Big Money Scholarships

HBCU Scholarships

November 12, 2024

This book supports the Why Attend an HBCU series. As Sydnee wrote in A Student’s Perspective, there are many educational and scholarship opportunities available at HBCUs for students who are willing to invest the time in researching schools and programs. Unfortunately, most students are driven primarily by either HBCU brand names, schools that are close to home, or applying to multiple schools through the Black Common Application without devoting sufficient time and attention to researching costs or matching to scholarships. The far too common result is students scrambling and parents experiencing anxiety over the costs, AFTER, students have applied to college. The HBCU Facebook Group, “Black, Brown & HBCU Bound,” reflects many such posts by dismayed students and parents:

“My daughter has been applying for scholarships, consistently, but she just isn’t having success. She will be an incoming freshman at Hampton U and has strong stats- 4.0 gpa, 12hrs dual credit, 30 ACT, 200+ service hours, heavy ECs, etc, etc, etc. Her results def got her into the universities she applied to and she has received merit THAT WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL FOR, but there is still a gap we are seeking to close. She’s won a couple of local awards, but the large sums of money that folks often reference have definitely eluded our household. We invested in her k-12 education thinking it would all be recouped at graduation/college. Deep, deep SIGH. I appreciate this space so very much.”

“I am in the same boat as you. My daughter is attending Hampton as well and the same exact things you have said applies to my daughter as well. It’s sad and frustrating.”

The 2024-25 direct costs to attend Hampton University is $44,900. However, this is less than the actual Cost of Attendance after including the costs of books, personal expenses, travel expenses, and health insurance.

“I am the mother of a rising senior (class of 2025)….we live in Texas, and she is ranked in the top 10% of her class with an ACT score of 29, and SAT score of 1300….she plans to retake both next month. Her #1 HBCU choice is Spelman, and her #2 is Howard. She wants to study political science as she wants to be a lawyer. She is very involved in school clubs, student body president, and is doing her 2nd law internship at a local law office. I know the cost of these two colleges is very expensive so I am looking for any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation.”

“My son did receive a merit scholarship however it is not enough. He has been applying for scholarships, but has not received any. Any suggestions? Desperate parent.”

The Howard University website is out of date showing the most recent Cost of Attendance as $52,524 for the 2022-23 academic year. The Spelman College 2024-25 Cost of Attendance is $57,221.

If any of these students are planning to attend graduate school, law school, or medical school, they could enter graduate school with well over $150,000 in student and Parent PLUS loan debt. If you are a student who has already been offered admission to an HBCU, but still find yourself with a significant financial aid gap, this book will expand your understanding of how to become a competitive scholarship applicant, how to identify HBCU-specific scholarships, and how to significantly increase your chances of closing your financial aid gap with multiple scholarships.

If you are a high school student yet to apply to college, this book will help you develop a scholarship plan well in advance of applying to colleges and for scholarships, and provide guidance in matching to the ‘right’ scholarships and the ‘right’ colleges.

If you are a community college student planning to transfer to an HBCU, this book will provide you with similar guidance as if you were applying to college as a first-time freshman, but expanding to incorporate transfer scholarships and HBCU-specific scholarships for which you would qualify based on your transfer status as a first-, second-, or third-year students.

If you are currently attending an HBCU, this book will provide guidance in identifying and applying for scholarships that have been awarded to the many students with whom we guided into an HBCU and continue to guide them through their undergraduate program in preparation for applying to graduate school.

DoD SMART Scholarship

November 12, 2023

SMART Scholarship Eligibility & STEM Disciplines

To learn more about the Ronald V. Dellums Memorial SMART Scholarship (Dellums SMART Scholarship) and to review eligibility requirements of the Dellums SMART Scholarship, visit the About Dellums page.

Eligibility Requirements

Review the below scholarship requirements to ensure you are eligible to apply for this life-changing opportunity.

Who can apply?

The SMART application is open August through December of every year, with awards being granted the following spring.

All applicants must be:

a citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or United Kingdom at time of application,
18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2024
requesting at least 1 year of degree funding prior to graduation (which starts at the program start date),
able to complete at least one summer internship (multi-year scholars only)
willing to accept post-graduation employment with the DoD,
a student in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale,
pursuing a technical undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the 24 STEM disciplines listed below,
able to produce a fall 2023 college transcript from a regionally accredited US college or university, OR be pursuing a graduate degree at a regionally accredited US college or university.

