Goya Foods Scholarship Program

Deadline to apply: March 3, 2025 3:00 pm CT

Goya Foods has established a scholarship program to assist children of Goya employees, brokers, and independent drivers who plan to continue their education in college. Renewable scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university of the student’s choice. The Goya Scholarship Program considers undergraduate students of all class levels, not just incoming freshmen.

This program is administered by Scholarship America^®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Renewal students provided for your records. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Eligibility

Awards

Required Documents

Applicants to the Goya Foods Scholarship Program must meet all of the following criteria:

Be a dependent* child of a full time Goya employee, broker, or independent driver** with at least one year of employment or affiliation at Goya as of the application deadline date.
*Dependent children are defined as biological, step- or legally adopted children living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.
**Goya employee, broker or independent driver must be a member in good standing and remain employed or affiliated with Goya for the duration of the time their child is participating in the Goya Scholarship Program for potentially up to four years.
Be a United States citizen, a legal permanent resident, or a student granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
- U.S. citizens must provide a copy of their birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate.
- Permanent residents must provide a copy of their current permanent resident card or a current passport stamped I-551.
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) must provide a copy of their DACA approval letter.
Be high school seniors or graduates or current postsecondary undergraduates.
Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent.
Candidates must be obtaining their first undergraduate degree.
Plan to enroll in full time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four- year college or university for the entire 2025-26 academic year. Students enrolling in a two-year junior or community college must plan to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a bachelor’s degree and to receive the total maximum scholarship award of $20,000.
Must be willing to complete 10 hours per month of community service; this activity to be tracked by Scholarship America.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

Academic performance
Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
Work experience
A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
Unusual personal or family circumstances
An online recommendation

Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, is also considered. Financial need must be demonstrated for the student to receive an award.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Goya Foods play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Awards

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $5,000 award. Up to four (4) awards will be granted.

Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, for a maximum scholarship award of $20,000. Renewal is contingent upon continued adherence to eligibility requirements and continuation of the program by Goya Foods.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in April.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Goya Foods. Payment is made in August.

As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:

Current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Unofficial or online transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course, and term in which each course was taken.
Proof of Citizenship or Residency:
- U.S. citizens must provide a copy of their birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate.
- Permanent residents must provide a copy of their current permanent resident card or a current passport stamped I-551.
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) must provide a copy of their DACA approval letter.
Financial Documents:
- A copy of the first two pages of your parent’s most recently filed IRS Form 1040 or their most recent W-2 forms (Please black out SSN), OR
- Other financial documents that will verify your income, OR
- A written explanation of your financial situation if none of the items above apply to you.
  
  NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

Also, as part of your application, you will be required to include the following:

An essay response to the following: Please explain how Goya has enriched your family traditions.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 6, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not considered complete unless all required materials are included.

Goya Foods, Inc. has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.