College Assistance For Minorities A Growing Endeavor With College Grants

The United States has made its share of strides regarding equal opportunity in the last 50 years, but there is still one area where blacks still are woefully under-represented. The latest statistics say African Americans make up approximately one eighth (12.7%) of the total population. On the other hand, Board of Education stats say, representatively, black attendance is barely half that percentage of the college population. This is even after factoring in such things as Pell grants and other college aids. The graduation rates are even lower, with African American student drop out rates much higher than the average for just about all the other races.

This is a matter of concern of not only the federal government, but also the private and corporate sectors. As the United Negro College Fund used to say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. These numbers mean a lot of potential talent is truly being left behind.

As one of the biggest reasons for both the low attendance and high drop out rates is financial, a number of institutions, both black and corporate, are stepping in to help get more black students into college. It’s an incredibly wide and diverse group. Here’s a sample of just a few of them:

The United Negro College Fund – One of the most esteemed of these charitable organizations, they have their own program that hands out $2,500 a year to high school graduates with a 2.5 grade average or better. They also help administer approximately 30 other funds, created by other charitable organizations to media celebrities. They advise anyone who applies for a grant from them to contact every one of these 30 other groups, too.

The Thurgood Marshall Fund – This organization is dedicated to the late civil rights activist and Supreme Court Justice. It has contributed over $100 million to young scholars who attend one of the 47 recognized historical black colleges in the U.S. The United Negro College Fund, by contrast, is for any accredited Title IV college, on campus or virtual.

The Ron H. Brown Scholar Program – Created in 1996, this program was created after the untimely death of the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who was killed in a plane crash. Every year it awards 40 students as much as $10,000 a year for four years. They can use this money for any accredited college of their choice.

Blacks At Microsoft Scholarship – This scholarship is listed to point out to minority students that ethnic-oriented charities aren’t the only groups they should look at. No less a conglomerate giant than Microsoft has a special scholarship program set up to encourage more diversity in the sciences. This program awards high school seniors $5,000 a year for the first four years of college. They have another program for all other minorities that covers all tuition and fees, too.

A smart prospective student will not only seek out the traditional sources of funding, such as your grants for online college, but will take it further through research. While you should always apply for your Pell grants online, and go the usual routes for educational monies, make sure you also get in touch with a college financial aid officer. They are there to help you discover college loans.