Guide To HBCU Scholarships
HBCU are established with the main motive to serve African-American Community. In this article, learn about HBCUs and scholarships offered to students to pay for their education.
Are you considering attending an HBCU?
This type of institution was established even before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the main motive to serve the African-American community.
In this article, we'll learn more about what HBCU's are, scholarship opportunities, list of universities, and much more.
HBCU Scholarships
HBCU is historically black colleges and universities. These institutions were established for making quality education available for students, especially belonging to the African-American community.
If you are planning to pursue higher studies in HBCU, you need to know some of the institutions which are the oldest and the most esteemed that provide higher education. Many of these institutions are respected, well-known, and reputed.
They have strived towards making education available for all and providing equal opportunities for everyone.
When you are listing the colleges, you will be under pressure about how to pay the tuition and other college expenses.
HBCU is providing financial aid in the form of Full-ride scholarships, Scholarships, student loans, and grants.
How to get scholarships to HBCUs?
Being accepted as an HBCU is a great honor, but there are several aspects to pursuing a collegiate-level education that can act as roadblocks for potential students.
Most HBCUs are land-grant institutions and represent some of the oldest institutions of higher education operating in the United States.
Here are few means to attend HBCU tuition-free:
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Apply for scholarships provided by HBCUs
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Inquire with your College Administrator or Counselor. School counselors and advisors are connected with many colleges and universities and therefore may have knowledge and access to many scholarships.
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Make sure about your grades. To be competitive, it’s good to have a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Having a 4.0 GPA is great! The higher the GPA, the better your chances are of obtaining more merit-based scholarships.
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Engage in extracurricular activities. Participating in a band in high school and being a member of a high school step team or dance team is a plus.
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Explore and apply for HBCU scholarships and minority based.
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Identify a summer program or an internship. Many internships and summer programs provide an introduction to college life and/or the field of study that you may be interested in. Some HBCUs offer these types of programs or work closely with businesses that do.
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Grab a job during college. Research the companies who hire teenagers and see what they are offering in terms of scholarships, grants, and internships for their high school employees.
Top 10 HBCU Scholarships 2020 - 2021
The following are the HBCU scholarships that are offered to students. HBCUs are well-known for investing in student success.
The impact that historically black colleges and universities have had on their enrolled students and graduates and society is significant. Attending one means your child joins the ranks of so many of the successful alumni.
The list makes it easy for you to find scholarships you might qualify for depending on the school you're applying to or attending.
The award, eligibility requirements, and deadline are mentioned below.
Scholarships |
Award |
Description |
Executed by |
Deadline |
$500-$3,100 |
Offer need-based merit scholarships to graduating seniors. |
Thurgood Marshall College Fund |
30-Nov |
|
Denny’s –Tom Joyner Foundation Hungry For Education Scholarship |
$2,500 |
HBCU students must submit an essay of 200 words or less on the topic, “Describe your most memorable community service or activity to combat hunger.” |
Tom Joyner Foundation and Denny’s Corporation |
1-Dec |
$2,000 |
Submit a 1-minute video describing the work you do to receive $2,000 |
GEICO |
31-Oct |
|
- |
Covers tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board for all classifications of students, giving them access to a college education. |
Thurgood Marshall College Fund |
Dec 12 |
|
$20,000 |
Three (3) US $5,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in technology |
Microsoft |
April 10 |
|
- |
The ‘Full Ride’ scholarship program that will cover all the expenses |
The Tom Joyner Foundation |
16-Jan |
|
$2,000 |
An online form must be submitted and should upload: 2 recommendation letters, a 250-word essay, and most latest transcript |
BASF Corporation |
14-Nov |
|
$1,000 |
Presently registered in college or high school to enroll in the next 1 year |
Cappex |
June 30 |
|
Walmart Foundation First-Generation Scholarship | Up to $6,200 |
Covers tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board for all classifications of students, giving them access to a college education. |
Thurgood Marshall College Fund | June 8 |
$3,000 per year |
DFBSST requests the deans and faculty members to identify a specified number of students that they would like to be considered for scholarships and to pass on DFBSST scholarship application forms to these students. |
Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology |
June 15 |
HBCU Scholarships and Financial Aid
Apart from its rich history and fine-quality education, HBCUs are known for offering plenty of opportunities to make college accessible and helping students find financial solutions to pay tuition and other expenses associated with getting a college education.
Additionally, most HBCUs employ counselors and advisers who have experience in finding financial support to help students pay for their college education.
It makes higher education affordable is the tremendous amount of scholarships available for students of HBCUs and students who plan to attend an HBCU.