Active duty military members who wish to apply for the SMART Scholarship must be separated or on terminal leave on or before August 1, 2024 to be eligible. Reserve and National Guard members are eligible to apply. Current ROTC participants with a future service commitment are not eligible to apply

For more information, watch the SMART Eligibility Requirements video.

What kind of STEM?

The program focuses on students pursuing disciplines that are critical to national security functions of the Department of Defense (DoD). The following is a list of SMART’s 24 approved STEM disciplines. These disciplines are general umbrella disciplines – specific applicant majors or fields of study may fall under one or more discipline on this list.

Please note, non-technical degrees, including management, arts, or humanities, are not approved or funded by SMART.

Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Biosciences
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences
Computer Science and Engineering
Cybersecurity
Data Science and Analytics
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Sciences
Geosciences
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Information Sciences
Materials Science and Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Oceanography
Operations Research
Physics
Software Engineering

What you need to know

Scholarships are awarded for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years of funding, depending on degree requirements. SMART is a one-for-one commitment; for every year of degree funding, the scholar commits to working for a year with the DoD as a civilian employee.

Undergraduate applicants

Must be currently enrolled at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university
Must be able to produce a fall 2023 (or earlier) college transcript at the end of the term
AP coursework is not considered college credit

Graduate applicants

Can be either currently enrolled in a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or awaiting notification of admission
If awaiting admission, you must be accepted for entrance in the fall 2024 term

Scholars enter the program as either recruitment or retention. Learn more information on how scholars participate in the SMART Program through recruitment or retention.

Learn more about the citizenship and security clearance requirements for SMART scholarship awards.

Tuskegee Distinguished Presidential Scholarship

December 1, 2022

Christopher “Xavier,” from Mauldin High School in Mauldin, South Carolina, is the President of the ASA Guide Right Kappa League, a mentoring program of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Spartanburg-Greenville SC Alumni Chapter. Xavier joined our cohort as a high school freshman and prior to COVID, he and his mother made the drive from Simpsonville, SC to our monthly cohort meeting in Marietta, GA.

Xavier notes, “While I admittedly have not achieved all of the goals that I set during each year that I have participated in the cohort, I have earned high grades in rigorous classes and scored a 30 on the ACT. Achieving these 2 goals resulted in my full college scholarship pathway!”

In addition to taking a rigorous course schedule, Xavier, who plans to major in aerospace engineering, has take such classes as AP World History, AP US History, AP English Lit, AP Physics, and AP Calculus AB, He is a 3-sport varsity athlete (football, track and field, rugby) and a proven leader on and off of the field. In addition to his leadership role as the Kappa League President, he is the defensive captain of his varsity football team, co-caption of his USA South Rugby Team, and is an officer in the STEM Club. His academic honors include the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and being recognized as an AP Scholar.

His hard work paid off with his being recruited to play rugby at the University of Notre Dame and offered the Distinguished Presidential Scholarship to attend Tuskegee University where the scholarship covers tuition, fees, room and board, and provides an $800 book allowance. Xavier also receives the South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship and has been offered admission to his state’s flagship universities—Clemson and the University of South Carolina – Columbia.

Student Profile – Omar Dixon, Jr.

May 1, 2022

Student Profile

Jocelyne L. (St. Petersburg High School)

Hello, I’m Jocelyne. I serve on the youth leadership board with Omar, a high school junior from Paulding County, Georgia. Omar is the Social Media Manager for our program. He is an incredibly hard worker and is having an incredible college-bound journey. He joined the cohort program as a high school freshman after reading an article about Kimberly Hadaway, a College Planning Cohort alumni who graduated from his high school. He thought that it was amazing that she had been offered 6 full scholarships to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. However, what caught his eye in the article was that Kimberly, like himself, was a student of color from a single-parent, lower income family. He believed that if a student like him earn multiple full college scholarships, that he too, could seize the opportunity.

