JACL Graduate Scholarships Program

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered varies annually.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be a U.S. citizen.
  3. Must be planning to attend at a college, university, trade school, business school, or any other institution of higher learning within the United States at the graduate school level in the fall. Students deferring enrollment will not qualify for the current year's scholarship program.
  4. Must enroll full time.
  5. Must be a national member of the Japanese American Citizens League.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: These scholarships are available to U.S. full-time graduate students who are members of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). Students of all ethnicities are eligible to join JACL.

Application requirements for the JACL Graduate Scholarships Program are:

  • Application form
  • Official Transcript
  • Personal statement
  • Activities statements
  • Recommendation letter
Additional Information: The following named scholarships are included in this program: the Magoichi & Shizuko Kato Memorial Scholarship (preference to students planning a career in medicine or ministry); the Henry & Chiyo Kuwahara Memorial Scholarship; the Reverend H. John Yamashita Memorial Scholarship (students must be concerned with education, social justice, and service to their communities); the Minoru Yasui Memorial Scholarship (preference to students with a strong interest in human rights or civil rights). Please note: Every applicant must be an active national JACL member at either an individual or student/youth level. Membership information is available online at jacl.org/member/. The fee for student/youth membership is $25, and the fee for regular/individual membership is $60. Successful applicants who applied for multiple scholarships will receive whichever scholarship carries a higher amount. Applicants are judged on the basis of their JACL involvement, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, community involvement, personal statement, and letter of recommendation. Scholarship recipients will be selected and notified in August. Past recipients of JACL National Scholarships or awards are limited to a total of two national awards.

Award Amount: The award amount varies annually. All awards are non-renewable.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $2,333.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, April 1

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, April 1

Applications are available online from the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) website. The student should use the General Application for this scholarship. Please note: The student need submit only one application for all scholarships in a particular category for which he/she wishes to be considered; even if the applicant is eligible for more than one scholarship, he/she may apply under only one scholarship category. The only exception is that applicants may apply for consideration for the Abe & Esther Hagiwara Student Aid Award in addition to another category. In addition to the completed application, each student must submit the following materials: official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended; a one-page explanation of involvement with JACL; a typed, two-page (double-spaced) personal statement on the current year's topic as listed on the application; a one-page listing of all scholarships or academic awards he/she has received; a listing of extracurricular activities including school, work and community; and one letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, school administrator, employer or community leader. The student must submit one original and two copies of all application materials, except for transcripts. Only one official copy of each transcript is required. All materials must be mailed to the address provided and must be postmarked by the deadline date.
About Japanese American Citizens League (JACL):
Contact Information: Patty Wada, JACL Regional Director
Address: National JACL Scholarship Committee, c/o Central California District Council 4622 E. Princeton Ave. Fresno, California 93703
Email: pwada@jacl.org

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