Italian-American Scholarships
Look Over the Many Programs Available
"Chi cerca trova." In English, this Italian proverb translates into the proverb "seek and you shall find." If you are an Italian student, this proverb can apply to your search for scholarships. There are a number of scholarships for both students of Italian descent as well as students studying the Italian culture. Seek and you shall find...
Private Foundations that Support Italian American Students
The Justinian Foundation is a possible scholarship resource to those Italian American students in the Philadelphia area who attend law school. The caveat is that students must be a member of the Justinian Society Chapter at their respective law school and be in their third year of study. In addition, students must be service minded and give back to the community. Of course, good standing within the local Justinian Chapter as well as academic-wise is important. The scholarship award is always at least $1,000.
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) awards scholarships that range from $2,000 to $10,000 to cover tuition as well as room and board on the college campus. Students must have high academic standing and fall within one of these two categories:
- Students with an Italian heritage who show potential and proven scholastic achievement.
- Students of any cultural background with a major or minor in the Italian language and/or Italian studies with high academic standing.
The NIAF also administers scholarship funds on behalf of various entities. Some of these scholarships are location specific.
- The Emanuele and Emilia Inglese Memorial Scholarship awards $2,500 to an undergraduate with an Italian American background. The student must link their ancestry back to the region of Lombardy in Italy. In addition, the student must be the first in his or her family to attend college. Other requirements include a 3.0 or higher grade point average, show financial need and be enrolled in college.
- Alex and Henry Recine Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors or current college students in New York. This $2,500 award to be given to Italian students requires proof of community service and financial need as well as good academic standing.
Italian Societies and Service Clubs
Because many Italians are proud of their heritage, there are quite a few civic clubs and societies that embrace the Italian culture.
The Augustus Society offers a scholarship program for students of Italian descent within the Las Vegas, Nevada area. Students must be going to college full-time and display financial need. In addition, students must show community involvement and high scholastic achievement. The scholarship can be used towards tuition, college fees, books and supplies. Recipients can be awarded up to $2,000 per year.
Order Sons of Italy in America offer general scholarships to students with Italian heritage which means a minimum of one Italian grandparent. Graduate degree students as well as undergraduates are welcome to apply as long as they attend an accredited college and are in good academic standing.
The Italian Catholic Federation has several scholarships available for applicants. The organization focuses on Italian Catholic students primarily in Nevada, California, Illinois and Arizona. Financial need must be present and applicants should be of strong character. Italian students in their first year of college could earn a $400 scholarship. Previous scholarship winners can qualify for more scholarships based on the number of school years. Second year students could earn $500 while the third and fourth year students could earn $600 and $1,000 correspondingly.
College-Specific Italian Scholarships
The UCLA Department of Italian offers undergraduates the Althea Caravacci Reynolds Scholarship. Students must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and write a brief paper describing how the scholarship would help them to finish a specifically outlined research project. The scholarship amount is $2,500 and must be used in the same year it was awarded. After completing the semester or quarter in which the money was allocated, scholarship recipients must turn in a paper explaining how the funds were used.
Nursing students of Italian heritage attending the University Of Cincinnati College Of Nursing can qualify for the Alfred Heil Scholarship. It is $1,500 and students from any level of nursing studies can apply if they are of Italian descent and can demonstrate financial need. Of course, good academic standing is a factor too.
Penn State in Pennsylvania has the Joseph Vincent Paterno Honorary Scholarship awarded through the college by the Associated Italian American Charities. Students must be of Italian American background and be a United States citizen with a grade point average of at least 2.75. Financial need must be shown and student applicants must write a brief essay describing their Italian heritage and the reasons why they are proud to be Italian. The monetary award is $1,100.
