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HOLA at Microsoft Scholarship

Supporting the growth of Hispanic and Latinx communities and encouraging the pursuit of a career in tech.
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Scholarship award

HOLA will award 13 scholarships totaling US $85,000 (USD):

  • Three (3) $20,000 scholarships distributed over 4 years ($5,000 per year, renewable)
  • Ten (10) $2,500 one-time scholarships

Eligibility requirements

To be considered for a HOLA Scholarship, you must:

  • Be a U.S. based, high school senior of Hispanic and Latinx descent (for example, Mexican American, Cuban American, Brazilian, etc) of an accredited organization.
  • Be a U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident or be an individual granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).
  • Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study in Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or one of the following Business programs- Business Administration, Finance or Marketing at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational school, in the United States, for the entire upcoming academic year.
  • Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent.

Employees and children of Microsoft are ineligible.

Selection criteria

The program will use the following selection criteria:

Essay (weighted as 35%): Please describe your future plans to either pursue a career and / or engage in the technology industry and explain how you are currently working towards achieving those goals. Also, if you have any notable achievements or experiences using technology during high school, please describe them too. Your response should be clear and concise and should demonstrate your passion for and commitment to the field of technology / STEM. 

Extracurricular Activities and Work Experience (weighted as 20%)

Reference One (weighted as 10%)

Financial Need (weighted as 25%, recipients must demonstrate need): Describe any significant and or unusual family, personal, or financial challenges you have faced and how they impacted your academic and personal growth, including school achievement, work experience, or participation in activities. Provide specific examples to illustrate how you have persevered and overcome these challenges. Financial need will be considered. 

Academic Performance (weighted as 10%)

How to apply

As of March 12, 2025, the scholarship application deadline has been extended to March 17, 2025. Our scholarship cycle opened on January 22, 2025, and applications will be accepted until March 17, 2025.

Applications will be submitted via the Scholarship America Hub. 

For questions, please email HOLAscholarship@microsoft.com.  

All materials must be submitted through the online application link. The application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically. Emailed or mailed documents will not be accepted.

 

Frequently asked questions

  • No. The HOLA Scholarship is open to high-school seniors only.

  • Yes, Scholarship applicants must be planning to pursue an associate or bachelor's degree and attend a two- or four-year college or university in the US.  

  • Applicants must be either a U.S. citizen, a permanent legal resident, or an individual with deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).

  •  

    Yes. Only applicants who plan to attend a school based in the USA will be considered for this scholarship.

     

  • Yes, all applications must contain a current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display the student name, school name, grades, and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

  • Yes, recipients of the renewable scholarship award are eligible to renew their scholarships for a duration of up to three years.

  • To learn more about Microsoft Internships, please visit Early in profession | Microsoft Careers.

  • Yes, you can take advantage of Microsoft’s student certification offer.

  • The Microsoft Employee Resource Groups (ERG) scholarships are managed by the ERG Community Experience Team and the Employee Giving Team. The Seattle Foundation and Scholarship America administer the scholarships.

  • Please email HOLAscholarship@microsoft.com

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