STEM Scholarships Black Students

Juneteenth Might Be Your Ticket to Scholarship Opportunities

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.

To commemorate Juneteenth, IOScholarships.com has 5 scholarships opportunities for Black students to apply to in 2023. Be sure to try a free scholarship search to discover even more opportunities for student of color to win free money towards college costs!

UNCF Excellence in STEM Scholarship

Award Amount: $2,500
Deadline: June 20, 2023
Scholarship Description: The UNCF Excellence in STEM Scholarship is a postsecondary scholarship program designed to support college persistence for rising second-year African American college students interested in pursuing STEM degrees and careers. The scholarship will help deserving students overcome the financial hurdle of college access while providing critical wrap-around services to help them meet and overcome common obstacles to college persistence. The American innovation and technology economy depends on a steady stream of talented and well-trained individuals entering the workforce, which is, in turn, dependent upon a robust STEM educational pipeline. Yet educational disparities and lack of opportunities that plague far too many African American students, threaten to deny these bright, capable youth the transformational opportunities that STEM can provide them. The UNCF Excellence in STEM Scholarship seeks to address both the need for increased diversity in STEM industries and the racial disparities that continue to negatively impact African American students’ interest, exposure, and pursuit of STEM opportunities and careers.

First X UNCF Scholarships Program

Award Amount: $10,000
Deadline: June 22, 2023
Scholarship Description: Scholarship is open to alumni of FIRST who will be enrolled in the upcoming Fall as an undergraduate student at a Hispanic Serving Institution, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, a Tribal College, or a Historically Black College or University. Applicant must have at least a 2.5 GPA.

Application Criteria

Eligibility Requirements Be an alum of FIRST®. Alumni status will be confirmed. Possess a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Be enrolled in Fall 2023 as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior at a four-year, U.S. located, accredited college or university that is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, a Tribal College, or a Historically Black College or University. Be a US citizen or permanent resident. Have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2023-2024 academic year. Have a demonstrated unmet financial need as verified by their college or university. Preference will be given to students who received funding from the 2022 FIRST® x UNCF Scholars Program.

Kieth and Serena Cockrell Scholarship

Award Amount: $30,000
Deadline: June 23, 2023
Scholarship Description: The Kieth and Serena Cockrell Scholarship was established to provide financial assistance in the form of annually renewable, need-based scholarships to students who have a permanent residence in North Carolina to get to and through college. Selected students will be eligible to receive up to $7,500.00 in renewable scholarship funds every year. Application Criteria Requirement Applicants for the program will need to meet the following criteria: Possess a minimum cumulative weighted grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”) form. Have a demonstrated unmet, financial need as verified by their college or university. Be a permanent resident of North Carolina who at the time of the initial award is a high school senior graduating from any public, private, or charter high school in Mecklenburg County, NC. Be accepted and planning to enroll in any U.S. located, accredited, four-year college or university of the student’s choosing. Students may major in any discipline.

Application Process: Program applicants must: Submit an online application for the program, Provide a letter of recommendation from a non-family member. Submit a 500 word (approximately 1500 to 200 characters) personal statement responding to the following prompt: “Please discuss your future goals and aspirations, as well as why you will benefit from receiving the scholarship. Submit a current high school transcript Provide a letter of admission and financial aid offer from the college or university that the applicant plans to attend Submit a copy of their full Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA. Renewal Criteria Recipients may be eligible for up to three additional years of scholarship funds. Eligible students shall be notified. Renewal students must: Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Have annually completed a FAFSA form. Continue to demonstrate unmet financial need as verified by their college or university. Continue to be enrolled as a full-time student in good academic and personal standing at any U.S. located, accredited, four-year college or university.

Ely Lilly Make Better Scholarship

Award Amount: $10,000
Deadline: June 26, 2023
Scholarship Description: Scholarship is open to full-time rising college sophomores attending a UNCF member institution, HBCU, or other accredited four-year institution who are majoring in a STEM-related discipline.

Application Criteria

The Eli Lilly Make Life Better Scholarship Program will provide $10,000 need-based scholarships to HBCU rising sophomores who are studying in STEM disciplines. Awards will be disbursed in the 2023-2024 academic year and may be renewed in the junior and senior years for recipients who qualify. Applicants must be enrolled full-time as college sophomores for the 2023-2024 academic year, and have completed the FAFSA and have a demonstrated unmet financial need, as verified by their institution. Priority consideration will be granted to applicants attending Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University, or Howard University; to applicants who identify as African American, Latinx, female, or female student of color studying STEM; and to applicants who reside in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, or Ohio. Application Requirements A current official or unofficial academic transcript. A 1-page essay (essay prompt is listed in the application). Two (2) Reference Forms submitted by non-relatives.

NSHSS Foundation STEM Scholarships

Award Amount: $1,000
Deadline: October 13, 2023
Scholarship Description: The NSHSS Foundation STEM Scholarship is offered to high school seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and demonstrated desire to major in or pursue a degree in the STEM fields (see website for acceptable majors). Preference is given to underrepresented groups.

Ron Brown Scholar Program

Award Amount: $40,000
Deadline: February 9, 2024
Scholarship Description: The Ron Brown Scholar Program (RBSP) honors the legacy of Ronald H. Brown through a selective scholarship program that advances higher education for community-minded and intellectually gifted African Americans. RBSP competitively awards Ron Brown Scholars four-year $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 each year).