Kimberly’s story inspired him and her accomplishments motivated him to join the cohort and to commit himself to following all of the guidance offered by Mr. and Mrs. Wynn—after all, they were the experts who guided Kimberly. One of the first messages that resonated with him was that colleges are looking for more than just grades and test scores, so he committed himself to pursuing leadership opportunities and engaging in meaningful community service. He served as a College Planning Cohort intern and discussion group leader before applying for a position on the youth leadership board. He immediately had a community impact on the board through his mentorship of other first generation students and as a content creator for several video projects.

The projects that Omar has worked on have not only benefitted others and expanded the community outreach of the program, but have given him opportunities to, in his words,

Develop a ‘body of work’ to which I can refer in essays and interview that distinguish me from other applicants.” Clearly, the community impact that he has had through his leadership and service in our program has not gone unnoticed. He has been selected as a Yale Young Global Scholar, QuestBridge Scholar, and most recently, a LEDA Scholar. In his perspective: “It has been a mind blowing experience for me because it just shows that all the goals I set in 9th grade, and the pathway that I have taken due to the helpful, insightful, and crucial guidance from Mr. and Mrs. Wynn have come to fruition.”

Omar’s story is more than a success story, it is a story of believing that the example that Kimberly provided for him, that through his success, he can provide such an example from other students. Omar notes,

The cohort curriculum is full of the success stories of other students and provides a roadmap to the type of classes, grades, test scores, leadership, and service that can lead to full college scholarships. Rather than looking at these incredible students and saying, ‘I can’t be like them,’ everyone student should say, ‘Thank you for showing me the type of student that I should become if I want to be awarded a full college scholarship!

I believe that Omar has followed Kimberly’s example and that he is providing an example for others to follow. As Mr. and Mrs. Wynn frequently say, “Trust the Process.” I am inspired by how his incredible perseverance, and the cohort’s guidance, have driven him to be intentional in his actions to become a scholar in multiple prestigious programs. While Omar joined the program in hopes of being offered at least one full scholarship, he is now on a pathway to multiple full scholarship opportunities. We look forward to a followup article about Omar’s journey this time next year!

As a current 9th grader, I am looking forward to sharing my own college-bound story in 2024. However, as the president of the youth leadership board, I am looking forward to submitting articles about our many cohort students and their accomplishments. Like my older sister, I am not only grateful to be participating in a program that is guiding us along pathways to full college scholarships, but supporting and encouraging us to grow into leaders who seek to have a community impact.

Watch this space…I’m Jocelyne

On Her Way to Johns Hopkins

March 31, 2022

On Her Way to Johns Hopkins

Jocelyne L. (St. Petersburg High School)

Hello, I’m Jocelyne. I would like to tell you about my older sister, Joanne. My sister, a senior in the IB Program at St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been offered admission, together with a full scholarship, to Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is one of the most selective schools in the US and is ranked #9 on the US News and World Reports National University Rankings (tied with Northwestern). Not only is Johns Hopkins her top choice school (where she will major in biology), but the scholarship is a huge blessing for our family. The only things not covered by her scholarship are indirect costs, such as travel expenses and personal expenses.

My sister became involved in the cohort in her sophomore year after hearing me go on and on about how wonderful the program was. At the time, I was in the 7th grade and had just completed the Pinellas County Schools College Planning Boot Camp for Middle School Students. As a seventh grader, I could not join a cohort, but she could—and she did!

In interviewing her for this article, she noted,

Through my participation in the cohort, I learned so many things that I would not have learned anywhere else such as the differences between liberal arts colleges and research universities, where I should apply Early Decision versus Regular Decision, and the financial aid policies of all of my top choice colleges. Knowing that Emory, Rice, Stanford, Duke, UPenn, and the University of Chicago would have all offered comparable institutional scholarships, there was no need to apply regular decision to ‘see if I could get in’ when I had a clear top choice—Johns Hopkins. So after being offered admission, via Early Decision to Johns Hopkins, I withdrew all of my other applications.

