Black/African American students who are citizens or permanent residents of the US can apply for grants exclusively reserved for them. This blog post is a resource for free grants for African American students and they can begin their application immediately.
According to research, African American college graduates owe higher student loan debt than white college graduates. This shows that a lot of black people who attend college are from low-income families and cannot afford education on their own and had to get a student loan.
While student loans can help you pay for college, which is a good thing, the challenging part is paying it back because you really have to. And these student loans are paid back with interest which is one of the ways the loaners make a profit. As the interest accumulates, it becomes more expensive to pay back and it can take many years to complete the payment.
Unlike scholarships, grants, awards, and bursaries which are “free money” that recipients do not ever have to pay back you have to pay back a student loan.
Getting a college degree is one of the best life investments because it brings back a huge ROI which is why many students are left with no choice but to get a student loan to fund their education hoping to get a good job after graduation and pay back. But life has a way of turning things around. So instead of depending entirely on student loans, you can take out time and source for scholarships.
We at Study Abroad Nations work tirelessly to help students from home and abroad, from all corners of the earth, get scholarships that will fund their education free of charge. On our platform, you will find athletic scholarships and a wide range of other scholarships and grants that cut across various categories.
So, you really don’t have to source the entire World Wide Web looking for scholarships when this platform is here to guide you through different kinds of scholarships that you could qualify for.
Now, statistics have shown that Black and African American graduates amass more student debt than white graduates. Thanks to these statistics as it underlines the importance of scholarships for black students. Setting up financial awards for African American and black students can help offset the cost of a college education and leave students less dependent on loans.
This blog post is an excellent resource for free grants for African American students to apply for rather than take out a student loan that will take them many years to pay back. Grants are nonrepayable and they come from institutions, organizations, charity foundations, and the federal government.
Table of Contents
Free Grants for African American Students
The free grants for African American students are:
- BLM² Foundation Scholarship
- Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) Grants
- The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Scholarships
- National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Scholarships
- Iowa Minority Academic Grant for Economic Success (IMAGES)
- Ron Brown Scholars Program
- American Bus Association (ABA) Diversity Scholarships
- American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program
- Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Scholarship
- KnowBe4 Careers Scholarships
- Brown and Caldwell Diversity Scholarships
- Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship
1. BLM² Foundation Scholarship
BLM² Foundation provides an annual on-time scholarship to African American high school graduates who want to pursue a college degree in the US. The aim of the scholarship is to encourage higher education and support the academic success of African Americans and other minority groups in the US who cannot afford a college education.
You must be a permanent US citizen and have a high school CGPA of 3.0 to qualify for the grant. Application documents include a recommendation letter, test score, activity sheet, essay, transcript, college acceptance letter, and fully completed application.
2. Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) Grants
The Jackie Robinson Foundation has offered over 100 million dollars in grants to over a thousand African American students. It is one of the top free grants for Black and African American students offering up to $35,000 in college scholarships for up to 4 years to recipients.
Aside from the above-mentioned financial support, recipients of the JRF grants will also benefit from a comprehensive, 4-year program that includes career guidance, internship and permanent job placement, travel abroad, and leadership and practical life skills training.
To be eligible for this grant, you must be a Black or African American student graduating high school and plans to enroll in a 4-year college, a US citizen, demonstrate financial need, present an excellent academic record, and demonstrate leadership potential and dedication to community service. High school transcripts, one recommendation letter, test scores, four essays, college plans, and household information are part of the application materials for this grant.
3. The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Scholarships
This scholarship is reserved for black students who wish to pursue a college degree program in the energy industry. You must also be a member of the above-mentioned association to qualify for the scholarship. Also, the scholarship is offered annually, so, if you missed it this year you can check in next year.
4. National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Scholarships
In a bid to produce more black nurse practitioners in the US, the NBNA offers annual scholarships to African American students at all levels who wish to pursue a career in nursing. You must be a member of the above-mentioned association and be currently enrolled in a nursing program with at least 12 months left to complete the program to be eligible for the scholarship.
