Every year, the Ron Brown Scholar Program awards at least ten African-American high school seniors a $40,000 grant for college. The award is divided into four years and not limited to any specific area of study. The application process is rigorous, as applicants must go through several rounds of application reviews. Applicants are reviewed for their excellence in academic performance, leadership potential, community service and financial need. The initial application includes two 500-word essays, resume, transcripts, two letters of recommendation and SAT/ACT scores. Finalists are invited to Washington, D.C. where they will be interviewed and judged on leadership activities performed at the gathering. Since its inception, the Ron Brown Scholar Program has awarded the grant to more than 250 students. Past scholars have had a 100 percent graduate rate.
The National Bar Institute is the non-profit agency branch of the National Bar Association, established in 1982 to provide legal educational opportunities for people of all color. One such opportunity is the annual African-American Law Student Fellowship Program, which helps promote more African-American participation in the field of law. The fellowship includes a grant ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Interested applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled full-time at an accredited law school, have completed at least two consecutive years of full-time law school experience and intend to return to a black community to practice law. Application requirements include submission of a resume, transcripts from every school attended, financial statements and an essay. Applicants are chosen based on their commitment to African-American justice and equality in law schools and the community. NBI places special consideration on those who show financial need and a plan for addressing problems in the African-American community.
The United Negro College Fund Merck Graduate Science Research Dissertation Fellowship is offered annually to at least 12 African-American students who are enrolled in a Ph.D life or physical science program. Fellowships include award grants of up to $52,000. This includes a stipend of $42,000 and $10,000 to support dissertation research. Selected fellows are expected to produce a research progress report during the last half of their fellowship and a two-page summary at the end of the tenure. All fellows are assigned a Merck scientist mentor, who will keep contact with the student on a regular basis. Interested applicants must be African American, within one to three years of completing their dissertation research and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Applicants are chosen based on their academic ability, accomplishments and soundness of their proposed research plan.
The American Political Science Association has sponsored the Minority Fellowship Program, originally the Black Graduate Fellowship, since 1969. The fellowship offers 12 minority fellows a grant stipend of up to $4,000, given in two $2,000 installments. Since its creation, the program has funded over 500 fellows. Interested students must be members of a designated minority group, U.S. citizens, be in the process of applying to a doctoral program of study and interested in teaching and performing research in political science. The application requires a personal statement, official transcript, three letters of recommendation, GRE scores and resume.