Affordability of college is a huge concern for all college-bound students and their families. Sometimes it can be alleviated with the help of designated financial aid.
In this regard, scholarships are much more preferable to student loans because they are free and do not require repayment – sometimes with unsurmountable interest rates too. However, some students think that scholarships are too difficult to obtain and choose not to compete at all, which is a costly mistake.
Unfortunately, black students default to student loans to fund their education disproportionately more often than their non-black peers. This contributes to the existing economical gap since about one-third of undergraduate African Americans are first-generation students coming from low-income families. This puts enormous psychological pressure on them to succeed while simultaneously leaving them without the advice and sufficient support that continuing-generation students benefit from.
All these complications responsible for the fact that it takes these students longer to graduate: three out of five first-generation students don’t obtain a degree within six years. Additionally, about one-quarter of black students who take a loan drop out of college, which leaves them without a degree and means to repay the debt.
These struggles make scholarships a treasured opportunity. However, white students are more likely to receive merit-based scholarships in American universities, which makes dedicated black student scholarships crucially important.
Students should also change their perception of scholarship as something you apply for once when graduating from high school and forget about if you fail. Although full-ride scholarships for African Americans exist, they are few and highly competitive. Instead, students should treat their search for financial aid as a part-time job and apply continuously for as many scholarships they are eligible for as possible.
Merit-based African American Scholarships
There is a variety of scholarships students can apply to:
- Age-specific scholarships: most of them are merit-based and favor college-bound high school juniors or high school seniors, however, scholarships for older students exist, for example, for women after 40 and 50 re-entering workforce or striving to change their profession.
- Gender-specific scholarships: for example, aiming to bridge the gender gap and supporting females in fields traditionally dominated by males (such as STEM) or specific scholarships for male students: athletic scholarships, fraternity scholarships, scholarships supporting openly gay men, etc.
- Empowerment scholarships aiming to help students from marginalized or disadvantaged groups: such as ethnic minority students, LGBTQ, students with disabilities, etc.
- Field-specific: aiming to support students pursuing a career in a specific field.
Some of the scholarships have a set of overlapping requirements to target very specific underserved demographics, for example, scholarships for black women in STEM or scholarships for gay black men. Make sure you do your research before applying to maximize your chances of success.
Here is a selection of miscellaneous merit-based and field-specific African American college scholarships:
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Who awards: Ron Brown Scholar Program
Amount: $40,000
Application deadline: January 9, 2021
Qualifications: African American US citizens or permanent residents, full-time students, high-school seniors at the time of application, demonstrating academic achievement, leadership ability, involvement with their community, and having financial need. The application process involves submitting a form along with two essays, two recommendation letters, and an official transcript.
Who to contact: Fran Hardey
Apply here: https://www.ronbrown.org/
Jackie Robinson Scholarship
Who awards: Jackie Robinson Foundation
Amount: $30,000
Application deadline: February 1, 2021
Qualifications: US citizens, minority students who are high school seniors at the time of application, planning to attend an accredited four-year US institution the semester following their high-school graduation. Should demonstrate a commitment to community service, leadership potential, and financial need. To apply, submit the application form, recommendation letter, ACT/SAT scores (21 or higher/1000 or higher respectively), a photograph, and FAFSA. The finalists will be invited for an interview.
Who to contact: Le-Ann Church
Apply here: https://www.jackierobinson.org/apply/
ABA Diversity Scholarship
Who awards: American Bus Association
Amount: $5,000
Application deadline: April 2, 2021
Qualifications: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate students at an accredited University, with a GPA of 3.0 and a declared major relevant to the travel and tourism industry. To apply, submit an essay, an application form, and an official transcript. Applicants will be judged based on their academic achievement, character, leadership, commitment to the industry, as well as their financial need and diversity.
Who to contact: ABA Diversity Scholarship
Apply here: https://www.buses.org/?/aba-foundation/scholarships/diversity
AABE William Grant Pinkard Scholarship
Who awards: Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Amount: $2,500
Application deadline: March 15, 2021
Qualifications: Underrepresented minority, graduating high school seniors, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, pursuing a career in the energy industry, residing in Kansas City metropolitan area. To apply, submit an application form along with an essay.
