Resources for Undocumented Students


Scholarships For Undocumented Students

The following scholarships are open to students who are undocumented, DACA-eligible, or hold DACA status. Some of the scholarships are specifically for undocumented students, while others are open to all students, no matter their citizenship.

Huddle for Heroes: Make a Card of Appreciation or Letter for Military Service Members, Veterans, and their Families

Sponsor: DoSomething

Amount: $2,500

Closing Date: February 8, 2020

Description: Beyond everything they do to keep us safe, military service members make the additional sacrifice of spending long periods of time away from family and friends. Use your creativity (and our easy guide) to make an appreciation card for military service members, veterans and their families. You’ll help them feel connected to home *and* automatically enter to win a $2,500 scholarship. Let’s Do This!


Harriet Fitzgerald Scholarship

Sponsor: The Sunflower Initiative

Amount: $10,000

Closing Date: February 1, 2020 – extended to February 15, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to highly motivated female graduating high school seniors who have a desire to attend a women’s college in the United States. Applicant must have at least a 3.7 GPA. There is no citizenship requirement, but student must plan on attending a college in the U.S.


Live Deliberately Essay Contest

Sponsor: The Walden Woods Project/Thoreau Institute

Amount: $250

Closing Date: February 15, 2020

Description: Contest is open to youth ages 14-21 around the globe. Applicant must submit an essay or visual essay on a topic related to a quotation by Henry David Thoreau.


Goya Foods Culinary Arts Scholarship Program

Sponsor: Goya Foods

Amount: $5,000

Closing Date: February 17, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to incoming college freshman who will be majoring in Culinary Arts or Food Science. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, or qualify for DACA.


Income Inequality Essay Contest

Sponsor: Stossel in the Classroom

Amount: Up to $2,500

Closing Date: February 17, 2020

Description: Contest is open to writers aged 12-18. Applicant must submit an essay on what they think about income inequality.


Income Inequality Video Contest

Sponsor: Stossel in the Classroom

Amount: Up to $2,500

Closing Date: February 20, 2020

Description: Contest is open to filmmakers aged 14-23. Applicant must create a 1-3 minute video on income inequality.


Student Video Contest

Sponsor: World of 7 Billion

Amount: Up to $1,000

Closing Date: February 27, 2020

Description: Contest is open to students in grades 6-12 worldwide. Applicant must create a short video (up to 60 seconds) about the human population growth that highlights one of the given global challenges.


TheDream.US National Scholarship Program

Sponsor: The Dream.US Scholarship Program

Amount: Varies

Closing Date: February 27, 2020

Description: Applicant must be a DREAMer who is DACA eligible and has applied for or received DACA approval. Applicant must be a first time college student and intend to attend a partner college (details available on website). In addition to the national scholarship, there is location specific scholarships (states where they face paying out-of-state tuition or will not admit students to their universities).


LAGRANT Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships

Sponsor: LAGRANT Foundation

Amount: $2,500

Closing Date: February 28, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and AB-540/DACA recipients who are a member of one of the following ethnic groups: African American/Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American/Alaska Native. Applicant must be a full-time student at a four-year accredited institution in the U.S. with at least a 3.0 GPA and majoring in a field of study that has an emphasis on advertising, marketing or public relations. Applications submitted on or before January 17 will be eligible for an extra 10 points.


Mental Note: Share a Mental (Health) Note with a Guy Frien

Sponsor: DoSomething

Amount: $2,500

Closing Date: February 29, 2020

Description: You could win an easy scholarship by giving a guy in your life (a friend, teammate, fraternity brother, actual brother, or boyfriend) one of DoSomething’s Mental (Health) Notes as a reminder to spend some quality “him” time. Using the card, he’ll set aside time to do a quick mental health check-in, do some personalized self-care, and be connected to clutch mental health resources for especially tough times.


Teens for Jeans: Run a Jeans Drive to Benefit Youth in Homeless Shelters

Sponsor: DoSomething

Amount: $2,500

Closing Date: February 29, 2020

Description: Almost 40% of people experiencing homelessness in the United States are under 18. One item they commonly request in homeless shelters is a pair of jeans. You could win an easy $2,500 scholarship by running a denim drive in your school or community to help local young people experiencing homelessness. For teens in homeless shelters, jeans are one of the most requested items. Recruit your friends and classmates to donate gently-used pairs. You’ll make a difference in someone’s life and enter to win a $2,500 scholarship.


Annual Kaplun Essay Contest

Sponsor: Morris J. and Betty Kaplun Foundation

Amount: Up to $1,800

Closing Date: March 13, 2020

Description: Contest is open to students in grades 7 through 12. Applicants must submit an essay on a given topic related to one of the ten commandments.


Dream Big Scholarship

Sponsor: RentLingo

Amount: $1,000

Closing Date: March 1, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to any student (including international students) 18 years or older currently attending a college or university. Applicant must submit a short online form and essay on their dream job.


The Fountain Essay Contest

Sponsor: The Foundation Magazine

Amount: UP to $1,000

Closing Date: March 1, 2020

Description: There is no age limit or a condition to fulfill for entry. Applicant must submit an essay on a topic related to facing challenges.


FormSwift Scholarship Program

Sponsor: FormSwift

Amount: $1,000

Closing Date: March 15, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors and current college students. Applicant must create a business plan infographic for one of the given industries provided.


Illustrators of the Future Contest

Sponsor: L. Ron Hubbard Library

Amount: $500

Closing Date: March 31, 2020

Description: Contest is open to new and amateur artists who have not been professionally published and paid for more than three black-and-white story illustrations, or more than one process-color painting, in media distributed broadly to the general public.


Employment Boost Academic Scholarships

Sponsor: Employment Boost

Amount: $1,000

Closing Date: April 1, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to incoming and current college students who have at least a 3.6 GPA. Scholarship is open to students worldwide, but student must be attending college in the U.S. In addition to the general scholarship, there is a scholarship open only to students studying in a Business or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. For the general scholarship, applicant must read and interpret a given poem. For the STEM scholarship, applicant must submit an essay on a given topic related to technology.


Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Sponsor: Winning Writers

Amount: Up to $1,000

Closing Date: April 1, 2020

Description: Contest is open to poets of all ages and from all nations. Contestant must submit one English poem only with a maximum of 250 lines.


Golden Apple Scholars

Sponsor: Golden Apple

Amount: Up to $23,000 over four years

Closing Date: April 3, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens (DACAmented students) who are residents of Illinois and will graduate high school in 2020.


Berrien Fragos Thorn Arts Scholarships for Migrant Farmworkers

Sponsor: Geneseo Migrant Center

Amount: $500 and up

Closing Date: June 1, 2020

Description: Scholarships are open to individuals 16 years of age or older who have a history of movement to obtain work in agriculture. Applicant must demonstrate an interest in pursuing further development of their talents.


ABC Humane Wildlife Academic Scholarship

Sponsor: ABC Humane Wildlife Control and Prevention, Inc.

Amount: $1,000

Closing Date: July 1, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to incoming and current female college students studying or planning to study the fields of science, engineering, mathematics, or technology. Applicant must submit an essay on why they are passionate about STEM.


Medler Law Firm College Scholarship

Sponsor: The Medler Law Firm LLC

Amount: $1,000

Closing Date: August 1, 2020

Description: Scholarship is open to incoming and current college students. International students are eligible if they are enrolled in a college in the United States. Applicant must submit an essay on a given topic related to injuries and corporate responsibilities.