Students may receive more than one scholarship to pay for college expenses and may accept scholarships in addition to other financial aid they may receive.
HBCU Facts
Students are having to find ways to pay for their education, which can get expensive. There are hundreds of minority scholarships out there for people that come from all races and cultural backgrounds.
In this guide, we’re going to be talking about all of the different academic HBCU scholarships that are available to you if you’re one of those students.
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The first HBCU owned and operated by African Americans was Wilberforce University in Ohio, which was founded in 1856. It was named for William Wilberforce who first led efforts to abolish slavery.
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These are both private, public, and minority colleges
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There are 4 HBCU medical schools; their names are Meharry Medical College (TN), Morehouse School of Medicine (GA), Charles R. Drew School of Medicine and Science (CA), and Howard University School of Medicine (DC).
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Nine of the top ten colleges that graduate most of the African American students who go on to earn Ph.D.s are HBCUs.
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More than 80% of students are awarded Pell Grants
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According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCUs are responsible for 25% for all African-American science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees.
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According to the Network Journal, 40% of black members of Congress, 40% of black engineers, and 80% of black judges graduated from HBCUs.
Several organizations offer scholarships for African-American and minority communities. It can help you pay for your college expenses.
Explore MoreComplete List of HBCUs
Here is the complete list of historically black colleges with acceptance rates and percentages of African-American students. General scholarships that apply for all HBCUs and HBCU students and can be awarded regardless of your major or area of study. Public colleges are in bold.
Alabama
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-American |
51% |
95% |
|
54% |
92% |
|
Concordia College-Selma |
100% |
Not reported |
26% |
Not reported |
|
47% |
85% |
|
100% |
Not reported |
|
48% |
93% |
|
51% |
89% |
|
41% |
78% |
Arkansas
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-American |
100% |
Not reported |
|
52% |
Not reported |
|
30% |
93% |
California
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-American |
100% |
32% |
Delaware
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
41% |
75% |
District of Columbia
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
30% |
91% |
|
93% |
37% |
Florida
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
54% |
89% |
|
56% |
Not Reported |
|
46% |
94% |
|
30% |
Not Reported |
Georgia
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
47% |
89% |
|
71% |
87% |
|
58% |
94% |
|
84% |
95% |
|
44% |
91% |
|
78% |
88% |
|
54% |
87% |
Kentucky
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
48% |
58% |
|
Not Reported |
Not Reported |
Louisiana
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
41% |
Not Reported |
|
44% |
91% |
|
57% |
93% |
|
79% |
Not Reported |
|
66% |
70% |
Maryland
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
54% |
87% |
|
54% |
85% |
|
40% |
85% |
|
61% |
74% |
Mississippi
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
78% |
94% |
|
69% |
92% |
|
16% |
91% |
|
39% |
96% |
|
99% |
97% |
Missouri
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
100% |
83% |
|
54% |
49% |
North Carolina
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
Barber-Scotia College |
Not Reported |
Not Reported |
92% |
Not Reported |
|
52% |
75% |
|
50% |
66% |
|
42% |
80% |
|
64% |
88% |
|
58% |
81% |
|
43% |
83% |
|
St. Augustine's University |
74% |
95% |
59% |
71% |
|
60% |
72% |
Ohio
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
38% |
95% |
|
38% |
95% |
Oklahoma
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
46% |
89% |
Pennsylvania
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
85% |
86% |
|
27% |
81% |
South Carolina
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
72% |
99% |
|
75% |
99% |
|
44% |
92% |
|
62% |
98% |
|
85% |
95% |
|
50% |
98% |
Tennessee
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
51% |
97% |
|
20% |
87% |
|
43% |
100% |
|
49% |
99% |
|
52% |
72% |
Texas
University Name |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
46% |
70% |
|
42% |
84% |
|
90% |
85% |
|
39% |
85% |
|
Not Reported |
82% |
|
34% |
85% |
|
51% |
82% |
|
100% |
Not Reported |
Virginia
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
29% |
94% |
|
67% |
83% |
|
80% |
85% |
|
24% |
96% |
|
100% |
Not Reported |
West Virginia
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
38% |
10% |
|
41% |
12% |
Virgin Islands
University |
Acceptance Rate |
% of African-Americans |
University of the Virgin Islands |
97% |
72% |
University of the Virgin Islands-Kingshill |
Not Reported |
Not Reported |
Conclusion
Most scholarships are offered annually, so if the deadline has already passed, set a calendar reminder for next year.
Some companies charge a fee to match students with scholarships.
While there is no harm in using a reputable company to research scholarship opportunities, to avoid common scholarship scams it is important to check out the company
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