Opportunity
APIA Scholarship (Cambodian eligibility)
The APIA Scholarship is a national award for underserved Asian and Pacific Islander American undergraduates at accredited U.S. colleges and universities.[1] Awards range from one-time grants of $2,500 to multi-year awards of $20,000.[1][2] Its focus is on students living at or below the poverty level and students who are the first in their families to attend college.[2]
Sponsorship
The scholarship is given by APIA Scholars, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.[2] Besides scholarships, the organization runs Scholar Enrichment Programs that build community and support students through college, and Strategic Initiatives on issues that affect student success.[3] APIA Scholars counts more than $150 million in scholarships given across the United States and the Pacific Islands, and more than 7,000 students who have received them.[1] Over its last 20 years, its scholars have come from all 50 states and from Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.[2]
Award and support
Awards are either one-year or multi-year. They may pay for tuition, fees, room and board, textbooks and other costs of attendance, and they are sent to the recipient's school in late summer.[4][1] A student whose one-year award has been fully paid out may apply again in a later year.[4]
Recipients may also join peer and professional mentorship programs, the Innovators for Good Competition, the Young Leaders Conference and the Young Professionals Conference, and they may receive advising and coaching.[1] APIA Scholars also holds career events for its scholars and alumni, such as CareerFest 3.0 in Dallas, Texas, and keeps a weekly job board of internships and full-time jobs.[5]
Eligibility
Applicants must identify as Asian and/or Pacific Islander as defined by the U.S. Census. They must be U.S. citizens, nationals or lawful permanent residents, or citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau.[1] They must enroll, or already be enrolled, as degree-seeking undergraduates at a U.S.-accredited college or university in the academic year after they apply. They need a cumulative unweighted grade-point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or a GED, and they must apply for federal financial aid through the FAFSA.[1]
Full-time and part-time students both qualify, at two-year and four-year colleges, and so do online students, returning adult students and students who begin college later in life.[4][2] Students working toward an associate degree, or a first bachelor's degree after an associate degree, may apply. Students seeking a second bachelor's degree and graduate students may not.[4] International students qualify only if they meet the citizenship rule.[4]
Special consideration goes to students living at or below the poverty level or otherwise of low income, to first-generation college students, to students who reflect the geographic and ethnic range of the Asian and Pacific Islander American community, especially groups underrepresented on college campuses, and to students who have served their communities as leaders.[1] Being a first-generation student, receiving financial aid or having a family income below the poverty line is not required.[4]
Application
One application covers every APIA scholarship.[6] For 2026 to 2027 it asked for one essay of 250 to 500 words, on how the applicant's experiences, identity or community have shaped them and how the scholarship would help them grow. No letters of recommendation or supporting documents were needed at first. Applicants who advance may be asked for more information.[6] Earlier versions of the application asked for three essays and a letter of recommendation.[1]
The 2026 to 2027 application closed on January 15, 2026, and applicants were told their results on April 15, 2026.[4][2] For 2027 to 2028, the application opens on November 15, 2026, and closes on January 15, 2027, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Scholars are to be notified by email on April 15, 2027, and awards paid out in summer 2027.[2] The Delaware Student Success scholarship directory also lists the program.[7]
Recipients
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 APIA Scholars, APIA Scholarship brochure (PDF)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 APIA Scholars, Scholarships (2026)
- ↑ APIA Scholars, About
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 APIA Scholars, Frequently asked questions (2025)
- ↑ APIA Scholars, Instagram
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 APIA Scholars, Application guide and tips (2025)
- ↑ Scholarships Delaware Student Success, APIA Scholarship Program listing