Scholarships and grants: what is open to you and when to apply

A scholarship or a grant is money for college that you don't pay back. Private foundations and colleges give them; each program sets its own conditions and deadlines.

1. Start with the dates

   Macaulay Honors College accepts applications until November 16, 2026, Point Foundation until November 19, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation until December 9. The others close later, in February, March or April 2027; Stonewall Community Foundation opens applications in spring 2027.

2. Check three conditions on the program's page

   Who may apply (status or citizenship, grade average, year of study), where you must study, and what to attach. Nearly every program needs an accredited U.S. college; check yours in College Navigator (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator) on the U.S. Department of Education's website.

3. Gather your papers early

   A transcript, two or three letters from teachers or advisers, essays and income papers. The letters take longest: teachers usually send them directly through the program's form, so ask early.

4. If the form asks for something you do not have

   The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund requires no Social Security number (SSN) and no student visa. Cooke asks for three years of tax return data; if you didn't file, give an estimated income for each year and explain why. The CUNY Pilsbury Scholarship doesn't require the FAFSA (the federal aid application). If the conditions don't answer your question, write to the program well before the deadline at the address on its page, and keep the reply.

5. Apply to several programs

   Each program has its own application. The exception is Stonewall Community Foundation: one application is considered for every Stonewall scholarship you qualify for.

6. Find out where the money goes

   Stonewall Community Foundation and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation pay the college directly, and the Roothbert Fund sends the money to the recipient's college in August, so the award lowers your bill. You get money personally only if the award includes a stipend (a payment for living costs), which the college passes on to you. Cooke warns that part of an award may be taxable and points to IRS publications 520 and 970.

• QARAVAN quiz: Studying in the U.S., what fits you

  Any statusAsylum applicantsNYC residentsFree

  A quiz in Russian on QARAVAN's events site: a few questions, about three minutes. At the end you see the scholarships and programs that fit you, your steps and the nearest deadlines, and can download your plan as a PDF. It is for people who live in New York and are waiting for an asylum decision, entered the U.S. on parole (temporary permission to enter) or were released from detention with Form I-220A (Order of Release on Recognizance). Your answers stay on your phone or computer; QARAVAN doesn't see them. This is the first version, and it doesn't replace legal advice.

  qaravan.org/quiz/

• QARAVAN guide: Studying in the U.S. for asylum seekers (PDF)

  Any statusAsylum applicantsNYC residentsFree

  A PDF (6 MB), first version dated October 19, 2026, which the guide itself calls a draft; later versions may change. How to get into college and pay for it while you wait for an asylum decision. The quiz is built on this guide. Its facts, amounts and dates come from official sites as of October 2026.

  qaravan.org/files/ucheba-v-ssha.pdf

Point's rules don't mention citizenship, and Stonewall has a scholarship made for LGBTQ+ immigrants studying in New York State.

• Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship

  Any status

  Scholarships for LGBTQ+ students and allies (people who support the LGBTQ+ community). The Flagship Scholarship pays up to $15,000. Support starts in fall 2027 and lasts up to four years; funds are available from the start of the fall term, and summer study isn't covered. You need a GPA of at least 3.3 and full-time study in a bachelor's, master's or professional degree program at an accredited not-for-profit U.S. college or university; 100% online programs don't qualify. Scholars attend an in-person summer conference and one online program each term. Applications: September 9 to November 19, 5 pm Pacific time (8 pm in New York), only in that window. If you can't file the FAFSA, ask in writing before the deadline whether you can still finish the selection: applications@pointfoundation.org.

  pointfoundation.orgP.O. Box 60108, Los Angeles, CA 90060

• Point Foundation Community College Scholarship

  Any status

  $4,800 for fall 2027 through spring 2028 for LGBTQ+ students and allies at an accredited not-for-profit U.S. community college. You need a GPA of at least 2.5, at least half-time enrollment and the plan to study the full year in an associate program or toward transfer to a bachelor's; by fall 2027 you must have a high school diploma or equivalent. No age limit. The money can be used only while you are at a community college. Applications: January 27 to April 8, 5 pm Pacific time. Questions: applications@pointfoundation.org.

  pointfoundation.orgP.O. Box 60108, Los Angeles, CA 90060

• Stonewall Community Foundation

  Any status

  Scholarships for LGBTQ+ students. The application is universal: information about you, short responses and one letter of recommendation; one application is considered for every Stonewall scholarship you qualify for. Applications are closed now and reopen in spring 2027; you can leave an address on the page to be notified. Each scholarship is paid once, directly to the college. The foundation funds only institutions in the United States and its territories.

  stonewallfoundation.org

These foundations say U.S. citizenship is not required, or were created for immigrants. Each decides by its own conditions.