Who to contact: scholarships@growyourgiving.org
Apply here: https://scholarship.aabe.org/
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship
Who awards: National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
Amount: $2,000
Application deadline: March 31, 2021
Qualifications: Currently accepted or enrolled international and US students, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or related field, maintaining an equivalent of a “B” average. To apply, submit an application form, 1,000-word essay about reasons for pursuing a career in criminal justice and seeking the scholarship, a recommendation letter, a personal statement, an official transcript, and documentation of community/volunteer service.
Who to contact: Odelia Mozell
Apply here: https://nabcj.org/thurgood-marshall-scholarship
Buckfire & Buckfire Medical School Diversity Scholarship
Who awards: Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C.
Amount: $2,000
Application deadline: October 1, 2020
Qualifications: US medical school students representing ethnic or racial minorities should submit the application form, an essay, and an official transcript.
Apply here: https://buckfirelaw.com/scholarships/
HBCU Connect Minority Student Scholarship
Who awards: HBCUConnect.com
Amount: $1,000
Application deadline: August 1, 2021
Qualifications: International or US students, who are African American, Native American, or Hispanic, graduating high-school seniors or current full-time students, enrolled in a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), and demonstrating financial need. To apply, complete the form and submit an essay
Who to contact: William R. Moss III
Apply here: https://hbcuconnect.com/scholarship/
Scholarships for Black College Students in STEM
Even now in 2020, being black is tied to being disadvantaged due to bias and discrimination. The scientific community has recently made another step to acknowledging it by supporting the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests with #ShutDownSTEM and “Strike for Black Lives”. Many university laboratories, scientific societies, and technical journals globally have stopped their usual work for a day to start a conversation about racism in the STEM community, academia, and larger society.
However, inclusion seminars and conversations are not enough. What staff and students need now is a program for real change in institutions involved in science. One part of this change is bridging the racial gap in access to education. Below you can find the list of black scholarships in STEM aimed to help promising young black people in reaching their full potential.
UNCF STEM Scholarship
Who awards: United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
Amount: $25,000
Application deadline: March 19, 2021
Qualifications: Highly capable African American US citizens, nationals, or permanent residents, high-school graduates enrolled in an undergraduate STEM program, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and unmet financial needs.
The application involves submitting the form along with recommendation letter, personal statement, and official transcript.
Who to contact: David Ray
Apply here: https://scholarships.uncf.org/
NACME Collegiate Scholarship (Block Grant)
Who awards: National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME)
Amount: $4,000
Application deadline: December 1, 2020
Qualifications: Undergraduate students, matriculating in full-time strategic engineering or computer science programs, having a GPA of 2.8 or higher, and an updated NACME Common Application. To apply, submit the application form, personal statement, essay, and official transcript.
Who to contact: NACME Collegiate Scholarship (Block Grant)
Apply here: https://www.nacme.org/scholarships
AIChE Minority Scholarship Award for College Students
Who awards: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Amount: $1,000
Application deadline: August 2021
Qualifications: International and US AICHE members currently enrolled in a full-time undergraduate chemical engineering program, must be an underrepresented minority (African-American, Hispanic, Native American, or Alaskan Native), have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. To apply, submit a form, an essay, official and unofficial transcripts, recommendation letter, and financial aid letter.
Who to contact: Nina Scatton
Apply here: https://www.aiche.org/community/awards/student-awards-competitions
Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program
Who awards: Xerox Corporation
Amount: $5,500
Application deadline: September 30, 2020
Qualifications: US citizens or permanent residents of African American, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, Native Alaskan, or Hispanic descent enrolled in a full-time technical science or engineering B.S., M.S, or Ph.D. program at an accredited four-year college or university, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. To apply, submit a form and a resume.
Who to contact: Stephanie Michalowski
Apply here: https://www.xerox.com/jobs/minority-scholarships/enus.html
NSHSS Foundation STEM Scholarship
Who awards: National Society of High School Scholars Foundation
Amount: $1,000
Application deadline: October 15, 2020
Qualifications: US citizens, members of underrepresented groups in STEM, pursuing a degree in STEM or related discipline, public high school seniors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. To apply, submit the application form, personal statement, 500-word essay, recommendation letter, official transcript, and a photo.
Who to contact: Dr. Susan Thurman
Apply here: https://www.nshssfoundation.org/
Free Grants for African American Students
Although the words “grant” and “scholarship” often used interchangeably, there is a number of subtle differences in them. Scholarships are usually merit-based and require the beneficiary to demonstrate athletic achievements, academic excellence, success in a particular field of knowledge, etc. Whereas grants are usually need-based and require recipients to demonstrate genuine financial need.
