Many college scholarships are available for African-American students.
Hundreds of scholarships are available to help African-American 12th-graders afford college. You can find a long list of them at the website of the United Negro College Fund at uncf.org. Most scholarships have eligibility requirements based on some combination of location, intended major, academic merit, financial need, parents' affiliations with unions or other organizations, or other criteria. Therefore, you need to research the different scholarships to determine which ones might be open to you.
Gates Millennium Scholars Program
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsors an annual scholarship for students who are African-American, American-Indian, Asian-American or Hispanic-American. Recipients who maintain high grades can have their scholarships renewed throughout college and, for certain areas of study, into graduate school. To be considered, you must be an American citizen or legal permanent resident, have a GPA of at least 3.3 and meet all the eligibility criteria for the Federal Pell Grant. You must also be enrolling for the first time as a full-time college student and have demonstrated leadership qualities.
Sponsors: Gates Millennium Scholars (gmsp.org) and the United Negro College Fund (administers the awards) (uncf.org)
To apply: Fill out the forms at nominations.gmsp.org/GMSP_App and mail them to
Gates Millennium Scholars
P.O. Box 1434
Alexandria, VA 22313
877-690-4677
Lockheed Martin/UNCF Scholarship
This $5,000 scholarship is for students entering their freshman or sophomore year at a member college or university of the United Negro College Fund. To be eligible, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and plan to major in engineering, business, accounting or computer science. The 2010 deadline to apply is April 28.
Sponsors: Lockheed Martin (lockheedmartin.com) and the United Negro College Fund (uncf.org)
To apply: Fill an online application at https://applyonline.uncf.org/
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarship
This scholarship is open to students who attend (or who have been accepted to) a member college or university of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Eligibility requirements include citizenship in the United States, full-time studies, GPA of at least 3.0, minimum score of 1650 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT, demonstrated commitment to community service and demonstrated financial need. The amount of the award depends on the availability of funds but averages about $2,200 per student per semester (you have to reapply each semester for a new scholarship). The funds are given to the school toward your financial aid, not to you directly.
Sponsor: Thurgood Marshall College Fund (thurgoodmarshallcollegefund.org)
To apply: Contact the financial aid office or scholarship coordinator at your TMCF-member school. Each school has its own selection process.
Tags: College Fund, Negro College, Negro College Fund, United Negro, United Negro College, Gates Millennium, Gates Millennium Scholars