The Asian American Studies Center provides scholarships to qualified undergraduate and graduate students who want to pursue educational and research opportunities in Asian and Asian American Studies fields.

Academic Excellence Scholarship

Scholarships are available to all University of Houston students who demonstrate an interest in Asian American Studies. Students currently enrolled in, who have completed, or who plan to take Asian American Studies courses, as well as those pursuing a minor in Asian American Studies, are especially encouraged to apply. Scholarship award amount: $1,000.

Key Dates

• Application opens: Oct. 15, 2026
• Application deadline: Dec. 15, 2026

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Houston.
• Applicants must demonstrate academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 2.7.
• Applicants must haven taken or plan to take Asian American Studies courses.

How to Apply

• Complete the application form (download the PDF).
• Provide a copy of your transcript verifying your GPA and class rank (if applicable for incoming freshmen). Unofficial copies are accepted.
• Write a personal statement that provides information about your academic performance, career goals/aspirations, and past/current/
  future community contributions.
• Email the application and supporting documents to egonzales2@uh.edu. Or mail/drop off the materials to the Asian American Studies Center (Attention: Scholarship Committee), McElhinney Hall, Suite 2003, 3623 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX 77204.

Scholarship Recipients

The Center has provided over $465,000 worth of scholarships and student assistant funds to more than 175 students since 1998. Here are just a few of the student scholarship recipients from past years:

Academic Excellence Scholarship Recipients ($1,000)
	Saman Essa (Program: Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology)
	Jaqueline Jimenez (Major: Business)
	Jessica Leung (Major: Communications Sciences and Disorders)
	Areej Munir (Major: Psychology)
	Elizabeth Noh (Major: Teaching and Learning)
	Nahanael Tan (Major: Religious Studies)
	Man Duong (Major: Economics)
	Audrey Luong  (Major: Biology)
	Lauren Meagher (Major: Media Production)
	Lillian Vo (Major: Industrial Design)
	Elizabeth Whitehead (Major: English)
	Denny Do (Major: Dietician/Nutrition)
	Silvia Romo-Duarte ( Major: English/Creative Writing)
	Thomas Santos ( Major: English/Creative Writing)
	Andrew Wells (Major: Liberal Studies)

Research Scholarship Recipients ($2,000)
	Jason Bergeron (Alum: Ph.D. in Higher Education)
	Daniel Chu (Graduate student: Creative Writing program)
	Anthony Foster (Graduate student at UH, previously graduated from Rice University)
	Silvester Mata (Graduate student: Ph.D. in Higher Education)
	Trang Phan (Graduate student: Ph.D. in Higher Education)
	Toni Templeton (Alum: Ph.D. in Higher Education)
	Rachel Junior (Major: Anthropology, Minor: Asian American Studies) awarded a $1000 scholarship
	Tina Carrell Jones (Major: Sociology, Minor: Asian American Studies) awarded a $800 scholarship
	Elisa Leal (Major: Chinese Studies, Minor: Asian American Studies) awarded a $800 scholarship
	JianQiang Shi (Major: Human Development and Family Studies, Minor: Asian American Studies) awarded a $800 scholarship
	Fanny Kuang (Major: Psychology, Minor: Asian American Studies) awarded a $800 scholarship