My sister also mentioned that the information regarding financial aid, The Net Price Calculator, and how different colleges had different financial aid policies, provided clear guidance as to the colleges with the best financial aid policies for students from lower income families. As she researched and learned, she was able to create a plan personalized for her that helped with the next steps when applying for the college of her choice. Not only did the information provided through the online curriculum greatly expand her understanding of the college admission and financial aid processes, but she received amazing support from fellow cohort members, advisors, mentors, and alumni. Some of the college interns—Sydney Soskin (University of Chicago), Peyton Wilson (George Washington), and Loren Tsang (Williams College—to name a few, supported her in the process as they helped her understand the college admissions process and figure out if the college of her choice was a good balance between her aspirations and the educational opportunities offered. With their advice and answers to her questions, my sister was able to discover that Johns Hopkins was truly the college meant for her. However, prior to arriving at this realization, she had to figure out what type of college she wanted to pursue. The cohort provided insight into the nuances between liberal arts colleges and research universities, and which type of school provided the best fit to her body of work and benefited her the most with their opportunities. When she opened the email, “Congratulations, we are pleased to offer you admission to the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2026”my sister’s friends and our family were delighted to hear the great news. Although, we were not surprised, we were incredibly proud and amazed with the scholarship of $280,000 over four years!

I asked my sister what she would say to Mr. and Mrs. Wynn, the creators of the College Planning Cohort Program, and to Dr. Lewis Brinson, the Pinellas County Schools Minority Achievement Officer who brought the program to our school district:

Thank you so very much, your help has been a huge part of my college planning process and I would not have made it this far without you. Not only did you help me apply to college, but you helped me grow as a person!

Watch this space…I’m Jocelyne

The Coolidge Scholarship

February 1, 2018

Primary Criterion: Academic Excellence

Above all, Coolidge scholars must possess a distinguished academic record. Competitive candidates will have pursued and succeeded in the most rigorous course of study available to them. Awardees will demonstrate an uncommon academic depth and intellectual curiosity. In the case of the Coolidge Scholarship, depth matters as much as breadth. Coolidge winners’ interest in scholarly and intellectual pursuits goes beyond the classroom. Mere credential collection is not a defining trait of a Coolidge Scholar. Jonas Salk, the father of the polio vaccine, provides a good example. Salk so excelled in school that he skipped grades. However, he was also intellectually curious, writing: “As a child I was not interested in science. I was merely interested in things human.”

Secondary Criterion: Interest in Public Policy and Appreciation for Coolidge Values

From his boyhood days in Plymouth Notch through his years in the White House Coolidge studied public policy. This scholarship therefore seeks young citizens who exhibit an interest in policy. Candidates also should demonstrate an awareness of and appreciation for the values President Coolidge championed throughout his life. Some such values include: civility, restraint in government, respect for teachers, thrift, and respect for the presidency. The award is not restricted to candidates planning to pursue degrees in fields such as public policy or government. To the contrary, all academic disciplines are valued by this award. Like the president, Coolidge Scholars will engage in the pressing issues of their time. Like Coolidge, Coolidge Scholars are at all times civil, valuing respectful debate over partisan attack. Candidates will be asked to prepare an 800-word application essay on Coolidge values.

Secondary Criterion: Humility and Service

Humility is a hallmark quality of leaders in the Coolidge tradition. In his autobiography, Coolidge wrote: “It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man.” The Coolidge Scholarship seeks young people who display a sense of service and care for the well-being of others.

Other prizes are awarded to young people for accumulating leadership credentials in high school. This prize focuses rather on high school achievement that gives young people the potential to lead later in life. A young person who tends to work alone, but demonstrates potential to conduct breakthrough research, for example, is a strong candidate. Introverts can win this prize.

The Coolidge Scholarship is non-partisan and is awarded on merit regardless of race, gender, or background.

Eligibility Requirements

2017-18 Coolidge Scholarship applicants must intend to enroll full-time at an accredited U.S. college or university as an undergraduate for the first time in fall 2019. That is to say, students in their junior year of high school, or the equivalent if home schooled, are eligible to apply. (Students who are currently high school juniors but take some courses at a local college are indeed eligible to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship.)

2017-18 Coolidge Scholarship applicants must be citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States of America at the time of application.

2017-18 Coolidge Scholarship applicants cannot be the immediate family member of any current employee or trustee of the Coolidge Scholars Program or the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.

