TheDream.US student scholarships opened Nov. 1. Here’s how to apply

The application for TheDream.US’s National Scholarship opened on Nov. 1. The scholarship provides eligible students without legal status up to $16,500 for an associate degree and up to $33,000 to pursue a bachelor’s degree, according to the TheDream.US website.

Students must meet the organization’s immigration eligibility requirements to be considered for the scholarship. Eligible students are first generation immigrant students with or without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who arrived in the country before turning 16 and before Nov. 1, 2020. Students must have also lived continuously in the United States since then. 

“We open this year’s scholarship round with a deep sense of purpose,” said Gaby Pacheco, president and CEO of TheDream.US, in a Friday press release. “In times of uncertainty, Dreamers have shown unshakable determination — and last year’s surge of applicants proved just that. They are not waiting for the world to change; they are ready to lead it. TheDream.US is here to ensure their talent and potential are not lost, because we know: talent knows no status, and the future of this country depends on unlocking the promise within every Dreamer.”

Eligible students must have significant financial need and graduate from a U.S. high school before next fall with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. These students must also intend to enroll full-time in an associate or bachelor’s degree program at one of the organization’s 75-plus partner colleges next fall or the spring of 2027. 

According to the organization, students who meet the immigration eligibility requirements in North Carolina are eligible to apply for this scholarship, as well as the Opportunity Scholarship — which has no relationship to North Carolina’s scholarship with the same name for private school vouchers. TheDream.US’s Opportunity Scholarship provides up to a total of $100,000 at a partner college to students without legal status living in targeted locked-out states — including North Carolina — which means students are required to pay out-of-state tuition at public institutions.

If you live in one of the locked-out states, you may choose to attend one of these partner colleges in another state:

• Christian Brothers University, Memphis, Tennessee

• Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware

• Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois

• Eastern Connecticut State University, Windham, Connecticut 

• Trinity Washington University (Women’s College), Washington, D.C.

— TheDream.US website

In North Carolina, for the National Scholarship, TheDream.US’s in-state partner college is Wingate University in Union County.

Through the National Scholarship, some students can also receive a stipend up to $6,000 for additional expenses, such as textbooks, supplies, and transportation. The award will follow students through the completion of their degree and can be renewed each year.

“While we consider your GPA, we place great emphasis on your dedication to community service and your commitment to academic and career success despite the barriers and challenges that Dreamer students face daily,” the website says.

According to the website, TheDream.US partners with colleges committed to supporting students without legal status and can provide them with services to navigate higher education. Students are paired with an advisor to help them individually and as a group. Guided by the belief that “talent knows no status,” the organization has awarded more than 12,000 college scholarships to “highly motivated undocumented students in its more than a decade of operation,” guided by the belief that talent knows no status,” the release said.

The organization is sponsored by the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit charity group that “incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs.”

“We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home,” the website says.

The deadline for TheDream.US’s Opportunity Scholarship application is Jan. 31, 2026, and the application closes on the National Scholarship on Feb. 28; both at 11:59 p.m. Award recipients will be notified in mid-March and late April 2026, respectively.

Find more information about TheDream.US scholarships, eligibility, and how to apply on the organization’s website.