We list 12 verified general scholarships for Black students. Awards range from $20,000 to $360,000, and the largest is the QuestBridge National College Match from QuestBridge at Full four-year scholarship (valued over $360,000). The next deadline is September 15, 2026 for the The Gates Scholarship.
3 of these are restricted to Black or African American students by the sponsor's own criteria, and 4 more are aimed at students from underrepresented backgrounds without imposing a formal race requirement. The lowest GPA requirement in this group is 2.4, and 7 listings publish no GPA minimum at all. 7 are renewable for more than one year.
Every listing below links to the sponsor's official page and shows the date we last checked it. We do not take a cut of any award and we never charge students.
Compare these scholarships
| Scholarship | Sponsor | Award | Deadline | Min GPA | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKA Educational Advancement Foundation Scholarships | Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation | Varies by award; some capped at $1,000 | Annually, April 15 | 2.5 | Minority-focused · National |
| CBC Spouses Education Scholarship | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation | Varies (amount not published by the sponsor) | Annually, late March (applications open early January) | None stated | Black students only · National |
| CBC Spouses Essay Contest | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation | Varies (amount not published by the sponsor) | Annually, late March (applications open early January) | None stated | Black students only · National |
| Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship | Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation | $20,000 | September 30, 2026 | 3.0 | 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 |
| Dell Scholars Program | Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | $20,000 | Annually, February 15 (applications open December 15) | 2.4 | Open to all · National |
| Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship | NAACP Legal Defense Fund | Varies (renewable for up to four years for undergraduates, three for law students) | Annually, April 1 for undergraduates and May 1 for law students | None stated | Minority-focused · National |
| Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship | Jackie Robinson Foundation | Varies; four-year award plus mentoring and leadership programming | Annually, early January | None stated | Minority-focused · National |
| QuestBridge National College Match | QuestBridge | Full four-year scholarship (valued over $360,000) | October 1, 2026 | None stated | Open to all · National |
| Ron Brown Scholar Program | Ron Brown Scholar Fund | $40,000 over four years ($10,000 per year) | Annually, December 1 | None stated | Black students only · National |
| 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 |
| UNCF Scholarships | United Negro College Fund (UNCF) | Varies by program | Rolling; individual programs open and close throughout the year | None stated | Minority-focused · National |
All 12 listings
AKA Educational Advancement Foundation Scholarships
Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation administers a large portfolio of scholarships across undergraduate, graduate, and non-traditional student categories, with hundreds of individual awards listed in its portal. Merit awards generally require a 3.0 minimum GPA while financial-need awards require 2.5, and all of them ask applicants to demonstrate community service and involvement. Named programs include Thrive and Launch, aimed at sophomores and above with a demonstrated tuition gap, with some awards capped at $1,000. The common application deadline is April 15. Awards are open to students generally, not only to AKA members, though the portal lets members filter for member-restricted awards.
CBC Spouses Education Scholarship
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
The CBC Spouses Education Scholarship supports African American or Black students pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree. It is administered by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation through its scholarship portal, and the application window runs from early January to late March each year. Immediate relatives of a CBC Member are not eligible. The foundation does not publish a fixed award amount for this scholarship.
CBC Spouses Essay Contest
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
The CBC Spouses Essay Contest is open to qualified African American and Black high school juniors and seniors. It is one of the few Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards aimed at students who have not yet started college, and it runs on the foundation's common early-January to late-March cycle through the CBCF scholarship portal.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program awards 150 scholarships of $20,000 each year to graduating high school seniors selected on leadership, service, and academic achievement. The application for students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year opened August 3, 2026 and closes at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on September 30, 2026. Applicants must be able to verify a minimum overall B (3.0) GPA in high school coursework.
Cooke College Scholarship Program
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Cooke College Scholarship Program is the largest undergraduate scholarship available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need. It is last-dollar funding applied after all institutional aid and can provide as much as $55,000 per year toward a bachelor's degree at any accredited four-year institution. Scholars also receive educational advising, cohort programming, graduate school funding, and access to a network of nearly 3,200 Cooke Scholars and alumni. The application for students graduating in spring 2027 opens August 19, 2026 and closes November 11, 2026, with semifinalists announced in January 2027 and recipients in March 2027.
