Scholarships for African American Students

Paying for college can be a challenge for many students. While financial aid can alleviate some of the burden, many students may need some extra support. (For more advice on how to navigate the financial aid process, check out FAFSA, CSS Profile, IDOC, Oh My: A Guide to Financial Aid .) Scholarships can help you out. These monetary awards assist students with paying for postsecondary education. Some are need-based, meaning students must demonstrate that they have a financial need for help paying for college. Others are merit-based, meaning they are given based on students’ achievements. To learn more about the different types of scholarships available, read What You Need to Know for a Successful Scholarship Season . While there are many scholarships available to which nearly anyone can apply if they are planning on attending an institution of higher education, some are geared towards students with particular interests or certain minority populations. In this post, we will look at scholarships for African American students. The below scholarships are specifically targeted to African American students. Some of them have a financial need component, but most are merit-based. Click on the links provided to learn more about particular scholarships, including deadlines and other application details, and keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Some individual colleges offer scholarships for students of specific minorities who attend their schools. Be sure to investigate whether they are available at the colleges on your lists and how to apply for them. Some African American fraternities and sororities may offer scholarships for members of their organizations. Talk to your group and leaders to find out more. If you are in a club or organization for African American students, speak the organization’s leader or adviser for advice on applying for scholarships. He or she may have ideas or know of organizations that provide awards to specific minorities. Be sure to also check out the website of the organizations in which you’re involved for scholarship opportunities. Finally, speak to a teacher or guidance counselor. He or she may have ideas of other resources for finding scholarships. To learn about how to apply for scholarships and resources to help in your scholarship search, read some of ’s posts below: Looking for help with your college applications? Check out our College Application Guidance Program. When you sign up for our program, we carefully   pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process. Learn more about the program here .