JACL National Scholarship Program (Entering Freshman Awards)

This is a group of awards reached through one application. Each award inside it has its own rules.

Award

Individual freshman award amounts are not published. All JACL scholarships are one-time awards, with at most two national awards per recipient.

Deadline

2027 deadline not yet posted; the 2026 freshman deadline was March 2, 2026, 11:59 p.m. HST.

How to apply

The closed 2026 freshman Google Form required individual or youth/student JACL membership, a personal statement, recommendation, official transcript, headshot and records of work and community/JACL involvement. Freshman applications go to National JACL first, then local chapters evaluate and forward outstanding applicants; use the new annual form because the essay prompt changes.

What you'll need

• A separate scholarship application
• Membership in the sponsoring organization

Who can apply

The 2026 rules required high school seniors enrolling full-time at a U.S. institution in fall 2026, without deferred enrollment, and their own active Individual or Student/Youth JACL membership. A parent’s family membership does not qualify. Membership is open to all ethnic backgrounds. Next-cycle enrollment rules are not published.

Good to know

Nine named freshman awards are listed, including the Hanayagi Rokumie award for excellence in Japanese cultural activities. One application covers all awards in a category. Applicants may add the financial-aid category but receive only the higher award. The program-wide annual funding total is not an individual award amount.