Dell Scholars Program
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
The Dell Scholars Program provides a $20,000 flexible scholarship that covers tuition and housing, plus a laptop, book credits, and access to emergency funds. It is aimed at students who have overcome significant obstacles, and its 2.4 GPA floor is deliberately lower than most national awards because the program weighs determination and grit alongside grades. Applicants must be Pell Grant eligible high school seniors participating in an approved college readiness program. The application window runs from December 15 to February 15.
Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
The Herbert Lehman Education Fund is a national, highly competitive scholarship established in 1964 that makes annual awards to outstanding undergraduate and law school students with financial need. It was created to help Black students attend formerly segregated four-year colleges and universities in the South and to increase the number of Black Americans in the legal profession. Undergraduate awards generally do not exceed four years and the law school awards, offered in limited numbers to students committed to public interest law, generally do not exceed three years. There is no minimum test score or GPA requirement; the committee weighs GPA, test scores, recommendations, financial need, volunteer activities, and essays together, with no single component determining an award.
Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship
Jackie Robinson Foundation
The Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship supports graduating high school seniors who show academic excellence, leadership potential, financial need, and a dedication to community service. Scholars receive four years of financial support alongside mentoring and leadership development programming. Applicants do not need to be athletes and may attend any accredited, JRF-approved four-year institution. The most recent cycle closed January 7, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
QuestBridge National College Match
QuestBridge
The National College Match connects high-achieving students from low-income households with full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge's college partners. QuestBridge describes the award as a full four-year scholarship to 55 top colleges valued at over $360,000. The deadline for the current cycle is October 1, 2026. QuestBridge guides applicants toward households earning less than $65,000 a year for a family of four with minimal assets, though this is guidance rather than a hard cutoff.
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Ron Brown Scholar Fund
The Ron Brown Scholar Program awards twenty four-year scholarships of $40,000 each ($10,000 per year) to Black or African American high school seniors who demonstrate academic excellence, exceptional leadership potential, financial need, and a record of community service. Applications close December 1 each year, with counselor recommendation letters due December 15 and winners notified April 1. Current college students are not eligible; applicants must apply during their senior year of high school.
The Gates Scholarship
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Gates Scholarship is a last-dollar award that covers the full cost of attendance not already met by other financial aid and the Student Aid Index. It is open to Pell-eligible high school seniors who plan to enroll full time in a four-year degree program at an accredited, not-for-profit US college or university. The 2026 application opened on July 15, 2026 and closes September 15, 2026. Because the award is last-dollar and tied to full cost of attendance, its value varies by student and institution rather than being a fixed sum.
UNCF Scholarships
United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
UNCF is the largest private scholarship provider to minority students in the United States, awarding more than $62 million each year to students attending more than 600 schools. Rather than a single award, UNCF operates a portal of hundreds of named programs with their own deadlines and criteria, including the Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program, the UNCF/Koch Scholars Program, and the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Scholarship Program. Students create one profile and are matched to the scholarships they qualify for, so the practical advice is to register early and check the portal monthly as new awards open throughout the year.
Frequently asked questions
What general scholarships for Black students are available right now?
We list 12 verified general scholarships for Black students. The nearest deadline is September 15, 2026 for the The Gates Scholarship, worth Full cost of attendance not covered by other aid from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 4 of our listings in this group have a fixed upcoming deadline; the rest run on recurring annual cycles.
Do I need a high GPA for general scholarships for Black students?
Not necessarily. The lowest published GPA requirement among these 12 listings is 2.4, and 7 of them publish no GPA minimum at all. Sponsors that do not state a minimum typically assess applications holistically, weighing essays, financial need, recommendations, and community involvement alongside grades.
Are these general scholarships for Black students only for Black students?
3 of these 12 listings restrict eligibility to Black or African American students in the sponsor's own criteria. A further 4 are run by organisations whose mission centres on Black or minority students but which do not impose a formal race requirement. The rest carry no race requirement at all and are open to any student who meets the other criteria. We label every listing so you know which is which before you spend time on an application.
What is the largest of these general scholarships for Black students?
The largest is the QuestBridge National College Match from QuestBridge at Full four-year scholarship (valued over $360,000). It is renewable, so the figure reflects support across more than one year. Its deadline is October 1, 2026.
How do you check that these listings are accurate?
Every listing is read off the sponsor's own page before it goes live, and each one records the date it was last checked plus a note saying what was confirmed. Anything a sponsor does not publish, such as an award amount or a GPA floor, is left blank rather than guessed. Listings we cannot verify are held back rather than published.