Scholarships

HBCU Connect’s Scholarships and Grants

HBCUConnect’s Scholarship/Grant section is a resource for finding 100s of scholarships and grants to help defer the costs of college. Scholarships/Grants will be opportunities listed by both HBCUConnect staff and members of the HBCUConnect community.

The directory includes HBCU Specific Scholarships/Grants AND hundreds of Minority Scholarships/Grants you can apply for…

 

Law Day Video Contest

This annual contest, sponsored by American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the legal system, get creative, and win an educational trip to Washington, DC. The 2012 theme is “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom.” Visit the website to see the winning video from 2011.

What: 2nd Annual Law Day Video Contest

How: Submit a 3-minute video

Who: All students grades 9 – 12

When: Deadline is February 15, 2012

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Top Scholarships for Black Students

The scholarships listed on this page will be updated from time to time as more scholarship opportunities are identified. If you are aware of scholarship opportunities, please email info@accessandequity.org and place “Scholarships for Black Students” in the subject line.

A

AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program for women 40+ seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves.

Academic Competitiveness Grant for first-year and second-year college students who graduated from high school.

Actuarial Diversity Scholarship for minority students pursuing a degree that may lead to a career in the actuarial profession.

Akash Kuruvilla Memorial Scholarship Fund for students who demonstrate excellence in leadership, diversity, integrity and academia.

American Copy Editors Society Scholarship is available to junior, senior and graduate students who will take full-time copy editing jobs or internships.

AORN Foundation Scholarship for students studying to be nurses and perioperative nurses pursuing undergrad and grad degrees.

Automotive Hall of Fame Scholarship for students who indicate a sincere interest in an automotive related career.

AWG Minority Scholarship for Women encourages young minority women to pursue an education and later a career in the geosciences.

AXA Achievements Scholarship Provides more than $600K in annual scholarships to 52 students – one from each state.

B

Beacon Partners Healthcare IT Scholarships is awarded to a student pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the IT Healthcare field.

Best Buy Scholarship for students in grades 9-12 who plan to enter a full-time undergraduate program upon high school graduation.

Burger King Scholars Program for high school seniors who have part-time jobs and who excel academically in school.

C

CIA Undergraduate Scholarship Program assists minority and disabled students, but open to all students who meet the requirements.

Coca-Cola Scholars Program is a four-year achievement-based scholarship given to 250 high school seniors each year.

D

Davidson Fellows Scholarship recognizes and awards extraordinary students who excel in math, science, and technology.

Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund provides need-based scholarships for college students who are part of the progressive movement in their community.

Dell Scholars Program is for students who demonstrate a desire and ability to overcome barriers and achieve their goals.

Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology is for students studying science or technology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Discovery Scholarship is an annual scholarship for high school juniors to support continued education and training beyond high school.

E

Ed Bradley/Ken Kashiwahara Scholarships are open to full-time students who are pursuing careers in radio and television news.

EMPOWER Scholarship Award is designed to increase diversity in the medical rehabilitation field by awarding students of color.

ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship Program is for minority and female students majoring in a field related to computer and video game arts.

F

Fulbright Scholar Program sends faculty and professionals abroad each year to lecture and conduct research.

Future Engineers Scholarship Program is for students pursuing a career in engineering who shows outstanding academic performance.

G

Gates Millennium Scholarship is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; established to help low income minority students.

Go On Girl Book Club Scholarship supports authors of the Black African Diaspora who want to write their way to college money.

Google Anita Borg Scholarship is for women who excel in computing and technology, and are active role models and leaders.

H

Hallie Q. Brown Scholarship is for African American women who have a minimum C average, and can demonstrate financial need.

HBCU Study Abroad Scholarship provides travel opportunities for students of color who are traditionally under-represented in such programs

J

Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program provides fellowships to students who excel in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Javits-Frasier Teacher Scholarship Fund increases diverse students’ access to talent development opportunities through teacher training.

Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund is for low-income women who have a vision of how their education will benefit themselves and their community.

Joe Francis Hair Care Scholarship is for cosmetology and barber school students who can demonstrate a financial need.

K

KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program is for college-bound students who can demonstrate financial need, and have a GPA of at least 2.75.

L

Lincoln forum Scholarship Essay Contest is a writing contest pertaining to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era.

M

McKesson Pharmacy Scholarship is designed to assist pharmacy students who plan to continue their education.

N

National Achievement Scholarship was established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding African American high school students.

National Black Police Association Scholarships is for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, criminal justice, and other related areas.

National Institute of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship is for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are pursuing science and health-related research.

National SMART Grant is available to full-time students who are majoring in science, math, technology, engineering, and more.

P

PMI Educational Foundation Scholarships was established for students in the field of project management or a project management related field.

R

Ron Brown Scholar Program seeks to identify African American high school seniors who will make significant contributions to society.

Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship seeks to recognize outstanding young people who are promoting American values on college campuses.

S

Siemen Competition is a competition for individual or team research projects in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.

T

Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships is for first-generation students majoring in business, finance, science, engineering, and more.

Tri-Delta Scholarships is for students who excel in chapter and campus involvement, community service, academics, and more.

Tylenol Scholarship is for students pursuing a career in health care who can demonstrate leadership and academic qualities.

U

United Negro College Fund Scholarships administers 400 different scholarship programs so low-income families can afford college, tuition, and books.

U.S. Bank Internet Scholarship is for high school seniors planning to enroll or college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors already enrolled.

USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is for students seeking a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, food, or natural resource sciences and related majors.

V

Vanguard Minority Scholarship Program provides merit-based scholarships to minority students studying business, finance, economics, and more.

W

William B. Ruggles Right To Work Journalism Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in journalism or a related field.

Writer’s Digest Annual Short Story Competition is a contest for writers who can compose the best fictional short story, written in 1,500 words or less.

X

Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship is for academic high-achievers in science, engineering, and information technology.

Download 2011 Scholarship Listing for Black Students

Time to Take Charge!

Parents and students need to stop blindly going through K-12 education without doing the necessary research to identify the most appropriate colleges and careers. Whether or not students attend good high schools with well-informed counselors, the information is only a mouse click away:

Get connected and get informed!

Scholarships for Asian and Pacific Islander students

Washington, D.C., July 14, 2011-The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation’s largest nonprofit organization devoted solely to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), is awarding for the first-time ever $1.2 million in scholarships to more than 500 outstanding AAPI students for the 2011-12 academic school year.  APIASF’s scholarships-ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 individually-are given to well deserving high school and college students with which many of whom are the first in their family to attend college.

APIASF manages two scholarship programs: The general APIASF Scholarship Program and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. APIASF’s general scholarship is funded by many corporate, foundation, nonprofit, and individual supporters including the Coca-Cola Foundation, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, Sodexo Foundation, United Health Foundation, USA Funds, Walmart Foundation, and Wells Fargo Foundation.

For details about APIASF’s scholarship programs or for more information about the 2011 APIASF College Completion Forum: Strengthening Institutions that Serve Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, visit APIASF’s Web site at www.apiasf.org.  Also, follow APIASF on Facebook (www.facebook.com/apiasf) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/apiasf).

The financial risks of choosing the wrong college

Choosing the right college goes far beyond college rankings, identifying the right major, or even choosing the right college town. Many parents and students are unaware of the types of colleges identified as non-profit or for-profit. Unfortunately, not knowing the difference has left many students thousands of dollars in debt and no degree to show for it. The Education Trust report, “Subprime Opportunity: The Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities” is highly critical of for-profit colleges with such findings as:

  • For-profit colleges provide high-cost degree programs that have little chance to leading to high-paying careers
  • Students graduate with heavy debt
  • For-profit colleges aggressively recruit low-income students and students of color, with such students making up 50 and 37 percent of the student population at for-profit colleges
  • 25 percent of Black, Hispanic, and low-income students begin college at for-profit colleges while only 10 percent of White students do so
  • Only 22 percent of students graduate from such schools within 6 years

The report also reports the following six-year graduation rates at the following for-profit schools:

  • 9 percent, University of Phoenix
  • 15 percent, Sullivan University
  • 16 percent, International Academy of Design and Technology
  • 27 percent, Westwood College
  • 31 percent, DeVry University
  • 35 percent, Berkeley College
  • 41 percent, The Art Institute
  • 44 percent, The Illinois Institute of Art
  • 66 percent, ITT Technical Institute
  • 67 percent, School of Visual Arts

The report also noted a significant difference in the amount of debt that students are left with based on the type of school attended:

  • $7,960 at public colleges and universities
  • $17,040 at private, non-profit colleges and universities
  • $31,190 at for-profit colleges and universities

Read the report…

For those students choosing to enroll into a non-profit college or university, the debt can still be daunting. The report by the Institute of College Access and Success,Student Debt and the Class of 2009 estimates that college seniors who graduated in 2009 carried an average of $24,000 in student loan debt. The unemployment rate for 2009 college graduates rose to 8.7 percent, the highest annual rate on record.

The amount of student debt  varies widely by state. The highest debt state is the District of Columbia at $30,033 and the lowest state is Utah at $12,860. Research the amount of debt by state for specific colleges.  Interestingly, some of the highest debt colleges have the most liberal admission policies (Alabama State, Fort Valley State, and Wheelock College), while some of the lowest debt colleges have the most highly competitive admission policies (Cal Tech, Princeton, and Williams College). Thus, students should not only develop a plan for getting accepted into the right college, but ensuring that earning their college degree does not require that they mortgage their future.