Both scholarships and grants might have a number of similar requirements, for example, they are available only for students enrolled in a particular type of college and maintaining a certain GPA.
There is also a difference in sources of funds. Grants predominantly come from federal and state aid, whereas scholarships are awarded by businesses, communities, individual colleges, religious organizations, etc.
Here are some grants to apply for African American students this year.
Craig D. Butler Scholarship
Who awards: Craig D. Butler Scholarship Foundation
Amount: $2,000
Application deadline: April 16, 2021
Qualifications: African American residents of Philadelphia County, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, graduating high school and intending to pursue education at a college, university, or vocational-technical school. To apply, submit the application form, official transcript, a recommendation letter, and 1000-1500 word essay explaining your reasons to apply.
Who to contact: Khadijah Butler
Apply here: https://www.craigdbutlerscholarship.com/
CollegeXpress Community Service Scholarship for Multicultural Students
Who awards: CollegeXpress
Amount: $2,000
Application deadline: April 1, 2021
Qualifications: US residents of multicultural backgrounds, who enroll in college the fall semester, are involved with community services, such as fundraisers, volunteer work, political campaigns, or environmental initiatives. To apply, submit the application form and a 1,000-word essay describing your community involvement.
Apply here: https://www.collegexpress.com/
Minority Teacher Scholarship
Who awards: Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Amount: $1,500
Application deadline: August 31, 2021
Qualifications: Black or Hispanic US students, high-school seniors or currently enrolled full-time in an Indiana college or university, intending to pursue a teaching career in one of Indiana schools upon graduation. To apply, submit the application form and FAFSA.
Who to contact: Claudia Braman
Apply here: https://www.in.gov/che/
CVS Pharmacy, Inc. Pharmacy Scholarship
Who awards: United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
Amount: $5,000
Application deadline: August 2021
Qualifications: US citizens, nationals, or permanent residents, undergraduate students majoring in pharmacy at one of the eligible institutions: Chicago State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Texas Southern University, Xavier University of Louisiana. Must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate unmet financial need verified by their college or university. To apply, submit an application form, a recommendation letter, an essay, an unofficial transcript, and a resume.
Who to contact: Girmu Habte
Apply here: https://scholarships.uncf.org/Program/Details/659577f1-2a20-4303-9fd7-833c76924cca
Scholarships for Black Women
Although girls outnumber boys entering college and graduating, they are still vastly underrepresented in higher-ranking academic positions, with women of color being even less likely to hold them. According to National Center for Education Statistics, in 2018, black women held only 1.6% of professorships in US higher education institutions.
Scholarships for African American women aim to rectify this situation and help young black women on their way to a career in academia.
Dr. Wynetta A. Frazier “Sister to Sister” Scholarship
Who awards: National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc.
Amount: $500
Application deadline: March 01, 2021
Qualifications: African-American female students who are at least 21 years old, returning to college or university after their education was disrupted due to family responsibilities or entering the college for the first time due to these reasons. To apply, submit proof of being accepted to a college or university, a personal statement, a 450-500-word essay explaining your circumstances, and how the scholarship will impact your post-secondary plans, two letters of recommendation, official transcript, and a recent photo.
Who to contact: Eleanor W. Burks via nhbwscholarships@yahoo.com
Apply here: https://nhbwinc.org/scholarships
Dr. Arnita Young Boswell Scholarship
Who awards: National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc.
Amount: $1,000
Application deadline: February 28, 2021
Qualifications: African-American female graduating high school seniors bound to start the 2020 Fall Semester at an accredited college or university, with a GPA of 2.75 or higher, involved in community activities. To apply, submit the application form, proof of acceptance, seven-semester high school transcript, verification of at least 200 hours of community service, a personal statement, a 450-500-word essay about your goals for future and how the scholarship will help you/or community service/activity you’ve been involved in, two letters of recommendation, and a recent photo.
Who to contact: Eleanor W. Burks via nhbwscholarships@yahoo.com
Apply here: https://nhbwinc.org/scholarships
The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs Scholarship
Who awards: The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc.
Amount: $500 to $2,000
Application deadline: February 1 – April 1 (each year)
Qualifications: African-American graduating high-school seniors, US citizens, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. To apply, submit the application form, unofficial transcript, one letter of recommendation, and a 300-word essay.
Who to contact: Dr. June M. Johnson via education@nanbpwc.org
Apply here: https://nanbpwc.org/
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