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.

TCM Staff

10th September 2020

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:

  1. Apply for scholarships provided by HBCUs

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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. 

  5. Explore and apply for HBCU scholarships and minority based.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

Lowe’s GAP Scholarship

$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

GEICO HBCU Tailgate Tour Community Contest

$2,000

Submit a 1-minute video describing the work you do to receive $2,000

GEICO

31-Oct

Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships

 -

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

Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship

 $20,000 

  Three (3) US $5,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in technology

Microsoft 

 April 10

Tom Joyner Foundation Full Ride Scholarship

-

The ‘Full Ride’ scholarship program that will cover all the expenses

The Tom Joyner Foundation

16-Jan

BASF/Alfred Chisholm Memorial Scholarship Fund

$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

Cappex $1,000 Easy College Money Scholarship

$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

Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology (African-American undergraduate students)

$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.

  • 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.

  • These are both private, public, and minority colleges

  • 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). 

  • Nine of the top ten colleges that graduate most of the African American students who go on to earn Ph.D.s are HBCUs.

  • More than 80% of students are awarded Pell Grants

  • According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCUs are responsible for 25% for all African-American science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees.

  • According to the Network Journal, 40% of black members of Congress, 40% of black engineers, and 80% of black judges graduated from HBCUs.


Looking for more? Check out the List of African-American Scholarships!
HBCU

Several organizations offer scholarships for African-American and minority communities. It can help you pay for your college expenses.

Explore More
HBCU Scholarship

Complete 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

Alabama A&M University

51%

95%

Alabama State University

54%

92%

Concordia College-Selma

100%

Not reported

Miles College

26%

Not reported

Oakwood University

47%

85%

Selma University

100%

Not reported

Stillman College

48%

93%

Talladega College

51%

89%

Tuskegee University

41%

78%


Arkansas

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-American

Arkansas Baptist College

100%

Not reported

Philander Smith College

52%

Not reported

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

30%

93%


California

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-American

Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

100%

32%


Delaware

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Delaware State University

41%

75%


District of Columbia

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Howard University

30%

91%

University of the District of Columbia

93%

37%


Florida

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Bethune-Cookman University

54%

89%

Edward Waters College

56%

Not Reported

Florida A&M University

46%

94%

Florida Memorial University

30%

Not Reported


Georgia

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Albany State University

47%

89%

Clark Atlanta University

71%

87%

Fort Valley State University

58%

94%

Morehouse College

84%

95%

Paine College

44%

91%

Savannah State University

78%

88%

Spelman College

54%

87%


Kentucky

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Kentucky State University

48%

58%

Simmons College of Kentucky

Not Reported

Not Reported


Louisiana

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Dillard University

41%

Not Reported

Grambling State University

44%

91%

Southern University and A&M College

57%

93%

Southern University at New Orleans

79%

Not Reported

Xavier University of Louisiana

66%

70%


Maryland

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Bowie State University

54%

87%

Coppin State University

54%

85%

Morgan State University

40%

85%

University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

61%

74%


Mississippi

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Alcorn State University

78%

94%

Jackson State University

69%

92%

Mississippi Valley State University

16%

91%

Rust College

39%

96%

Tougaloo College

99%

97%


Missouri

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Harris-Stowe State University

100%

83%

Lincoln University of Missouri

54%

49%


North Carolina

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Barber-Scotia College

Not Reported

Not Reported

Bennett College

92%

Not Reported

Elizabeth City State University

52%

75%

Fayetteville State University

50%

66%

Johnson C. Smith University

42%

80%

Livingstone College

64%

88%

North Carolina A&T State University

58%

81%

North Carolina Central University

43%

83%

St. Augustine's University

74%

95%

Shaw University

59%

71%

Winston-Salem State University

60%

72%


Ohio

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Central State University

38%

95%

Wilberforce University

38%

95%


Oklahoma

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Langston University

46%

89%


Pennsylvania

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

85%

86%

Lincoln University

27%

81%


South Carolina

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Allen University

72%

99%

Benedict College

75%

99%

Claflin University

44%

92%

Morris College

62%

98%

South Carolina State University

85%

95%

Voorhees College

50%

98%


Tennessee

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

American Baptist College

51%

97%

Fisk University

20%

87%

Lane College

43%

100%

LeMoyne-Owen College

49%

99%

Tennessee State University

52%

72%


Texas

University Name

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Huston-Tillotson University

46%

70%

Jarvis Christian College

42%

84%

Paul Quinn College

90%

85%

Prairie View A&M University

39%

85%

Southwestern Christian College

Not Reported

82%

Texas College

34%

85%

Texas Southern University

51%

82%

Wiley College

100%

Not Reported 


Virginia

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Hampton University

29%

94%

Norfolk State University

67%

83%

Virginia State University

80%

85%

Virginia Union University

24%

96%

Virginia University of Lynchburg

100%

Not Reported


West Virginia

University

Acceptance Rate

% of African-Americans

Bluefield State College

38%

10%

West Virginia State University

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 

You may also like to read;

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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