Frequently Asked Questions

APIA Scholars is the nation’s leading non-profit organization devoted to the academic, personal, and professional success of our Scholars, with a focus on those who are most in need. Through Scholarships, Student Success Programs, Research and Applied Partnerships, APIA Scholars carries out its mission to educate, elevate, and empower our Scholars and the next generation of students.  

APIA Scholars offers a range of scholarships and financial assistance to support all students, with a focus on those who are living at or below poverty level as well as first generation college students. Awards to our Scholars range from one-time $2,500 awards to multi-year $20,000 awards. Our vision is to provide scholarships to students so they can cultivate their academic, personal, and professional success regardless of their ethnicity, national origin, or financial means. 

The APIA Scholarship application will be open from Saturday, November 15, 2025 until Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 5pm Eastern Time. During this application period, the online application link can be found at Asian Pacific Islander Scholarships – APIA Scholars. 

You should register your application account with a personal email address you will have continued access to throughout the application and selection process (at least through fall 2026). High school seniors: avoid using your high school email address since it likely will be deactivated after you graduate. 

Our multi-phase selection process begins after the application closes on January 15, 2026 at 5pm Eastern Time. Scholarship applicants will be notified of decisions sometime in April 2026 (may be subject to change).

APIA Scholarships award amounts range from $2,500 to $20,000.

There are both one-year awards and multi-year awards available. Individuals who receive a one-year scholarship can apply for another scholarship in a future year if they are eligible at that time. 

APIA Scholarships can be used towards a Scholar’s cost of attendance, including but not limited to: tuition and fees, room and board, and textbooks. Our scholarships are only paid and sent directly to a Scholar’s college or university, not to the Scholar themselves.

The scholarship recipient is responsible for taxes, if any, that may be assessed against the scholarship award. We recommend consulting a tax advisor or financial aid counselor for more guidance. In general, tuition is considered a non-taxable item.

Yes! Please see our Application Support and Resources page for our brochure and flyer. Both are available to be disseminated digitally or to be downloaded and printed for any networks or organizations that might benefit.

All applicants must:  

• Be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply. 

• Be enrolling or continuing enrollment as an undergraduate student in a U.S. accredited college or university in fall 2026. Full-time and part-time degree-seeking students are eligible. 

No. If you meet all eligibility criteria, including plans to attend a U.S. accredited university or college in fall 2026, then you do not need to be living in the U.S. to apply. 

If your scholarship has been fully disbursed, then yes, you may apply if all other eligibility criteria are met. Recipients who will already be receiving funding for the 2026-2027 academic year, whether as a Scholar with a deferred disbursement or a multi-year award, are not eligible.  

Yes. APIA Scholars welcomes applicants who come from households of all educational backgrounds, and we consider many factors when reviewing scholarship applications. 

Yes. While we have a focus on those who are living at or below poverty level, it is not a requirement for you to receive financial aid from other sources to be eligible to apply for our scholarship.  

Yes, if all eligibility criteria are met. APIA Scholars considers many factors when reviewing scholarship applications, and a student’s socioeconomic status is only one part of it.  

Yes, you can still apply. If you were to be selected as a Scholar, we would communicate with the school that your funds need to be used in full during the fall semester. You would also be limited to a scholarship that offers only a one-year award.  

Yes! Our scholarships are open to applicants who will be an undergraduate student in the 2026-2027 academic year. 

No. Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree or higher are not eligible to apply. If you have received your associate’s and are pursuing your first bachelor’s degree, you are welcome to apply.

No. Our scholarships are for undergraduate students only. 

If you will be a degree-seeking undergraduate student in fall 2026 and meet all other eligibility criteria, yes.

Students must be pursuing a degree-seeking (bachelor’s or associate’s) undergraduate program in fall 2026 to be eligible.

Full-time and part-time students are eligible to apply as long as they are enrolled in a degree-seeking program at a U.S. accredited university or college.

No. Students must meet the citizenship eligibility requirement regardless of where they reside or attend school.

Yes! Whether you plan to only receive an associate’s degree or continue on to a bachelor’s degree, community college students are welcome to apply. 

If you expect to receive your GED by June 2026, yes.

Yes! We welcome students of all backgrounds and ages to apply if all other eligibility criteria are met. 

If you will receive your high school diploma (or GED) by June 2026, then yes, if all other eligibility criteria are met. You will be considered as a graduating high school student for our purposes. 

Yes, degree-seeking students who plan to enroll in online courses at accredited institutions are eligible to apply.

Email us at applicant@apiascholars.org and we will work with you to create the necessary accommodation so you can access and submit the application by the deadline.

Please send an email to help@mykaleidoscope.com and our partners at Kaleidoscope will be able to assist you. You can also get instant answers by clicking on the blue button with a “K” directly on the Kaleidoscope platform. To close the help window, click on the blue button again. 

Be sure to log back in with the same email address you used when you started your application. Your application will automatically save your information through the last step, and you can edit it as much as you need to before submitting your application. Once you submit your application, we will not accept changes unless there is a key error, such as an issue with your email address or phone number. If there is a key error, you can reach out to help@mykaleidoscope.com for assistance. Please note, there may not be capacity to assist as the deadline approaches due to the high volume of inquiries. 

Please double check your application and submit your application well in advance of the deadline to avoid any potential delays due to technical issues. Clicking “Submit” will complete the final submission of your application, after which you cannot go back and edit your application. 

You will receive an automatic email confirmation when you submit your application. You can also check your dashboard in Kaleidoscope to see if it was submitted.

No. The application has a firm deadline of January 15, 2026, at 5pm Eastern Time. Any application that is not completed in full by that time will be automatically disqualified.  

Applicants simply need to provide responses to questions asked in the APIA Scholarship application form. The initial application does not require any supporting documents. Applicants who advance to the next stage of the selection process may be asked to complete an additional form. Award recipients will be asked to complete a Scholar Confirmation Form that requires submitting a transcript and college/financial information. If a selected applicant does not provide the requested information during the scholarship confirmation process, they will no longer to be eligible to receive a scholarship. Any additional information sent to APIA Scholars before it is expressly asked for by APIA Scholars will be disregarded.

We ask that you list your first-choice college or one of the colleges you are considering in this section. We understand that most first-time college students may not currently know where they will end up enrolling. If you advance to the next phase of the selection process, you will have an opportunity to provide an update if your college choice has changed.

If you do not know what you will be majoring in, or if you are currently undeclared, please select “Undecided” from the drop-down menu. We realize your academic interests might change over a few months. Applicants who move on to the final stage of selection will have the opportunity to confirm their academic major in the Scholar Confirmation Form they will be asked to complete.

APIA Scholars considers many factors when reviewing scholarship applications and understands that not everyone may have had the opportunity to pursue extracurricular activities and/or work experience for various reasons. You will have a chance to share information about a variety of activities, interests, and community involvement — including family responsibilities. 

The essay requires a minimum of 250 words to encourage a thoughtful and well-developed response, with a maximum of up to 500 words. The essay is an important part of the application that helps APIA Scholars to learn more about who you are as a whole person.  

Review this resource to get ideas for creating a strong application: Application Guide & Tips.  

APIA Scholars encourages you to talk to your school, college counselor, or a trusted teacher/instructor to help you navigate the application process if English is not your first language. We understand the challenge that some members of our communities may face in learning English and take that into consideration as we review our applications. 

Please email applicant@apiascholars.org with as much detail as possible regarding your question or issue you are experiencing. We receive a high volume of emails when the application is open and will respond to your inquiry as quickly as we can. 

Thank you for your interest in the APIA Scholarship program!