Minority Scholarships
How They Can Benefit You?

Who qualifies as a minority? Minority does not necessarily mean a specific race or ethnic background. A minority group is characterized by a distinct characteristic that makes up less than half of a total population. Different minority groups can include people who speak a different language, or are of a different nationality, religion, culture, or lifestyle. For example, for its scholarship program, the Hispanic College Fund requires that an eligible applicant be of Hispanic heritage. Another example includes the American Indian Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to students of Native American or Alaskan Native descent.

Women are considered a minority as well. Various scholarships are reserved specifically for women. The Association for Women in Science provides various scholarships to women who are studying undergraduate or graduate careers in the sciences. Such programs give women additional opportunities to receive scholarships for which only they are eligible.

Another common misconception is the belief that minority scholarships are only given to students who are financially needy or are awarded to those who have a high grade point average. Although financial need may be assessed and transcripts may be requested, the student may still have a good chance of being awarded the scholarship based on other factors. Scholarships are usually awarded to well-rounded students who possess a variety of qualities and are involved in various activities.

Minority scholarships are not solely awarded to students of a specific race or ethnicity. You may find scholarship providers and scholarship programs that consider you to be a minority based on your culture, religion or lifestyle. The next time you find a scholarship for minorities, don’t count yourself out.

Editorial is provided by ScholarshipExperts.com, a free online scholarship matching service.