As colleges come to understand the value of diversity on their campuses and prioritize making their schools more accessible to students of all ethnicities and backgrounds, many scholarship opportunities are opening up for minority students, including Hispanic students.

Hispanic and Latino students account for the largest minority group on U.S. college campuses. Within the last few years, The Pew Research Center recorded that educational attainment among U.S. Hispanic and Latino students increased significantly. Additionally, Hispanic students are significantly less likely than other groups to have student debt; thanks to the assistance of scholarships, federal aid, and schools with lower tuition.

Many companies, organizations and schools offer scholarships for minority and female students, such as the ¡Adelante! Fund and Ronald McDonald House Charity. Scholarships like these offer prestigious, large dollar awards to deserving students to support their higher education dreams.

Organizations like the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) are committed to assisting Hispanic and Latino students find financial assistance for college. HSF empowers families with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing scholarships and support services. As the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education, HSF has awarded over $500 million in scholarships. The HSF Scholarship Directory also contains many awards for students with a Hispanic ethnic background. In many cases, there are other eligibility requirements, such as participation in a sport or a stellar grade point average. Every scholarship is different, but online resource such as HSF are a great place to start looking for awards.

Just like there are multiple Hispanic serving institutions, there are private and independent scholarships just for Hispanic students as well. Many Hispanic scholarships seek to promote heritage as well as achievement in the Hispanic community. Some Hispanic scholarships may require an essay or video, but the common thread is that they are available to those with Hispanic or Latino background.