Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA Scholars) Unveils Re-Imagined Scholarships Approach

Aimed to Break Down Financial Barriers for
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–Washington, D.C. — APIA Scholars, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students, is proud to announce the launch of its newly revamped scholarship application after a complete review of the process from top to bottom. The redesigned initiative focuses on reducing financial barriers to higher education for students most in need, while also ensuring greater flexibility and accessibility for a diverse range of scholars.

With the revamped application and process, APIA Scholars is setting a bold new standard in scholarship delivery by addressing the evolving needs of AANHPI students, many of whom face financial challenges, systemic inequities, and unique cultural pressures. The re-imagined scholarship process is aimed to enhance accessibility, flexibility, and equity in how scholarships applications are completed and submitted, ensuring that process and administration are more focused to serve students facing the greatest challenges. As part of our focus to serve those who are most in need, APIA Scholars will also be piloting new funding options, including flexible uses for scholarship funds (such as covering housing and food costs) as well as an expanded pilot for emergency funds.

“We are committed to empowering AANHPI students by ensuring that financial barriers do not stand in the way of their educational aspirations,” said Dr. NoëlS. Harmon, President and Executive Director of APIA Scholars. “Our revamped scholarship program is the result of in-depth research, listening to our students, and working closely with our partners. It is designed to provide critical support to those who need it most and help them succeed in college and beyond.”

We will also expand multi-year awards that provide sustained support throughout a student’s college journey. Over the past few academic years, we have made significant strides in offering multi-year scholarships, which have directly contributed to improved scholar engagement and higher persistence rates. Multi-year scholarships have grown from 11% of our scholarships in FY2019-2020 to over 60% in FY2023-2024. By expanding this approach further, we can continue to bolster long-term academic success for our scholars.

Key Changes:

• Redesigned application
  • Removed GPA as an eligibility requirement
  • Removed the optional letter of recommendation
  • One essay instead of 2 essays plus an optional 3^rd essay or letter of recommendation
  • Streamlined process from beginning to end
• Streamlined evaluation process
• Pilot programs in flexible funding

About APIA Scholars

Based in Washington, D.C. and founded in 2003, Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA Scholars) is the nation’s leading non-profit organization devoted to the academic, personal, and professional success of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. Through scholarships, higher education research and policy, student programs, and institutional partnerships, APIA Scholars carries out its mission to educate, elevate, and empower a diverse community of 25 million strong and growing.

For more information about APIA Scholars, please visit www.apiascholars.org.

CONTACT

Wendy Wong
VP of Marketing and Communications
wwong@apiascholars.org