Upakar was founded to support the educational and career aspirations of the Indian-American community. To be eligible for the Indian-American Scholarship, applicants must: have either been born or have one parent born in India; be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident (Green Card) holder; demonstrate financial need; and be a graduating high school senior living in the USA with a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.6 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).
The Upakar Foundation was established in 1997 in the Washington, DC area. It was created to serve academically outstanding Indian American students in need of extra financial resources to pursue their college dreams. The first scholarships were given out in 1999 and have been handed out every year since then.