Eligibility FAQ

I’m an international student, am I eligible to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship? The Coolidge Scholarship is only open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents currently attending high school abroad are indeed eligible to apply.

I currently am a high school junior, but take some courses at a local college, am I still eligible to apply? Yes, indeed! You must simply confirm that you intend to enroll full-time at an accredited U.S. college or university for the first time in fall 2019.

I am a current high school junior intending to take a gap year after high school, and therefore plan to begin college in fall 2020. Am I eligible? No, only current high school juniors intending to enroll as full-time undergraduates for the first time in fall 2019 are eligible to apply for the 2017-18 scholarship.

I am a current high school senior, am I eligible to apply? No, only current high school juniors intending to enroll as undergraduates full-time for the first time in fall 2019 are eligible to apply for the 2017-18 scholarship. No exceptions to this rule can be made.

I am a current high school senior intending to take a gap year before beginning college, am I eligible to apply? No, only current high school juniors are eligible to apply. No exceptions to this rule can be made.

October 2017: Application opens for the 2017-18 Coolidge Scholarship. Note: only current high school juniors (i.e. students who intend to enroll in college full-time for the first time in fall of 2019) are eligible to apply.

Thursday, January 25, 2018, 5:00 PM eastern standard time: Application deadline. (Note: the deadline was previously January 24, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST, but has been extended. The deadline is now Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST.) Please note that only applications submitted by the application deadline, with accompanying letters of recommendation, can be considered. Please take special note of the time zone.

Spring 2018: All students will be notified of the final outcome of their application. Applicants who are named finalists will be contacted directly by phone and invited to Finalist Interview Weekend, which takes place in Woodstock, Vermont and historic Plymouth Notch, Vermont. The Coolidge Foundation will cover the travel and lodging costs for finalists and one parent to attend Finalist Weekend.

Summer 2018: Newly selected Coolidge Scholars will spend an orientation week at the Coolidge Foundation in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

Davidson Fellows Scholarship

January 16, 2018

More than $7.1 million has been awarded to 306 brilliant young people through the Davidson Fellows Scholarship.

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 scholarships to extraordinary young people, 18 and under, who have completed a significant piece of work.

Application categories are Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Literature, Music, Philosophy and Outside the Box. Davidson Fellows are honored every year in Washington, D.C. with Congressional meetings and a special reception.

Davidson Fellows named as one of “The 10 Biggest Scholarships in the World” by TheBestColleges.org and one of “7 Prestigious Undergrad Scholarships” in U.S. News & World Report.

Deadline & Eligibility

Deadline: February 14, 2018, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
How to Apply
Frequently Asked Questions
Past Scholarship Recipients
Fellows Press Room

Visit the How to Apply page to review category requirements. If you have any questions, please email DavidsonFellows@DavidsonGifted.org.

Step 1: Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration as a Davidson Fellow, applicants must:

Be 18 or younger as of Oct. 1, 2018.
Be a U.S. citizen residing in the United States, or a Permanent Resident of the United States residing in the United States, or be stationed overseas due to active U. S. military duty.
There is no minimum age for eligibility.

The Davidson Institute is looking for students whose projects are at, or close to, the college graduate level with a depth of knowledge in their particular area of study. This scholarship is not geared toward students at the novice level. See specific Category Requirements below.

Davidson Fellows must be available to attend, with one parent or guardian, the awards reception and other recognition events to be held in September in Washington, D.C. (Travel expenses and lodging will be provided by the Institute.)

Step 2: Review Category Requirements and Project Criteria

Category Requirements

STEM Categories – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

Humanities Categories – Literature, Music, Philosophy

Outside the Box

Project Criteria

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of significant work. Significant work is an accomplishment that experts in the field recognize as meaningful and has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. Such work may be:

an exceptionally creative application of existing knowledge
a new idea with high impact
an innovative solution with broad-range implications
an important advancement that can be replicated and built upon
an interdisciplinary discovery
a prodigious performance
another demonstration of extraordinary accomplishment

Step 3: Complete Application

Access our Application System to complete the application. If you have applied for any other Davidson Institute programs using the Application System, you may use the same login information to apply for the Davidson Fellows Scholarship.

