The Top 50 Scholarships for Black Women Pursuing Degrees in 2023
A List of Scholarships for African American Women
Racial and gender inequality persist in education, often leading to Black women facing unique obstacles due to the double marginalization of their identity. Research compiled by the AAUW shows that while Black women represent 7% of the population, they only hold 4.2% of biology sciences, 2.6% of computer sciences, 2.8% of physical sciences, 2.3% of math and statistics, and 0.99% of engineering degrees.
Scholarships for African American women are an important part of helping close the opportunity gap. By providing financial funding, these scholarships offer a way for Black women to pursue higher education and gain access to the resources they need to succeed. This can open up doors that may have been previously unavailable due to financial constraints. Additionally, these college scholarships provide recognition and support for the achievements of Black women in their fields, encouraging more representation in various industries such as healthcare and the arts.
So, here are 50 scholarships for Black women to help fund your college education.
In this post, we’ll cover:
General Black Women Scholarships
Dr. Gussie M. Ware Memorial Scholarship
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Eligibility: Applicant must be a Black female; a graduating high school senior or GED recipient starting post-secondary education for the first time; have a current GPA of at least 2.5/4.0; and have a permanent address in Winnebago County, Illinois OR is a relative of Dr. Gussie M. Ware.
Submit: Online application.
Goldman Sachs MBA Fellowship
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Eligibility: First-year MBA students; Pursuing a 2023 Summer Associate position at Goldman Sachs; LGBTQ+, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous or Women. Open to students in these locations: Atlanta, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Greenwich, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, West Palm Beach, Washington D.C.
Submit: Online application.
Hester Richardson Powell Memorial Service Scholarship
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Eligibility: This is a scholarship for African American females who are high school seniors with at least a 2.7 GPA.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on how you’ve demonstrated resilience to inspire someone else.
Mission North The Future Is… Fellowship
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Eligibility: Applicants must be a female identifying Black, indigenous, or person of color (BIPOC); a rising junior or senior; a full-time undergraduate student at an accredited college or university; have a 2.5 GPA or higher; and pursuing a major in public relations, marketing, and communications, digital marketing and design, and/or tech-marketing.
Submit: Online application, resume, and a personal statement of up to 250 words on: What are your career goals, how would this experience serve you, and what do you seek to gain from this experience?
Dr. Julianne Malveaux Scholarship
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Eligibility: Must be an African American female; a college sophomore or junior enrolled at a college or university; a United States citizen; have a 3.0 GPA or higher; and majoring in journalism, economic or related field (public policy, creative writing, etc.).
Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 500 word essay.
The Dr. Blanca Moore-Velez Woman of Substance Scholarship
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Eligibility: Must be African American; female; age 35+; have a 3.0 GPA or higher; and a United States Citizen.
Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 300 word essay.
Stephen Feinberg Multi-Year Scholarship Program
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Eligibility: Open to African American and Black students. Must have a 2.5 GPA or higher and be preparing to pursue, or currently pursuing, an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree full-time at an accredited college or university. Current high school seniors are also eligible to apply.
Submit: Online application, current transcripts, resume, professional headshot, and video response.
Kynnedy Simone ‘I Am The Dream’ Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to African American female high school seniors with a 2.5 GPA or higher who are planning to enroll in a two or four year undergraduate program or trade/vocational program beginning Summer 2023 or Fall 2023. Applicants must have volunteer or community service experience to apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 100 – 450 word essay on your community service experience, school and extracurricular activities, and any additional information you would like to share.
Write Her Future Scholarship
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Eligibility: Powered by Lancôme, this scholarship is intended for Black students and students of color, who identify as female, pursuing an undergraduate degree. Must be a graduating high school senior; enrolling in an accredited 4-year, tax-exempt academic institution; be a member of the NAACP; and must be a current participant in an active ACT-SO program.
Submit: Online application.
David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest For Black, Indigenous and Students of Color
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Eligibility: Open only to Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color ages 17-21, who are either high school seniors graduating in spring 2023 who will be attending a North American college or university in fall 2023, or who are currently enrolled in a North American college or university. If you will be graduating from college in the spring or summer 2023, you remain eligible to enter this contest.
Submit: 300 – 500 word essay.
