Despite progress, Black and African American students remain under-represented at four-year colleges and over-represented in student-debt burdens. A meaningful set of federal aid programs, non-profit scholarships, and historically Black college and university (HBCU) supports exist to help close those gaps in 2026.
This page covers both the federal aid that every Black student should start with and the major private and corporate scholarship programs.
Start with federal student aid
Most federal student aid is need-based and open to all eligible U.S. students regardless of race, but it is the foundation on which targeted scholarships layer. File the FAFSA as early as possible after October 1 each year for the following academic year.
Key federal grants:
- Pell Grant — up to $7,580 for 2026–27, need-based.
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) — additional need-based grant administered by your school's financial aid office.
- TEACH Grant — up to $4,000/year for students who agree to teach in high-need fields at low-income schools.
- State grants — most states' need-based and merit programs (see /state-grants).
Federal aid combined with institutional aid is usually the largest funding source by dollar amount; the scholarships below stack on top.
Major scholarship programs for Black students
UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
The largest and oldest minority higher-education organization in the country. UNCF administers more than 400 scholarship and internship programs and provides operating support to its 37 member HBCUs. The UNCF General Scholarship application is a single application that maps to many of those programs.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF)
TMCF supports students at publicly supported HBCUs and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) with merit scholarships, professional-development programs, and a centralized scholarship application opened each year.
Ron Brown Scholar Program
The Ron Brown Scholar Program awards a four-year, $40,000 total ($10,000 per year) scholarship to high-achieving Black high-school seniors. Highly competitive — only a small number of Scholars are selected each year. Applicants do not need to be Pell-eligible.
Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
The Jackie Robinson Foundation awards multi-year scholarships of up to $35,000 over four years to high-achieving minority students with leadership potential and financial need. Includes a 42 Strategy Mentoring program and a JRF career pipeline.
Tom Joyner Foundation
The Tom Joyner Foundation provides scholarships and need-based emergency funds for HBCU students.
NAACP Scholarships
The NAACP offers a portfolio of named scholarships (Agnes Jones Jackson, Earl G. Graves, Hubertus W. V. Wellems, Roy Wilkins, Lillian and Samuel Sutton, and others). Most require active NAACP membership and a minimum GPA — 2.5 for undergrad, 3.0 for graduate.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Scholarships
NSBE administers more than $1M annually in scholarships and partnerships for Black students in engineering, computing, and related STEM fields.
NABJ Scholarship Program
The National Association of Black Journalists awards multiple scholarships annually for Black students pursuing journalism, media, and communications degrees.
National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Scholarships
The NBNA provides annual scholarships of $1,000–$5,000 to Black nursing students at all levels.
Gates Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship is a last-dollar full-cost scholarship for outstanding minority high-school seniors from low-income households — covers any unmet financial need not covered by other aid. Open to high-achieving Black, Asian Pacific Islander, Latinx, Native American, and other minority students.
Federal programs that benefit HBCUs
These do not pay individual students directly but materially affect tuition prices and resources at HBCUs:
- Title III, Part B of the Higher Education Act provides Strengthening HBCUs grants.
- The HBCU Capital Financing Program offers federal financing for facility projects.
- The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity for HBCUs coordinates federal partnerships across agencies. See sites.ed.gov/whhbcu.
If you attend an HBCU, more institutional resources reach your campus because of these programs.
How to apply
- File the FAFSA first at studentaid.gov. Many private scholarships require FAFSA completion or will request your Student Aid Index later in the process.
- Apply to UNCF and TMCF — both use centralized portals that map to many internal programs from a single application.
- Add named program applications (Ron Brown, Jackie Robinson, Gates, NAACP, NSBE, NABJ, NBNA, etc.) based on your field of study and timeline.
- Search at the institutional level — your school's financial aid office may know of local and regional scholarships not listed centrally.
- Stack carefully — total aid (federal + state + institutional + private) cannot exceed your cost of attendance. Schools will adjust your package if you exceed it; private scholarships generally win priority in keeping.
No legitimate scholarship charges an application fee.
Common questions
Are race-conscious scholarships still allowed? Following the Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard / UNC decisions, many institutions and funders have reviewed and adjusted their scholarship criteria. Private foundation scholarships generally remain available; some criteria have shifted toward socioeconomic and other indicators in tandem with — or in place of — race. Check each program's current eligibility statement before applying.
Do I have to attend an HBCU to receive these scholarships? No. UNCF General, NAACP, NSBE, NABJ, Gates, Jackie Robinson, and most others are open to Black students at any accredited college. UNCF's institutional aid programs benefit students who attend UNCF member HBCUs specifically.
Are scholarship awards taxable? Scholarship and grant funds used for qualified tuition and required fees, books, supplies, and required equipment are not taxable. Funds used for room and board, travel, and personal expenses are taxable. See IRS Tax Topic 421.
Where do I report a scholarship scam? reportfraud.ftc.gov. Any "scholarship" charging an application or processing fee is not legitimate.