Please save your username, password and security answer. You will need your username and password to log back into the system. If you forget your password, you can click on “Forgot Your Password?” from the login screen, but you must know your username and security answer in order to recover your password. If you forget your user name, please email davidsonfellows@davidsongifted.org;do not create a new account.

Note: If you are logged into the Application System and there is no new information submitted within a 60 minute timeframe, your session will time out and you will receive a server error. Your information may not be saved. The system saves information when you click on the top arrow buttons. If you have not clicked on the top arrow button, it will not save the information you have input on that specific screen. If you receive a server error, you will need to close out of the system and log back in. Therefore, we recommend typing and saving your responses to open-ended questions in another program before pasting the text into the Application System.

In order to minimize the chance of email sent by the application system and the Applications Team being classified as spam by your email provider, please add @davidsongifted.org to your safe sender list and notify your Nominator and all parent/guardians to do the same. Please note the email address used by the application system is an unmonitored mailbox and emails sent to that address will not be read. For further details on adding an email domain to your safe sender list, please search online or see our FAQ: “Q. Will I be receiving any email notifications after I apply through the Online Application System?”.

Click here for FAQs about the Davidson Institute’s Application System.

Step 4: Application Submission & Deadline

Please submit the initial portion of the application as soon as possible. This initial portion will ask you for your project title and description, as well as your nominators’ names and email addresses, if you leave any of these items blank, your application will be sent back to you for completion.

Once the initial portion of the application has been submitted, your project will be held for review. When your project is approved, you will receive an email notification, and automatic emails will be sent to your nominators with the Nominating Form link. When the Nominating Form is completed, an email will be sent to the nominator and applicant confirming receipt by the Davidson Fellows program.

When you have submitted all of your application materials, the Parent Form email will be automatically sent to your parent(s).

Please note that the deadline for receipt of all application materials including nominating and parent forms is February 14, 2018, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

SAMPLE Nominating Form (PDF)

Step 5: Review Process and Notification

Each submission is examined for completeness and accuracy. Qualified entries are then sorted by category and evaluated by an independent team of judges comprised of professionals with expertise in related domain areas. The team of judges may, at their sole discretion, consult with additional experts to assist in evaluating the merits of each submission.

The independent team of judges will identify which applicants will be named Davidson Fellows and decide whether they will receive a $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 scholarship. Judges’ Project Selection Scale (PDF)

All applicants are notified on or before July 15 each year.

Read the Scholarship Rules and Regulations. If you have any questions, please email DavidsonFellows@DavidsonGifted.org.

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship Program does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity or disability.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Davidson Fellows Scholarship

Horatio Alger Association Scholarships

January 16, 2018

National Scholarships

106 scholarships at $25,000 each

As one of the nation’s largest college financial aid programs in the country, the Horatio Alger National Scholarship Program is one of the major scholarship programs nationally that specifically assists high school students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives. The scholarships are funded by Horatio Alger Members who, like the Scholars, have experienced challenges but ultimately overcame them to become successful business and civic leaders.

The National Scholarship is awarded to eligible students in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. National Scholars receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., during the spring of their senior year to participate in the National Scholars Conference. Recipients must attend the National Scholars Conference to receive the award.

To be eligible to apply for the Horatio Alger National Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be enrolled full time as a high school senior in the United States; be progressing normally toward graduation in spring/summer of 2018 with plans to enter a college in the United States no later than the fall following graduation
Exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a bachelor’s degree at an accredited non-profit public or private institution in the United States (students may start their studies at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year institution)
Demonstrate critical financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income is required)
Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities
Display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
Maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0; and
Be a United States citizen

The application will be available August 1 – October 25.

State Scholarships

Scholarships valued at up to $10,000 each

State scholarships are awarded to eligible students in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The program specifically assists high school students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives. The scholarships are funded by Horatio Alger Members who, like the Scholars, have experienced challenges but ultimately overcame them to become successful business and civic leaders. For a full listing of Horatio Alger Scholarship Programs and their funders, please click here.

To be eligible to apply for a Horatio Alger State Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria*:

Be enrolled full time as a high school senior in the United States; be progressing normally toward graduation in spring/summer of 2018 with plans to enter a college in the United States no later than the fall following graduation
Exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a bachelor’s degree at an accredited non-profit public or private institution in the United States (students may start their studies at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year institution)
Demonstrate critical financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income is required)
Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities
Display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
Maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0; and
Be a United States citizen

*applicants for the Montana state scholarships must meet additional eligibility criteria.

