We list 16 verified graduate scholarships for Black students. Awards range from $1,000 to $45,000, and the largest is the Earl Warren Scholarship from NAACP Legal Defense Fund at $45,000 total ($15,000 per year for three years). The next deadline is October 15, 2026 for the 2026 D.C. Future Legal Leaders Scholarship.
3 of these are restricted to Black or African American students by the sponsor's own criteria, and 12 more are aimed at students from underrepresented backgrounds without imposing a formal race requirement. The lowest GPA requirement in this group is 2.5, and 11 listings publish no GPA minimum at all. 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 D.C. Future Legal Leaders Scholarship | HKM Employment Attorneys LLP | $1,000 | October 15, 2026 | 3.0 | Open to all · Campus within 60 miles of Washington, D.C. |
| 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 Performing Arts 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 Visual Arts 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 |
| Earl Warren Scholarship | NAACP Legal Defense Fund | $45,000 total ($15,000 per year for three years) | Annually, May 1 | None stated | Minority-focused · 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 |
| NABJ Scholarships | National Association of Black Journalists | Up to $10,000 | Annually, late February (some awards close late January) | None stated | 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 |
| National Black Nurses Association Scholarships | National Black Nurses Association | From $1,000 | Annually, March 15 at 5:00 p.m. EST | None stated | Minority-focused · National |
| National GEM Consortium Fellowship | National GEM Consortium | Full tuition and fees plus a stipend from $16,000 per year, and a paid internship | Annually; GEM does not publish the fellowship deadline on its program page | 2.8 | Minority-focused · National |
| 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 |
| The Ally Financial Law Scholars | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation | Varies (amount not published by the sponsor) | Annually, late March (applications open early January) | None stated | Minority-focused · National |
| Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships | Thurgood Marshall College Fund | Varies by program | Rolling; individual scholarships open and close throughout the year | None stated | Minority-focused · 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 |
| Zelle Community Development & Entrepreneurship Scholarship | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation | Varies (amount not published by the sponsor) | Annually, mid-March | None stated | Minority-focused · Claflin, Howard, Jackson State, Morgan State, or Virginia State University |
All 16 listings
2026 D.C. Future Legal Leaders Scholarship
HKM Employment Attorneys LLP
HKM Employment Attorneys offers a $1,000 scholarship for students in a pre-law, paralegal, or J.D. program at a campus within 60 miles of Washington, D.C. Applicants need a 3.0 GPA or higher, must be at least 18 at the time of submission, and submit a 250-word essay on the prompt "How I will use my legal education to serve my community," along with an unofficial transcript and a one-page resume. The deadline is October 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. local time.
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 Performing Arts Scholarship
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
The CBC Spouses Performing Arts Scholarship supports African American or Black students pursuing a degree in the performing arts. Like the foundation's other awards it runs on a common cycle opening in early January and closing in late March, with applications submitted through the CBCF scholarship portal. Immediate relatives of a CBC Member are not eligible.
CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
The CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship supports African American or Black students pursuing a degree in the visual arts. It is one of several Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards that share a common application window running from early January to late March, submitted through the foundation's scholarship portal. Immediate relatives of a CBC Member are not eligible.
Earl Warren Scholarship
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
The Earl Warren Scholarship is awarded annually by the Legal Defense Fund to rising law students whose commitment to racial justice shows outstanding potential for careers as civil rights and public interest attorneys. Awards are $15,000 per year for three years, a total of $45,000, provided scholars remain in good academic standing and continue to meet the criteria. Eligible applicants are students entering their first or second year of full-time study at an accredited law school. There is no minimum LSAT or GPA requirement; candidates are judged holistically. Scholars may also apply for LDF internships, externships, and guided research projects. Final decisions are made in mid-August or early September.
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.
NABJ Scholarships
National Association of Black Journalists
The National Association of Black Journalists awards scholarships annually to high school and college students pursuing journalism careers. Awards are worth up to $10,000 each and are named for media companies, corporations, NABJ founders, past presidents, task forces, and regions. Named awards include the Larry Whiteside Scholarship, the Visual Task Force Scholarship, the Monica Roberts and Thomas Morgan III LGBTQ+ Task Force Scholarships, and the Acel Moore and Pam Moore Scholarships. The main NABJ scholarship round closed February 27, 2026, with the Acel Moore and Pam Moore awards closing January 30, 2026. NABJ publishes a single status page listing every award and whether it is open or closed, which is the most reliable place to check.
