African American College Scholarships

Out of the 308.7 million people in the U.S., about 12.6% are black, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. In comparison, only people of Hispanic or Latino origin (at about 16.3%) represent a larger minority in this country, making African Americans the second largest minority group in the U.S.

These statistics have a huge impact in the amount of money given to African American students in the form of scholarships over the last few years. As the second largest minority group, African Americans are eligible for many minority scholarships. This has the benefit of encouraging African American students not only to attend higher education institutions, but also, in the case of certain scholarships, it has encouraged African Americans to enter job markets previously dominated by whites.

For example, the National Society of Black Engineers offers scholarships to students with high GPAs who are in need of financial backing for college, and who will, upon graduation, take a job with the sponsoring corporation for a predetermined length of time. Scholarships like this help to bring a larger number of African Americans into engineering and other fields. Other granting institutions, like many of the 105 historically black colleges and universities, provide scholarships for African American men and women at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

List of African American Scholarships

• African-American Achievement Scholarship — Scholarships awarded each year to selected African-American undergraduate students who are residents of particular counties in Massachusetts. Included among the many scholarships offered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.


• Gates Millennium Scholars Program (Gates Foundation) — Varied amounts awarded each year to African-American undergraduate or graduate students, as well as students in other minority groups.


• Jackie Robinson Scholarship — Up to $7,500 awarded each year to African American and other minority students who are graduating high school seniors, plan to attend an accredited four-year institution, and meet all other criteria.


• Louie F. Cox Memorial AK Steel African-American Scholarships — Up to $5,000 awarded annually, renewable for three years, for a total potential scholarship of $20,000, to African American graduating seniors who attend high schools in the Ohio counties of Butler and Warren. See more information here.


• Minority Scholarship Awards for College Students — The American Institute of Chemical Engineers awards scholarships for $1,000 each year to approximately 10 African American and other minority undergraduate students who are majoring in chemical engineering.


• Minority Scholarship Awards for College Students — The American Institute of Chemical Engineers awards scholarships for $1,000 each year to approximately 10 African American and other minority undergraduate students who are majoring in chemical engineering.


• Minority Scholarship Awards For Incoming College Freshmen — The American Institute of Chemical Engineers awards scholarships of $1,000 each year to approximately 10 African American and other minority freshmen undergraduate students who are pursuing a degree in science/engineering, preferably chemical engineering.


• Sallie Mae Fund American Dream Scholarship — $500 to $5,000 awarded each year to varied number of African-American undergraduate students. Established in partnership with the United Negro College Fund.


• Thurgood Marshall College Fund — Average awards of $2,200 given each year to undergraduate students who attend one of the nation's public, historically black colleges and universities.

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Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.