By David Rupp, Social Work Graduate Student and Intern, JCFS Chicago

The 2020/2021 HIAS Immigration & Citizenship College Scholarship Program is officially live! Applications are available to download through the submission deadline of February 1, 2020.

For over a decade, HIAS Immigration & Citizenship has had the honor of providing scholarships for Jewish students whose lives have been touched by our organization directly, or through their parents or grandparents. Through the generosity of the scholarship donors, HIAS Immigration & Citizenship is able to help students pursue their academic careers. Scholarships are available for both undergraduate and graduate studies. To be eligible, the applicant, parent or grandparent must have been resettled by HIAS Immigration & Citizenship or assisted with immigration services (e.g. applying for a Green Card) by HIAS Immigration & Citizenship.

As a student myself, I understand that financial assistance can sometimes be the difference between being able to attend school and postponing those dreams.  The current competitive job market coupled with the increasingly high cost of tuition, even for public schools, makes the need for scholarship programs like HIAS Immigration & Citizenship's all the more important. However, too often students and prospective students don’t know what’s available. I can say first hand that searching for scholarships in and of itself requires the time and effort that many students do not have.  In an effort to maximize awareness in the community, I ask that anyone that knows of an eligible student, or a school or synagogue that might have eligible students, to please spread the word.