Documents required for the NBNA scholarships include a resume or CV, a transcript from nursing school, two letters of recommendation, and a clear headshot. The value of the scholarship ranges from $1,000 to over $15,000 per student.
5. Iowa Minority Academic Grant for Economic Success (IMAGES)
This is one of the annual free grants for African American students and other minority groups living in the US state of Iowa who want to pursue a degree at the University of Iowa. It is a need-based grant and is offered to those who demonstrate financial need.
6. Ron Brown Scholars Program
This is a program that offers an annual scholarship of up to $40,000 to African American graduating high school seniors who are from low-income families but wish to pursue a college degree. The fund is distributed across the 4 years of studies which is $10,000 per year and totals it up to $40,000.
Aside from the financial assistance, winners of the Ron Brown Scholars Program scholarship also benefit from mentorship, gain leadership experiences, and service opportunities.
7. American Bus Association (ABA) Diversity Scholarships
This association, ABA, actually offers many scholarships but its Diversity scholarship is the one meant for African Americans and other minority or underrepresented groups in the US. The aim of the scholarship is to support the education of African American students who want to pursue a career in the travel and tourism industry so that there can be more minority groups in the industry.
You must be a member of ABA and be willing to pursue a career in the tourism/hospitality industry to be eligible for this scholarship. Applicants who are interested in the Diversity scholarships are required to submit a 500-word essay and demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, financial need, and commitment to advance the transportation industry.
8. American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program
Each year, the American Chemical Society (ACS) provides more than a million dollars in scholarships to more than 300 students. The society has awarded $5,000 to over 3,500 students from underrepresented groups, including Blacks and African Americans, who want to pursue a career in the chemical sciences.
Aside from the financial support, the ACS Scholars Program also provides other perks to winners of its scholarships as well as to other members of the association.
9. Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Scholarship
Blacks at Microsoft or BAM is a scholarship aimed at encouraging African American individuals to pursue careers in the tech field. There are a total of 50 scholarships under this program, 5 of which is $20,000 distributed over 4 years while the remaining 45 is a one-time $2,500 scholarship. The scholarships support the college tuition of Black and African American students who want to pursue a college degree in tech or a tech-related field.
Applicants must demonstrate a passion for tech by planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems, or select business programs, demonstrate leadership abilities, require financial assistance, and have a CGPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible for the scholarship. A recommendation letter, transcript, and essay are required for the BAM scholarship application.
10. KnowBe4 Careers Scholarships
KnowBe4 Careers offer a wide range of cybersecurity-related scholarships to women, African American students, military, veterans, and spouses. However, I shall concentrate on the ones offered to African Americans because of the topic of this article.
KnowBe4 Careers aim to increase diversity in the field of cybersecurity and thus establishes a program known as Black Americans in Cybersecurity. Through this program, KnowBe4 Careers offers an annual $10,000 scholarship to African American students who wish to pursue a degree in Cybersecurity.
11. Brown and Caldwell Diversity Scholarships
Brown and Caldwell Diversity Scholarships offer $5,000 annually to an African American, Hispanic, or minority student who wishes to pursue environmental-related careers such as civil engineering, geology, ecology, mechanical or electrical engineering, and so on. Another criterion to qualify is that you must have a CGPA of 3.0 or higher.
Required documents for application include a resume, a 250-word resume, two letters of recommendation, and an official transcript.
12. Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship
This scholarship is provided annually by the American College of Healthcare Executives for the minority community which includes Blacks and African American students. An African American student entering a healthcare management graduate program is eligible to apply for this scholarship to offset tuition fees.
Conclusion
Dear reader, scholarships, and grants should not confuse you as they are often used interchangeably to refer to free money applied towards college tuition that you do not need to pay back. So, wherever you see “scholarships” in this article used in the place of grants, they mean exactly the same thing.
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