According to the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA), for the past decade, the number of scholarships awarded has increased by over 45%. Yet an estimated $100 million in scholarship money still goes unawarded each year, mostly due to a lack of applicants.
Well, we can’t say the percentage of scholarships for black students going unclaimed, but we know that millions of dollars are not claimed by blacks too. Different reasons usually make these scholarships not to be claimed, it could be due to their obscurity, the little amount you will receive, poor advertisement, or something else.
So, we might not necessarily list all the scholarships for blacks that are not claimed, you need to ask around, you never could tell there are ones around you that only a minority of people know.
Table of Contents
Scholarships for Black Students Going Unclaimed
One of the things you should know about most of these scholarships is that perhaps they were unclaimed at the time of writing, and might completely get filled the next time of announcement.
1. United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Scholarships
This is one of the scholarships for black students that only a few people might be claiming, and here are some of the reasons. UNCF only focuses on minority group members like blacks, and they provide huge amounts of scholarships worth $100 million to several students in over 1,100 schools.
To even make it better, UNCF provides some other scholarships for black students going unclaimed such as the
- Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program
- UNCF/Koch Scholars Program
- K-12 Education Fellowship
- Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Scholarship Program
2. National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Scholarships
NSBE provides different scholarships that so many blacks don’t know about and sometimes go unclaimed. Their scholarships are mostly focused on black students that are pursuing a degree in Engineering or related fields.
Before you can view or apply for scholarships, you need to be one of their members and have renewed your membership for the particular year you’re applying for scholarships. A verified GPA in the membership profile is still a priority.
3. Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Scholarships
This is another scholarship for black students that goes unclaimed provided to more than 2,000 students worth over $13 million. Preference is first given to students attending one of their Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
You could either be intending to earn your baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree. One of the reasons their scholarships are unclaimed sometimes is because most of their scholarships are only for a year and non-renewable so you need to be up to date to apply for the right one.
4. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
JRF Scholarship easily earns its spot on our list of scholarships for black students going unclaimed due to their multifaceted help to students. They don’t only help students financially, but they go as far as guiding these students in the process of education.
Their Scholars are eligible to receive college scholarships of up to $35,000 over four years and are financially sponsored to attend JRF‘s annual, four-day “Mentoring and Leadership Conference“ in New York City and other events throughout the year.
Well, you need to be a minority U.S. citizen to apply, must need financial help, and provide proof, and provide evidence of academic excellence. There are still other requirements you should expect.
5. Ron Brown Scholar Program
The Is provided to service-minded African Americans by accelerating their progress into impactful leadership roles and opportunities. One of the interesting things about their scholars is that 99% of them do graduate, that’s a ground-breaking record.
6. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Scholarships
Annually, NAACP provides need-based and merit-based scholarships to outstanding and qualified Black students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees as part of their Inspire Initiatives program. Depending on your academic interest and age, the award amount you’ll receive varies.
And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a graduating high school senior or early in your professional career, some scholarships are not usually claimed, meant for you. Besides the fact you need to be an African American or a person of color, you also need to have a grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 system plus other requirements.
7. Jesse Jackson Fellows Toyota Scholarship
This is among the scholarships for black students going unclaimed that are annually awarded to rising undergraduate sophomores studying business or engineering. It is required that applicants are sophomores as of August 1, have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA, be a business or engineering major, have demonstrated participation in community service, and show financial need.
8. National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Scholarships
One of the things that makes a scholarship unclaimed is exclusivity; which makes only a certain few eligible. That’s exactly what NBNA Scholarships does, it’s not just only for blacks, but you also need to be a nurse to be eligible.
Being a member is one of their criteria for receiving any of their scholarships, and most of their scholarship awards range from $1,000 – $15,000.
9. Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Scholarships
The Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Scholarship might not always be unclaimed, but you still have a good chance of being awarded if you have a higher GPA of 3.0 and planned to attend a four-year college or university in the US in the fall immediately following your high school graduation. 50 scholars will be awarded scholarships worth a total of $212,500; five winners will receive $20,000 in scholarships distributed over 4 years while
forty-five (45) students will receive $2,500 one-time-only scholarships.
Conclusion
Try to research each of the scholarships for black students going unclaimed to ensure you are currently eligible and you meet up with the deadline. Also, try to go through your local and state government to know if there are some scholarships that some people don’t know about.
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