McDonald’s announced on Nov. 20 that it has committed $500,000 to establish the first-ever McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship program in partnership with APIA Scholars. Fifty-five Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) college students will benefit from the program.
“McDonald’s is very excited to launch the McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship program to give a platform for APIA students to achieve their higher education dreams,” said William Cho, a Seattle-area McDonald’s owner and operator. “We believe everyone deserves the chance to go to college, regardless of finances, and McDonald’s is committed to making that happen.”
The McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship program will award 15 four-year scholarships and 40 one-year scholarships to rising college freshmen through APIA Scholars, which will be awarded in Spring 2020.
Only 25 percent of Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Southeast Asian Americans have college degrees and the top 10 percent of APIAs earn more than 10 times the bottom 10 percent of APIAs.
APIA Scholars is currently accepting online applications for the McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship at apiascholars.org. The application will be available for the 2020-2021 academic year until Jan. 22, 2020. Applicants must meet the following in order to be eligible:
● Be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity as defined by the U.S. Census
● Be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply
● Be enrolling as an undergraduate student in a U.S. accredited college or university in the Fall 2020
● Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) or have earned a GED
● Must apply for federal financial aid for the 2020-2021 academic year using the Free Application for the Federal Student Aid (FASFA) by early April 2020
● Submit one letter of recommendation online.