A plethora of scholarships are available to Asian American students in the States. In the U.S. you are considered Asian American if your roots trace back to one or more of the 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent like China, Japan, India, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam. Asian Americans are considered a minority and make up around 8% of the total population in the United States. There are around 20 million Asian Americans at present, and their population is projected to increase to around 46 million by 2060.
In 2021, the largest ethnic group among Asian Americans was Asian Indians according to the Census conducted by American Community Survey. The Indians totaled up to around 4.4 million, followed by Chinese Americans who were also around the same number. Filipinos made up 2.9 million of the total population, Vietnamese were around 1.9 million in total, Koreans were 1.4 million, and Japanese were around 742,000 in number. This large number of Asian ethnicities in America has resulted in a lot of the students in post-secondary educational institutions being of Asian descent.
Around 7.4% of the U.S. students who were enrolled in degree-granting institutions were Asians. According to a survey conducted by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 6% of the total undergraduate student population and 6% of the total graduate student population in 2022 were Asian Americans.
Asian Americans have been found to be least likely to receive federal loans. Out of the total students who received loans, Asian Americans made up about 31%. In terms of student loan debt, Asian Americans make up the lowest percentage of the total. However, those who may receive loans may end up in trouble in the future if they are unable to repay them on time. It can lead to a higher financial burden and lower living standards as students after graduation will end up spending a significant amount of their income on loan repayments.
Asian American scholarships can help these groups afford college and complete their education without increasing the debt burden. There are many great scholarships offered specifically to Asian students from all levels including high school, undergraduate, and graduate. Two of the many great examples include the APIA Scholarship Program and the Mary Quon Moy Ing Memorial Scholarship. Pacific Islanders are also defined as Asian Americans by the U.S. Census Bureau and you can find more information on them on our Pacific Islander Scholarships page.
Keep reading below to find out more about scholarship opportunities, where to find them, and how to get them.