Students and families are already financially planning for the 2023-2024 school year, and to help them, AL DÍA  gathered some scholarship opportunities that Latinos can benefit from. Be sure to check the application deadlines and the criteria for each scholarship. 

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP ORGANIZED FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS (BLOCS): 

Committed to offering Catholic educational opportunities from pre-K to high school and special education, BLOCS is the largest scholarship organization in Pennsylvania. It offers tuition assistance to students of any religion to have access to Catholic and private schools. 

The organization has been around for over 40 years, and it uses funds donated through a variety of means, including Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. With an increase in last year’s state budget of $125M, BLOCS aims to assist an additional 10,000 students next year. 

“The state increased the budget because they were able to see the importance of this program,” said Dave Rowan, BLOCS CEO. 

A strong foundation for the city and the workforce, Rowan highlighted BLOCS’ amazing STEM scores and graduation rates. On top of that, more than 8% of the students who receive the scholarships are Latinos/Hispanics.  

The organization aims to focus on an initiative that was recently started called the Latino Enrollment Institute, at the University of Notre Dame. Rowan said they had five schools invited to participate in the program last year and at least five more are being invited this year — all are schools with significant growth in the Latino/Hispanic enrollment. 

“We are really proud that we are able to help participate in this program, and I think we are only going to see that growth continue significantly,” Rowan added. 

The criteria to be selected is need base and interested applicants can learn more about it here. The deadline to apply is September 30th, 2023. 

HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND (HSF): 

Focused on spreading knowledge and resources, HSU has been helping Latino students and families since 1975. The 2023 HSF Scholar Program application is now open and the first phase of the application takes less than an hour to be completed — and no essays or recommendations are required. The deadline to apply is February 15th, 2023.

Award amounts range from $500 to $5,000, and the selection is based on merit. Among other requirements, applicants must be of Hispanic heritage and have a minimum GPA. 

HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HACU):

HACU administers scholarship opportunities provided by its partners. On top of meeting the criteria for each scholarship, there some general requirements that applicants must meet, which include: 

• Be currently enrolled in college during the Spring 2023 semester and have completed their first semester of freshman year;
• Be currently attending a HACU member college or university in the U.S. or Puerto Rico at the time applications are completed and scholarship awards are made
• Demonstrate financial need if required by the scholarship sponsor (typically determined by FAFSA);

High school students are not eligible to apply for HACU scholarship program. The deadline is May 1st. 

BEAU BIDEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: 

The I Could Do Great Things Foundation announced the application period for the annual Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship is now open. 

A $10,000 scholarship will be given to a Delaware high school senior who plans to continue their education and who embodies the virtues of Beau Biden’s qualities of leadership, community, civility, respect, and a strong moral compass.

To apply, students can download the application at icoulddogreatthings.org and submit it via email to info@icoulddogreatthings.org, or fill out and submit the online grant application at icoulddogreatthings.org. The deadline to apply is March 10th.