• Roothbert Fund

  Any status

  A New York City fund operated by volunteers that has given scholarships to more than 1,400 Fellows since 1958. It looks for people whose daily actions are guided by spiritual values; no particular faith is required. Grants average $5,000 to $7,000 a year and can be renewed while you continue the same program. Citizenship isn't required and immigration status isn't considered, but you must be in the U.S. when you apply. Preference goes to graduate students and those who have finished at least a year, to people living or studying in New York and several other states on the fund's list, and to people planning a career in education. Applications: November 1 to February 1, 11:59 pm: the form, a scanned official transcript, three autobiographical essays and three letters of recommendation; no SAT scores. The March interview is mandatory, in New York, Washington, Philadelphia or New Haven (virtual case by case); travel isn't reimbursed. Results in late April. Questions: application@roothbertfund.org.

  roothbertfund.org

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

  Any statusFree

  A highly selective scholarship for top community college students transferring to a bachelor's program: up to $55,000 a year, generally for two or three years, on top of all the college's own aid. Conditions: you attend an accredited U.S. community college with sophomore status by January 1, 2027, or graduated since spring 2022; a GPA of at least 3.5; annual gross income of no more than $95,000 (the foundation reviews student and parent income and assets); in fall 2027 you move to a full-time bachelor's program at an accredited U.S. college (online programs aren't funded); and you haven't attended a four-year college in the U.S. or abroad, unless you never completed a full-time semester there. Citizenship isn't required, there is no age limit and applying is free. Apply through the Common App for Transfer from August 19 to December 9, 2026: two recommendations from teachers or advisers at your current or most recent college, transcripts from every college since 2011 translated into English, and three years of income data. Questions: scholarships@jkcf.org.

  jkcf.org

• Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund

  Any status

  Founded in 1961, the fund gives need-based scholarships to students active in movements for social change, including against racism and gender-based violence. You must be enrolled in, or have applied to, a degree or certificate program at a college, university or trade school and earn credits (any course load), have financial need and have activism experience; people who only hope to get involved aren't considered. Citizenship, an SSN and a student visa aren't required, but both the activism and the study must be in the U.S. Up to $15,000 a year; the average grant in 2025-2026 was $7,700. Applications: January until midnight on April 1; decisions in July. You need the form, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, your latest transcript (unofficial is fine) and a Student Aid Report (SAR, the result of filing the FAFSA) or, if you aren't eligible for federal aid, the FAFSA Worksheet or a state equivalent. The fund says it doesn't share your information with government agencies. Questions: davisputter@davisputter.org.

  davisputter.orgP.O. Box 7307, New York, NY 10116-7307

• TheDream.US National Scholarship

  Any status

  A scholarship for low-income Dreamers, the foundation's word for first-generation immigrant students whose status makes them ineligible for federal aid and limits their access to State aid and in-state tuition. Up to $18,000 for an associate degree and up to $36,000 for a bachelor's, plus up to $6,000 for books and supplies, for tuition and mandatory fees at a Partner College in your home state or one of its online options. Apply from November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027; award notices are expected in late April 2027. Conditions: you came to the U.S. before age 16 and before November 1, 2021 and have lived here continuously since; you aren't eligible for federal aid (FAFSA) and hold no student, visitor, work or other temporary nonimmigrant visa; by the start of 2027-2028 you will hold a U.S. high school diploma, GED or HSE; a high school GPA of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale (and in college, if you have credits); you plan to enroll full-time in an associate or bachelor's program at a Partner College in your state in fall 2027 or spring 2028; you are eligible for in-state tuition at a public Partner College, or attend a private or online one; and you have significant unmet financial need. The foundation's examples of Dreamers include people with a pending immigration application, but asylum isn't named: ask through the contact on its site whether a pending asylum application counts, with TheDream.US National Scholarship Program in the subject line. International students and people in temporary nonimmigrant statuses are not eligible.