Building Beautiful Futures Scholarship
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Eligibility: Powered by Dark & Lovely, this is a scholarship for Black female students and female students of color. Must be a graduating high school senior or undergraduate student; currently enrolled full-time or accepted to an accredited college or university in the U.S; possess a 3.0 GPA or higher; demonstrate interest in pursuing careers in communications, marketing, finance, business, or science; and be a member of the NAACP.
Submit: Online application.
Black Women in STEM
Black American Engineering Scholarship Award
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Eligibility: Open to Black Americans. Students must be incoming college freshman/current high school senior, or a student transferring from a two-year program into a four-year program in Fall 2024; enrolling in a four-year institution; eligible for Federal Pell Grant funding; and pursuing a degree in civil, electrical, mechanical, or chemical engineering, including any subfield of those disciplines.
Submit: Online application, current transcript, (2) letters of recommendation, and the Student Aid Report from your FAFSA.
William A. Lewis Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any BIPOC undergraduate or graduate student who is pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in STEM at an HBCU may apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay about an obstacle you’ve had to overcome while pursuing higher education and who helped you overcome it.
“There’s STEM in That” Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any first-generation, BIPOC high school senior who is a US citizen, has non-profit or community service experience, has at least a 2.4 GPA, and is pursuing STEM disciplines may apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 0 – 700 word essay on why you’re passionate about STEM, how you’re hoping to benefit the world with your STEM career, and how the books you’ve read have shaped your goals.
Abhi Khune Underrepresented Minorities Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to African American women who are seeking an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, data science, or computer information sciences.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay with a little bit about yourself, what motivated you to pursue this degree path, and how you plan to make a positive impact on the world.
OxStem Educational Scholarship
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Eligibility: Students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at a historically black college or university (HBCU) are eligible to apply if they have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and are currently pursuing a STEM degree.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you are interested in STEM and how you will use your career to improve the lives of others.
Minority Students x Stem Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any Black, indigenous, or person of color first-generation high school senior or undergraduate student pursuing a two or four-year degree in engineering, computer science, or a similar field may apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 300 – 600 word essay about what influenced you to dive deeper into tech, what you would do to change the tech industry, and if you think the tech industry has an obligation to be inclusive to all consumers.
Eleven Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any BIPOC high school senior or undergraduate student pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics may apply for this scholarship but first-generation students focusing on the Technology, engineering, or mathematics aspect of STEM are preferred.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on a time when you faced a challenge, how it affected you, and what the experience taught you.
Lyndsey Scott Coding+ Scholarship
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Eligibility: LGBTQIA+, Women, and/or BIPOC students who are majoring in computer science and are also pursuing other interests may apply.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on your computer science goals, your non-computer science goals, and how you might combine these goals in the future.
Stephan L. Daniels Lift As We Climb Scholarship
She Rose Initiative’s “More Than a Conqueror” Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any African American female undergraduate or graduate student with a minimum 3.0 GPA who is pursuing STEM, healthcare, public health, or medicine may apply if she has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay.
Geoscience IDEA Scholarship
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Eligibility: Applicants must be a female, or female-identifying person, who is an undergraduate-level student or a
high school senior entering college; Have declared Geoscience or Earth Science as a major of study; and identify in one or more historically marginalized or underserved communities, including but not limited to: Black/African-American, Indigenous/Native-America, Latin/Hispanic, Asian/Asian-American, LGBTQIA+, or living with disabilities.
Submit: Online application and 2 letters of recommendation.
Mohamed Magdi Taha Memorial Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any Black undergraduate students who are interested in studying STEM or the arts may apply for this scholarship, but preference will be given to students from Sudan.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on how you are an ‘up-stander’ and how you plan to use your voice.
Black Female Medical Students
She Rose in Health Scholarship
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Eligibility: Female undergraduate or graduate students are eligible to apply if they are African-American, have a GPA of 3.0, and are earning a degree in a health related profession, such as nursing, public health, pre-medicine, nutrition, etc.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you chose your degree, how you will use your education to make a difference, and how this scholarship will help you achieve your goals.
MedLuxe Representation Matters Scholarship
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Eligibility: All Black college students dedicated to this mission and pursuing a major related to healthcare are eligible to apply.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay about your goals and why it’s important to increase racial diversity in healthcare.
