TheDream.US National Scholarship
Offered by TheDream.US · Free to apply
Immigrant students shut out of federal aid can cover tuition and fees up to $33,000 for a bachelor's degree here, plus a stipend of up to $6,000 for books, supplies, and transportation. The money is tied to the program's Partner Colleges, so the student must enroll full time at a partner campus in their own state, and the college admission application has to be in before the scholarship round closes. Applicants need a 2.5 GPA, significant unmet need, and arrival in the U.S. before age 16; DACA or TPS status is not required, but Pell-eligible students do not qualify. Applications open November 1 and close February 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT, with decisions emailed in late April. The award renews each year with a transcript and continued full-time enrollment.
How hard is the TheDream.US National Scholarship to win?
A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.
- Estimated odds
- roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants
- Modelled applicant field
- ~5,500 students
- Payoff per hour of work
- $5 / hr
What drives the odds here
Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.
- More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
- Fewer rivalsAn essay is required, which filters out casual applicants
- Fewer rivalsAn official transcript is required
- Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 2.5 GPA
- More rivalsA large award draws far more applicants
How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.
Who can apply for the TheDream.US National Scholarship?
These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.
- Open to high school seniors, current college students, and transfer students
- GPA of 2.5 or higher (unweighted)
- Open to undocumented students or DACA/Dreamer students
- Must have come to the U.S. before age 16 and before the program's published arrival-date cutoff; DACA or TPS status is not required
- Must have significant unmet financial need; students receiving or eligible for the federal Pell Grant do not qualify
- Must enroll full-time in an associate or bachelor's program at one of TheDream.US Partner Colleges in their state
- Must have graduated (or be graduating) from a U.S. high school or have earned a high school equivalency diploma
- Award covers tuition and fees plus a separate stipend for books, supplies, and transportation
- Associate-degree funding is available at a lower total cap than bachelor's funding
What the application takes
- Essay required. The prompt centers on overcoming adversity.
- Transcript required. Request it from the school registrar ahead of the deadline.
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is February 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around February 28 each year. Applications open November 1. Apply to a Partner College early: that admission application must be in before the scholarship closes, and the college decides admission separately.
- Applications open
- November 1, 2026
- Partner college admission application due
- Before February 28, 2027
- Scholarship application closes
- February 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT
- Recipients notified by email
- Late April 2027
Does your student actually qualify?
See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.
Common questions about the TheDream.US National Scholarship
How much is the TheDream.US National Scholarship worth?
The TheDream.US National Scholarship awards up to $33,000 for a bachelor's (plus up to $6,000 stipend) and is renewable in later years.
When is the TheDream.US National Scholarship deadline?
The current deadline is February 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around February 28 each year. Applications open November 1. Apply to a Partner College early: that admission application must be in before the scholarship closes, and the college decides admission separately.
When do TheDream.US National Scholarship applications open?
Applications open November 1, and close February 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply to a Partner College early: that admission application must be in before the scholarship closes, and the college decides admission separately.
Who is eligible for the TheDream.US National Scholarship?
Key requirements: Open to high school seniors, current college students, and transfer students; GPA of 2.5 or higher (unweighted); Open to undocumented students or DACA/Dreamer students.
Does the TheDream.US National Scholarship require an essay?
Yes. The application requires an essay and a transcript. Expect to spend about 5 hours on it.
How hard is it to win the TheDream.US National Scholarship?
Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants, against a modelled field of ~5,500 students. The pool stays that size because an essay is required, which filters out casual applicants and an official transcript is required. At 5 hrs of work, that is about $5 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.
Is the TheDream.US National Scholarship free to apply?
Yes. The TheDream.US National Scholarship is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.
More identity & background
- AAIA Native Scholarship$3,000 (varies by year)
- AISES Scholarships$1,500 - $20,000 (varies by scholarship)
- APIA Scholarship$2,500 - $20,000
- CBC Spouses Education Scholarship$2,500 - $20,000 (one-time)
- Cobell ScholarshipVaries; recent awards up to $12,000
- Connecticut Minority Teacher Incentive ProgramUp to $5,000/yr for two years, plus $2,500/yr loan reimbursement for up to four years teaching
Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.