Laotian American Scholarship Foundation

The Laotian American Scholarship Foundation (LASF) has been granting monetary scholarships every year since 2008.  Our mission is to promote achievements in higher education and to strengthen the ethnic identity of Laotian Americans that reside in Central & Western New York.

According to educational attainment data published by AAPI Data, only 30.1% of Laotian Americans in the US have achieved a high school degree or equivalent.  This percentage decreases to 17.7% for Laotian Americans in New York State.  By providing scholarship opportunities, LASF can help to improve high school graduation rates among Laotian Americans along with the encouragement of furthering their education.

We believe that our scholarship program will allow Laotian Americans to pursue higher education and lower the cost of a college education.  According to EducationData.org, the average cost of college (full-time undergraduate) in the United States is $36,436 per student, per year.  Scholarships will be crucial in addressing the ever-rising cost of college, and LASF wishes to continually increase our award amounts by at least 5%, year over year.  LASF strives to provide multiple scholarships per year, all college-bound Laotian Americans (of the Central & Western NY region) that qualify are eligible.  Scholarships are awarded annually, culminating at the LASF award ceremony in the summer before college classes begin.