Hillel International Scholarship FAQs

Incoming or current undergrad and graduate students seeking a bachelor’s degree or higher at an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada are eligible for Hillel International scholarships. Students must self-identify as Jewish.

Yes, to be considered for a Hillel International scholarship, applicants must identify as Jewish.

All Hillel International Scholarships are paid directly to your college or university’s bursar or financial department to go towards your tuition and university fees. Hillel Scholarships can not be paid directly to the recipient or other offices within the school system.

Hillel scholarship applications open January 22, 2026.

Absolutely! All current Jewish college first-years, sophomores, and juniors attending four-year U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities are eligible. Leadership can come in many forms!

Applicants must attend or be preparing to attend an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S. or Canada.

Incoming first-year college students, current undergraduate first-years, sophomores, and juniors whose parent(s) or guardian(s) did not complete a four-year degree program are eligible for the Knapp First Generation Student Scholarship.

Unfortunately, past employees, and immediate family members of Hillel International or Hillel on campus officers, directors, employees, and major contributors ($5,000+) are ineligible to receive these awards.

Yes, applicants must be students in good standing with their current academic institution and must have a GPA of 2.5 or above.

No, Hillel International Scholarships are merit-based awards.

References should be someone who can speak to an applicant’s hard work and dedication, both in the classroom and in the community. Examples of references include teachers, coaches, advisors, volunteer leaders, and other mentors. Please do not list friends, parents, or relatives as references for Hillel scholarships.

References will only be contacted if an applicant is selected as a finalist.

No, references do not need to submit a letter of recommendation. Applicants will be asked to provide the names and contact information of two references, but a letter of recommendation is not needed to apply for a Hillel scholarship. References will be contacted if an applicant is selected as a finalist.

Yes! All applicants can start their applications and save their progress. Simply hit ‘Save my progress and resume later within the application, and set a password to resume your application at a later date.

Great question! Please review our scholarship timeline below:

January 22, 2026: Hillel International Scholarship application opens.
March 16, 2026 at 9:00 am EST: Hillel International Scholarship Program application deadline.
March 1– June 2026: All applicants are reviewed by the scholarship committee.
June 2026: Award recipients are chosen and recipients announced. At this point, all students will be updated on the status of their application.

The application deadline for all Hillel International scholarships is March 16, 2026, at 9:00 am EST. This is a firm deadline, and applications will not be accepted after this date.

We’re so glad you asked! Our Jewish Scholarships Portal allows you to search from more than 650 college scholarships across the U.S. & Canada.