The application will be available August 1 – October 25.

Career & Technical Scholarships

1020 scholarships up to $2,500 each

The Career & Technical Scholarship Program is funded through the Horatio Alger Endowment Fund and the generosity of Association Chairman Emeritus and Endowment Fund President Walter Scott, Jr. Scholarships are awarded to students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their lives who wish to pursue a career or technical education at an accredited non-profit post-secondary institution in the United States.

Eligibility Criteria:

Have completed high school (or earned a high school equivalency credential)
Will be enrolled in eligible program in Fall 2017
Exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a career or technical program (up to 2 years) at an accredited non-profit post-secondary institution in the United States
Demonstrated critical financial need (must be eligible to receive the Federal Pell grant as determined by completion of the FAFSA)
Demonstrated perseverance in overcoming adversity
Be under the age of 30
Be a United States citizen

Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books and supplies. All scholarship funds are paid directly to the institution on behalf of the recipient.

To print a poster announcing this scholarship program please visit our School Officials page.

The 2017 application process is now closed. The application will open online March 15 for students enrolling in Fall 2018.

Targeted Scholarships

The Association offers several scholarship programs that either require an applicant to pursue a specific degree or attend a specific university. These specialized programs are funded through the generosity of individual Horatio Alger Members. Please scroll down to see if any of these programs line up with your choices.

General Eligibility

The following criteria applies to all programs below:

Critical financial need ($55,000 or less adjusted gross income per family is required)
Integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
United States citizenship

For more specific eligibility criteria please refer to the program listings below:

Boise State University Scholarship (7 awards at $10,000 each)

The Boise State University Scholarship Program was established in 2012 and is funded by Association Board Member Robert G. Miller, CEO of the Albertsons Companies, Inc.

Current freshmen who are entering their sophomore year in the fall of the application year at Boise State University
Resident of Idaho
Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0
See the flyer!

Application available January 15 – March 15

Doré Scholarship (25 awards at $10,500 each)

The Doré Scholarship is funded by Association Member William J. Doré, Chairman and CEO of Global Industries, Ltd.

High school senior planning to attend McNeese State University or University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Resident of Louisiana
Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0

Application available January 15 – March 15

Honeywell Scholarship (10 awards at $10,000 each)

The Honeywell Scholarship Program is funded by Association Member Dave Cote, Executive Chairman of Honeywell and Honeywell Hometown Solutions.

Pursuit of a degree in a STEM field
Current college freshman
Academic achievement (minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0)
Attendance at a Honeywell Partner School or Horatio Alger Collegiate Partner institution
See the flyer!
Read the Frequently Asked Questions

Application available January 15 – March 15

Mel Klein Scholarship (5 awards at $10,000 each)

The Mel Klein Scholarship Program was established in 2016 and is funded by Association Member Mel Klein, founder of Melvyn N. Klein Interests.

High school senior
Academic achievement (minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5)
Planning to pursue a degree at Colgate University, Columbia University, Stanford University, or Tulane University
Applying for this scholarship will also make you eligible for national/state scholarship awards

Santa Clara University – Schott Family Scholarship (4 awards at $50,000 each – amount matched by school)

The Santa Clara University – Schott Family Scholarship Program was established in 2016 and is funded by Association Member Stephen Schott, Owner and CEO of S.C.S Development Co. / Award Homes.

High school senior planning to attend Santa Clara University
Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.4

Trott Family Scholarship (21 awards at $30,000-$60,000 each)

The Trott Family Scholarship was established in 2015 and is funded by Association President Byron Trott, Chairman and CEO of BDT & Company.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: SEPTEMBER 25

High school senior planning to attend Ohio State University, University of Chicago or Vanderbilt University
Will submit an application for early decision/early action (by Nov. 1)
Academic achievement (minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5)
Applying for this scholarship will also make you eligible for national/state scholarship awards

NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program

January 10, 2018

UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program offers:

Scholarship support
Paid research training at the NIH during the summer
Paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation

In order to determine if you meet the financial need eligibility guidelines, the UGSP encourages all students to complete the Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) form and submit it to your financial aid office. This form can be filed prior to completion of the online application. Since your eligibility will have to be updated with your 2017 financial aid application data, completion and submission of this form is for informational purposes only. If you choose to submit the form prior to application, please notify the UGSP at ugsp@od.nih.gov, and we will contact you after your university has indicated your eligibility. However, if you do not receive notification of eligibility prior to the application opening date, we encourage you to go ahead and begin the application process.

SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT

The NIH UGSP will pay up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition, educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses to scholarship recipients. Scholarships are awarded for 1 year, and can be renewed up to 4 years.

RESEARCH TRAINING AT THE NIH

For each full or partial scholarship year, you are committed to two NIH service obligations. The obligations are actually benefits of the UGSP, providing you with invaluable research training and experience at the NIH.

10-week Summer Laboratory Experience. After each year of scholarship support, you will train for 10 weeks as a paid summer research employee in an NIH research laboratory. This employment occurs after the receipt of the scholarship award. Each scholar will work directly with an NIH Principle Investigator or an NIH postdoctoral fellow, who will serve as mentors.
Employment at the NIH after Graduation. After graduation, you will continue your training as a full-time employee in an NIH research laboratory. You must serve 1 year of full-time employment for each year of scholarship.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

You must meet all of these requirements in order to be eligible for admission into the UGSP. Please take a moment to use our Eligibility Wizard.

U.S.A. citizen or U.S.A. permanent resident
Enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student at an accredited 4-year undergraduate institution located in the United States of America
Undergraduate University Grade Point Average of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0-point scale or within the top 5 percent of your class
Having ‘Exceptional Financial Need’ as certified by your undergraduate institution financial aid office – see table below (updated 8 November 2017).

Persons in Family (Includes Only Dependents Listed on Federal Income Tax Forms)	Family Income Level (Adjusted Gross Income for Tax Year 2016) Federal Register: Volume 81, Number 15, 25 January 2016, Page 4036	Family Income Level (Adjusted Gross Income for Tax Year 2017) Federal Register: Volume 82, Number 19, 31 January 2017, Page 8831
1	$23,780.00	$24,120.00
2	$32,040.00	$32,480.00
3	$40,320.00	$40,840.00
4	$48,600.00	$49,200.00
5	$56,880.00	$57,560.00
6	$65,160.00	$65,920.00
7	$73,460.00	$74,280.00
8	$81,780.00	$82,640.00
More than 8 Persons	$8,320.00 for Each Additional Person	$8,360.00 for Each Additional Person

You are not eligible for the UGSP if any one of the following items pertains to you:

You are a high school senior
You have been awarded an undergraduate degree
You are enrolled in an advanced degree program, such as a master’s degree
You are unable to fulfill the payback requirements

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The Application for the 2018-2019 academic year is now open. To learn more about the application process and requirements, review the videos “How to Apply to the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program” and “How to Find an NIH Mentor“. Your university must also determine whether you meet the required exceptional financial need (EFN) criteria. To do so, download the EFN form, complete the top section and submit it to the financial aid office at the university you will attend during the 2018-2019 academic year. Your university will determine your eligibility and forward the form to us. We strongly advise you to complete the application while waiting for your university to determine your eligibility.

KEY DATES FOR ADMISSION CONSIDERATION IN FALL 2017-2018 ACADEMIC YEAR

(Dates updated 1 November 2017)

January 2, 2018 – Application Opens
March 15, 2018 – Application Deadline
March 30, 2018 – Letter of Recommendation Deadline
May 11, 2018 – EFN Form with 2016 Tax Year Information Deadline
Mid-June 2018 – Invitations to Phone Interview Distributed
Mid-July 2018 – Phone Interviews for Admission
Late-July 2018 – Selection of Scholars

This program is administered without discrimination on the basis of age, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or other nonmerit factors.

NIH is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from underrepresented minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.

100 Scholarships for Minority Students

January 10, 2018

100 Scholarships for Minority Students

Compiled by Diversity & Inclusion

These websites are subject to change without our knowledge so please report broken links to diversity@unc.edu