Eligibility Requirements

• Every applicant is strongly encouraged to be a member of the National Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). To join the JACL, please visit https://jacl.org/member/. JACL membership is open to everyone of any ethnic background. All who meet eligibility criteria are welcomed and encouraged to apply. 

• Applicants must be seniors enrolled in a San Mateo County public or private high school. 

• Applicants will be partially judged on their involvement in the Japanese-American / Asian American community. 

• Applicants must be planning to attend a college, university, trade school, business school or any other institution of higher learning within the United States.

 

Application Requirements

• San Mateo Chapter JACL Scholarship Application (linked above)

• A Letter of Recommendation (Note: due to the short deadline for submission, letters of recommendation previously submitted to colleges will also be accepted. Letters of recommendation should be emailed to jaclsanmateo@gmail.com with the student’s name in the Subject Line.)

• Official high school transcript (e-transcripts or PDF/JPG/PNG copies of transcripts are acceptable)

• Personal Statement (see below, no more than two pages on the topic question)

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Timeline

• Applicants interested in both the local and national scholarship must submit their application by March 20, 2026 to jaclsanmateo@gmail.com. Interviews will take place virtually between March 23rd and March 30th.

• Applicants interested solely in the San Mateo JACL Scholarship must submit their application by April 1, 2026 to jaclsanmateo@gmail.com. Interviews will take place virtually in late April.