NACME Scholarships
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME)
NACME runs a scholarship portal for underrepresented students in engineering and computer science, listing around fourteen awards at any given time. The most common are NACME Block Scholarships worth $5,000, awarded through partner institutions including Texas A&M University, the University of California San Diego, and the University of Delaware, and Corporate Scholars programs run with Bechtel, Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare, GE Vernova, and GlobalFoundries that pair funding with a paid internship. Most awards require a 3.0 minimum GPA and an essay. Deadlines are staggered across the year rather than shared, so the portal is worth checking monthly.
National Black Nurses Association Scholarships
National Black Nurses Association
The National Black Nurses Association administers more than twenty named scholarships each year for students enrolled in nursing programs, including the Dr. Lauranne Sams Scholarship, the Dr. Millicent Gorham Scholarship, and the NBNA Social Justice Scholarship. Awards start at $1,000; in 2023 the association awarded 57 scholarships totalling over $257,000. Applicants must be NBNA members and members of a local chapter where one exists, must be enrolled in a nursing program at any level from LPN/LVN through doctorate, and must have at least one full year of school remaining.
National GEM Consortium Fellowship
National GEM Consortium
The GEM Fellowship funds master's and PhD study in engineering and computer science for students from underrepresented groups. It is one of the most substantial graduate funding routes in this space: PhD Employer Fellows receive full tuition and fees for up to five years plus a stipend of at least $16,000 per year, master's fellows receive a minimum $16,000 total stipend, and all fellows are matched with at least one paid summer internship at a GEM employer member. The minimum cumulative GPA is 2.8, which is notably lower than most graduate fellowships. Applicants must contractually agree to intern for two summers with their sponsoring employer, and must separately apply for admission to at least three GEM member universities.
National Society of Black Engineers Scholarships
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
NSBE administers a portfolio of named scholarships for members pursuing engineering, computer science, mathematics, and related STEM degrees. Current programs include the Mamon & Cynthia Powers Scholarship at $10,000 (four awards), the Analog Devices Scholarship at $5,000 (two awards), the Tighe & Bond, Angela Barbee and Hatch scholarships at $5,000 each, and the NSBE Jr. Bridge Scholarship at $1,000 (twenty awards). All applicants must be registered, paid NSBE members, and the general floor is a 2.5 cumulative GPA, though individual awards set their own minimums ranging from 2.0 to 3.0.
The Ally Financial Law Scholars
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
The Ally Financial Law Scholars program is administered by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for students pursuing a law degree. It shares the foundation's common application window, opening in early January and closing in late March, with submissions through the CBCF scholarship portal. Immediate relatives of a CBC Member are not eligible.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund supports students at publicly-supported HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions. TMCF has awarded more than $500 million in scholarships and career readiness programming, including over $20 million in the 2023-2024 academic year across more than 2,000 students. Its awards fall into three types: Gap Completion Scholarships for students with urgent financial need, Access Scholarships covering tuition, fees and on-campus housing, and Programmatic Scholarships covering tuition, fees and on-campus room and board. Students apply by creating a profile in the TMCF scholarship portal, which then matches them to the awards they qualify for.
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.
Zelle Community Development & Entrepreneurship Scholarship
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
This Congressional Black Caucus Foundation award supports MBA students pursuing small business ownership through acquisition at one of five participating HBCUs: Claflin University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, and Virginia State University. Applicants must be a member of their institution's Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) club or program. The 2026 deadline was March 13, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What graduate scholarships for Black students are available right now?
We list 16 verified graduate scholarships for Black students. The nearest deadline is October 15, 2026 for the 2026 D.C. Future Legal Leaders Scholarship, worth $1,000 from HKM Employment Attorneys LLP. The rest run on recurring annual cycles, so the exact date shifts each year.
Do I need a high GPA for graduate scholarships for Black students?
Not necessarily. The lowest published GPA requirement among these 16 listings is 2.5, and 11 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 graduate scholarships for Black students only for Black students?
3 of these 16 listings restrict eligibility to Black or African American students in the sponsor's own criteria. A further 12 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 graduate scholarships for Black students?
The largest is the Earl Warren Scholarship from NAACP Legal Defense Fund at $45,000 total ($15,000 per year for three years). It is renewable, so the figure reflects support across more than one year. Its deadline is Annually, May 1.
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.