACU Education Foundation-David C. Lizarraga Fellowships
- TELACU Education Foundation-Edison International Scholarship
- TELACU Education Foundation-Engineering Award
- TELACU Education Foundation-General Scholarship Program
- Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE)-Graduate Fellowships
- Youth Opportunities Foundation
- Congresswoman Lucile Roybal-Allard (California) Online Scholarship, Internship, and Fellowship Directory focuses on opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Students.
- Hispanic College Fund, Inc., Scholarships