PAC: Diversity Matters Scholarship
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Eligibility: BIPOC undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply if they are pursuing a career as a physician assistant.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on an aspect of your identity and how it will influence your interactions in the healthcare setting and your goals as a future PA.
Saswati Gupta Cancer Research Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any female college junior or senior student, or enrolled in a graduate program may apply for this scholarship. Low-income and first-generation applicants are highly encouraged to apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 250 – 300 word essay on your career goals and professional aspirations and a fully updated curriculum vitae or resume that highlights any publications or research presentations given.
Andrea M Taylor Future Doctors Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any low-income, African American high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student pursuing a medical degree may apply for this scholarship, and LGBTQ+ students are strongly encouraged to apply.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you want to become a doctor and what types of books and charitable activities you’ve engaged with to shape the person you are today.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD Scholarship
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Eligibility: The Association of Black Women Physicians offers this scholarship to female medical students who are permanent residents of Southern California at any medical school, or students at a Southern California medical school, who are in good academic standing.
Submit: Online application.
Black Female Nursing Students
FNSNA Our Race to Health Equity Diversity Nursing Scholarships​
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Eligibility: Open to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color students currently enrolled in a state-approved nursing program leading to an associate degree, baccalaureate, diploma, direct-entry master’s degree, RN to BSN/MSN completion, LPN/LVN to RN, or accelerated programs. Funds are not available for graduate study unless it is for a first degree in nursing.
Submit: Online application, unofficial transcript, financial aid form, and faculty member certification form.
FNSNA BAND-AID BRAND Champions for Health Equity Scholarships​
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Eligibility: Open to Black students currently enrolled in a state-approved nursing program leading to an associate degree, baccalaureate, diploma, direct-entry master’s degree, RN to BSN/MSN completion, LPN/LVN to RN, or accelerated programs. Funds are not available for graduate study unless it is for a first degree in nursing.
Submit: Online application, unofficial transcript, financial aid form, and faculty member certification form.
In My Mother’s Name Scholarship
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Eligibility: Junior or senior undergraduate students, as well as graduate students, are eligible to apply if they are of Caribbean descent and are majoring in nursing.
Submit: Share a 2 minute video about yourself and how being of Caribbean descent has influenced your decision to study nursing.
NBNA Scholarship Program
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Eligibility: Applicants must be a member of the National Black Nurses Association; currently enrolled in a nursing program (LPN/LVN, ADN, RN-BSN, Generic BSN, Masters, Doctorate); in good scholastic standing at the time of application; and have at least one full year of school remaining.
Submit: Completed application, official transcript, resume or CV, professional headshot, proof of enrollment, and expected graduation date.
Dr. Milton Allen and Jerry Ann Allen Family Scholarship
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Eligibility: The POISE foundation offers this scholarship to members of the Black Community to full-time undergraduate students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania. Applicants must not have turned 30 by the time of application.
Submit: Online application.
Mamie Garland Scholarship
Evelyn Paige Parker Scholarship
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Eligibility: Established by the Pittsburgh Black Nurses in Action, this scholarship is open to students majoring in nursing in the Pittsburgh region and who are enrolled in a nursing second-degree program, diploma, RN, or LPN to RN. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or better at the time of application and must currently be taking at least 6 credit hours per semester.
Submit: Online application.
Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to students at any education level pursuing a career in nursing.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay.
Dr. Ifeoma Ezebuiro Ezeobele Africans in Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any Black undergraduate or graduate student who is pursuing nursing may apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you chose to pursue nursing and why it’s important to you.
Black Moms
Sherelle T. and Timothy T. Carper III Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to African American single mothers (age 18-30). Must be a United States citizen; enrolled in an accredited college/university; and majoring in a STEM, Aviation, Political Science, Communications, or Business Management related field.
Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 300 word essay.
Promising Pathways-Single Parent Scholarship
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Eligibility: This scholarship aims to support low-income single parents who are pursuing higher education (including technical programs, two-year college degrees, and four-year college degrees) while raising children who are living in their home.
Submit: 300 – 600 word essay about your area of study in school, the obstacles you’ve overcome while attending school as a single parent, and your plans and goals once you finish your degree.
