Black women are the most underrepresented group in most STEM fields and, awkwardly, among the least likely to apply for the funding that exists for them. Some of that is information: the largest single funding route in this space is a graduate fellowship most undergraduates have never heard of.
The one most people miss
GEM funds master’s and PhD study in engineering and computer science. PhD Employer Fellows receive full tuition and fees for up to five years plus a stipend of at least $16,000 a year, and every fellow is matched with at least one paid summer internship.
The detail that matters: the minimum GPA is 2.8. Comparable fellowships expect 3.5. If you are a senior in engineering or computer science and you have written off graduate funding because of your transcript, this is the application to make.
Undergraduate engineering and computing
| Scholarship | Sponsor | Award | Deadline | Min GPA | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Society of Black Engineers Scholarships | National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) | $1,000 - $10,000 depending on the award | Varies by award; GPA verification windows close July 31 and February 26 | 2.5 | Minority-focused · National |
| NACME Scholarships | National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) | $5,000 for most awards | Staggered; individual awards close throughout the year | 3.0 | Minority-focused · National |
| Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship | Amazon | Up to $40,000 ($10,000 per year for four years) plus a paid Amazon internship | Announced annually; Amazon has not published the next cycle's dates | 2.3 | Open to all · National |
NSBE runs named awards from $1,000 to $10,000 including the Angela Barbee Scholarship for mechanical engineering students. All require paid NSBE membership, which deters casual applicants and keeps the pool small. The general GPA floor is 2.5 and individual awards range from 2.0 to 3.0.
NACME lists around fourteen awards at a time, mostly $5,000, including Block Scholarships tied to specific partner universities and Corporate Scholars programmes that pair funding with a paid internship. Deadlines are staggered rather than shared, so check monthly.
Amazon Future Engineer is worth up to $40,000 over four years plus a paid Amazon internship, at the lowest published GPA floor of any major technology award we have verified.
Nursing and health sciences
The National Black Nurses Association administers more than twenty named scholarships annually, starting at $1,000, across every level from LPN through doctorate. Applicants must be NBNA members and a member of a local chapter where one exists, and must have at least one full year of school remaining.
The general awards worth applying to anyway
None of these is STEM-specific, and all are open to students in any field. They are among the largest awards available and STEM students frequently skip them on the assumption that a discipline-specific award is a better bet.
| Scholarship | Sponsor | Award | Deadline | Min GPA | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gates Scholarship | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Full cost of attendance not covered by other aid | September 15, 2026 | 3.3 | Open to all · National |
| Cooke College Scholarship Program | Jack Kent Cooke Foundation | Up to $55,000 per year (last-dollar) | November 11, 2026 | 3.8 | Open to all · National |
| QuestBridge National College Match | QuestBridge | Full four-year scholarship (valued over $360,000) | October 1, 2026 | None stated | Open to all · National |
A strategy that fits the field
- If you are a senior in engineering or computer science, apply to GEM. It is the highest-value application available to you and the GPA floor is unusually low.
- Join NSBE if you are in engineering, or NBNA if you are in nursing. Membership-gated awards have the smallest pools in this space.
- Check the NACME portal monthly rather than once. Deadlines are staggered across the year.
- Apply to the large general awards too. Your field does not exclude you and the amounts are larger.
- Ask your department directly. Departmental awards are decided by a handful of faculty and attract very few applicants.
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