  thedream.us

• Immigrants Rising: List of Scholarships and Fellowships

  Any status

  Immigrants Rising (a California organization that helps undocumented people with education and careers) keeps a list of scholarships and fellowships (awards for study, research or a project) that don't require proof of U.S. citizenship. It shows only programs with a deadline in the next 90 days, so check it several times a year. To narrow it, click Filter, then Add Condition, and choose education level and state; on a phone, switch to the desktop site first. Each program's conditions are on its page via Click to Apply.

  immigrantsrising.org

Questions about CUNY scholarships and your eligibility at your status can go to ImmigrantStudents@cuny.edu. CUNY says privately funded CUNY scholarships are open regardless of immigration status.

• Macaulay Honors College

  Any status

  An honors college (a program for strong students) at CUNY: you study on the campus of one of eight CUNY colleges. The package includes a tuition scholarship and access to the Opportunities Fund (money for internships, study abroad and research). The tuition scholarship is for students who meet CUNY's New York State residency requirements for in-state tuition; it covers four years of undergraduate tuition, not fees or other costs. Open to people entering college for the first time; apply through the CUNY Application, not the CUNY Fast App (if you already started one, email macaulayhelpdesk@mhc.cuny.edu). Deadline: November 16, 2026, 11:59 pm; Early Decision (October 26) has passed. You need official high school transcripts, two essays of about 500 words, two academic recommendations (by November 30, 11:59 pm) and a $65 fee that CUNY may waive. SAT and ACT are optional. People on a temporary visa educated in a non-English-speaking environment need an English test score (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic or Duolingo); ask macaulayhelpdesk@mhc.cuny.edu whether this applies with a pending asylum application. Results on March 11, 2027.

  macaulay.cuny.edu35 W. 67th Street, New York, NY 10023

• Friedman Transfer Scholars Program

  Any status

  A route into Macaulay Honors College for first-year associate students at the participating CUNY colleges: Bronx, Guttman, Kingsborough, Queensborough, Hostos, LaGuardia, Borough of Manhattan and College of Staten Island. You must be full-time and on track to finish in spring 2028. Participants get early conditional admission to a CUNY senior college, take Macaulay seminars (honors courses) alongside their associate studies, get individual advising, a laptop (with high need), and for the Summer Intensive Program an OMNY transit card and a stipend. After transfer to Macaulay you get everything Macaulay students get, including the tuition scholarship. Applications: early January to late March.

  macaulay.cuny.edu

• CUNY Pilsbury Scholarship

  Any status

  For CUNY undergraduates who are first in their family in college and have financial need: up to $10,000 a semester, for up to four semesters. International students are not eligible. You need good academic standing, full-time study or at least 6 credits a semester, a budget showing your need, a current bursar's bill and a 250-to-300-word personal statement on your decision to study and how your connection to immigrant communities shaped your goals. No FAFSA required. Apply with your CUNYfirst login (everyone who applied to CUNY or created an account has one). Applications are rolling: the fall deadline closed on July 30, 2026 because applicants outnumbered the funds; the spring deadline is February 1, if funding remains.

  cuny.edu

1. Find out whether you can apply again

   Point Foundation says earlier applications don't affect a new one, but you must create a new profile and application. Macaulay Honors College lets you reapply if you weren't accepted and haven't attended any other post-secondary institution (except Queens College applicants, who may not reapply). Davis-Putter recipients reapply each year.

2. Apply to other programs

   Most deadlines are still ahead. Stonewall Community Foundation reopens in spring 2027, and one application is considered for all its scholarships you qualify for.

3. Check the Immigrants Rising list again

   It shows only programs with a deadline in the next 90 days, so new ones appear every month or two.

4. Ask the college's financial aid office

   State grants, free programs for adults and other sources: “How to pay for college: government aid and free programs”.