Law Family Single Parent Scholarship
Divers Women Scholarship
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Eligibility: This scholarship will provide support for mothers pursuing healthcare degrees in either a community, trade school, or 4-year college.
Submit: 300 – 600 word essay on your experience raising a family and why you are pursuing a career in healthcare.
Jerrye Chesnes Memorial Scholarship
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Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply if they have children.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on challenges you have faced or overcome while returning back to school.
Organic Formula Shop Single Parent Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to students who are single mothers or fathers.
Submit: 500 – 1000 word essay on challenges you face while being a parent and a student.
Black Female Artists
Catherine Pierce Scholarship
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Eligibility: The United Negro College Fund offers this scholarship to students who are majoring in disciplines within the Arts. Applicants must be enrolled full-time at any U.S. accredited 4-year institution for the 2022-2023 academic year; have a 2.5 GPA or higher; and be pursuing a degree in an art discipline.
Submit: Online application, unofficial or official transcripts, and a 1-page essay describing what inspired you to choose your major, and your career interest and goals.
“Painting a Complete Picture” Art Scholarship
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Eligibility: Any first-generation, BIPOC high school senior who is a US citizen, has non-profit or community service experience, has at least a 2.4 GPA, and is pursuing visual, studio, or performing arts disciplines may apply for this scholarship.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you’re passionate about the arts.
CBC Spouses Performing Arts Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to African American and black students. Must have a 2.5 GPA or higher; be pursuing a career in the performing arts; and be preparing to pursue, or currently pursuing, an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree full-time at an accredited college or university. Current high school seniors are also eligible to apply.
Submit: Online application, current transcripts, resume, professional headshot, video response, and sample performance video.
CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
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Eligibility: Open to African American and black students. Must have a 2.5 GPA or higher; be pursuing a career in the visual arts; and be preparing to pursue, or currently pursuing, an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree full-time at an accredited college or university. Current high school seniors are also eligible to apply.
Submit: Online application, current transcripts, resume, professional headshot, video response, and samples of your creative work, not to exceed 5 images.
1st Generation People Of Color Patrick Copney Memorial Music/Arts Scholarship
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Eligibility: Students in New York are eligible to apply if they are first-generation college students earning a music or arts degree. This scholarship is specifically for African American high school and undergraduate students from low-income backgrounds.
Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on why you are passionate about the degree you are pursuing.
NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship
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Eligibility: Applicants must be Black or a person of color; be a member of the NAACP; be a graduating high school senior or undergraduate student; currently enrolled full-time or accepted to an accredited college or university in the U.S; possess a 3.0 GPA or higher; and demonstrate interest in pursuing a career in the visual/performing arts field (i.e., film, theatre, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, journalism, or mass communications as examples).
Submit: Online application.
FAQ
What scholarships are available for African American students?
Higher education comes at a cost, and thankfully, there are numerous scholarships available to African American students.
In addition to all the amazing Black women scholarships covered in this post, some other scholarships for African American students include:
What percent of Black students get scholarships?
About half of all Black college students get scholarships, according to data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. During the 2016-17 academic year, the NCES Digest of Education Statistics on full-time, full-year undergraduates shows that 54.7% of Black students received non-federal financial aid, and the average amount of aid received was $6,350.
Comparatively, 52.2% of white undergraduates received non-federal financial aid with an average amount of $7,670 for the same time period. So while white students are slightly less likely to get scholarships, the average award tends to be a greater dollar value. Not to mention, other conclusions one could draw from the statistics. I recommend checking out the full report if you want to dive deeper into the data.
Conclusions on African American Women Scholarships
Black female scholarships are a great way for organizations and individuals to invest in the future of Black women. Not only do these scholarships give Black students a chance to pursue their educational dreams without the burden of student loan debt, but they also create a pathway for African American women to gain access to higher-paying jobs and new career opportunities. Which, in turn, can lead to increased economic security and improved quality of life.
Through college scholarships like this, we can help create a more equitable world where everyone has the same chance at success. Do you know of any other scholarships for Black women we should add to this list? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Related:Â
- 23 Excellent Minority Scholarships for Women of Color
- The Best Scholarships for Female Graduate Students
- “No Essay” Scholarships: 100 of the EASIEST Scholarships to Apply For Now
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