How to Apply for HBCU Grandchild College Scholarships

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have shaped Black excellence in America for more than 150 years. Schools like Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, Hampton, Fisk, Tuskegee, and Florida A and M have produced generations of doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, and leaders. For many Black grandparents, helping a grandchild attend an HBCU is a dream that links the past with the future. The pride of seeing a young person walk across a homecoming stage carries the weight of every ancestor who could not.

The challenge for most families is paying for it. Tuition at four-year HBCUs ranges from about 11,000 dollars a year at public schools like North Carolina A and T to over 40,000 dollars a year at private schools like Spelman. Room, board, books, and fees add another 12,000 to 18,000 dollars each year. Few families can write a check that size out of savings. Most rely on a mix of federal aid, state grants, college scholarships, and outside awards from churches, foundations, fraternities, sororities, and nonprofit groups. Grandparents often play a key role by helping research and apply for those outside scholarships, since busy parents and tired teenagers can miss the deadlines.

Dozens of national scholarship funds focus on helping Black students attend HBCUs. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund supports students at 47 public HBCUs. The United Negro College Fund supports students at 37 private HBCUs and is one of the largest providers of Black scholarships in the country. The Tom Joyner Foundation, the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and the Hennessy Fellows Program all give large awards. Beyond those, many sororities, fraternities, churches, and local chapters of the NAACP and the Links Incorporated have grandchild scholarship programs that few families know about.

This guide walks through the practical steps any grandparent can take to help a grandchild apply for HBCU scholarships. We cover the federal aid form, the major scholarship organizations, the local sources that families often miss, and the timeline that gives applications the best chance. Plan to spend a few hours each weekend over a two-month period. The work pays off in real dollars that change the path of a young life.