Scholarships for Black Students

Where to Find College Money for African Americans

Dec 9, 2009
Jennifer Ciotta

Black Scholarships for Minority Students - Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Learn about how black students can receive educational financial aid, including college scholarship money for school.

Today, it is possible to find many financial opportunities for African American college-bound students. Besides receiving a lucrative financial aid package, it is best to search for outside grants as well. There is a plethora of funds, organizations and companies that donate money to support black students who continue on the path to a post-secondary education.

It's all a matter of knowing where to apply. Read below to find grant opportunities.

Black Scholarships

Sallie Mae in cooperation with BET Networks provides a list of over 300 scholarships available to college-bound black students. On the Black College Dollars website, Sallie Mae explains why there is the need for such funding:

"According to research from the U.S. Department of Education, white Americans are nearly twice as likely as black Americans to have earned a bachelor's degree by the age of 29. If current trends continue, of every 100 African-American kindergartners today, only 20 will achieve a bachelor's degree by age 29, compared to 36 out of 100 white students."

Therefore, the fund's initiative is to increase the number of educated black Americans by providing financial aid.

Grants for African Americans

The Ron Brown Scholar Program gives away $10,000 per student for all four years, totaling $40,000. The student must fill out an application and provide an official transcript, two letters of recommendation, a financial need analysis and a photo. S/he must also write two 500-word essays and be interviewed by the selection committee. In addition, students must excel academically and in their communities, and be a US citizen or permanent resident. Postmark Deadline: January 9th.

The Jack and Jill of America Foundation Scholarship gives away $1500 to $2000 per student. It is up to the foundation to decide if the grant is renewable for all four years. The student must have a 3.0 GPA or higher, display leadership and excel in their community from a service standpoint – this is heavily weighed in the decision-making process. Deadline: March 14th.

Finding educational funding for black college students can be a simple process. Start with the two grant opportunities listed above and move on from there by doing more research. Though it may take a bit of effort and time to raise the money needed for all four years of school, it is well worth it in the end.

Scholarships for African Americans

This article, Grants for African Americans, discusses money that black scholars can receive from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

This article, Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, discusses who is eligible to apply for these unique scholarships and what corporations provide funding.