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While more and more educational opportunities for minorities are opening up, there is still a significant percentage of African-Americans who do not have affordable access to a college education. There are a number of institutions that provide African-American student financial aid, but a lot of students don’t know where to find them, and what processes are involved in acquiring African-American student financial aid. Institutions like the United Negro College Fund has been giving African-American student financial aid for decades now, as well as some colleges and universities that have specific African-American student financial aid programs for specific majors.

Some institutions that provide African-American student financial aid are also sometimes based in areas with a significant percentage of African-Americans population. An example of such an institution is the Coleman A. Young Foundation , which provides African-American student financial aid to students who live in the Detroit area.  Check local organizations and associations that operate within your area or region if they provide African-American student financial aid. For those who are looking for African-American student financial aid programs, below is a list of some institutions which you can consult:

The United Negro College Fund

The UNCF is one of the longest running institutions that provide African-American student financial aid services, and has paid for the education of almost half a million youths. The UNCF has tie-ups with 39 public and private historically black colleges and universities in the United States, where the recipients of African-American student financial aid can choose their majors and study.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is a non-government organization dedicated to raising college tuition money to provide African-American student financial aid. The organization currently has 54 partner colleges and universities all over the US and has partners with companies from different industries such as Ford, Costco, HSBC, and MTV. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund awards an average of US$ 2,200 per semester to students enrolled at historically black colleges and universities.

In order to be eligible for the African-American student financial aid, the applicant must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, recommendation from the previously attended high school, and demonstrated financial need.

This website also lists a lot of affiliated scholarships with differing requirements.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP )

The NAACP offers five African-American student financial aid programs: Earl G. Graves Scholarship, Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship, Lillian & Samuel Sutton Education Scholarship, Roy Wilkins Scholarship, and the Hubertus W. V. Wellems Scholarship For Male Students. These African-American student financial aid and scholarship programs are differentiated by the amount of money they grant.

The NAACP requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 for undergrads and a 3.0 GPA for graduate students. Some of the scholarships that NAACP offers require applicants to be members of the association, and have specific guidelines to demonstrate financial need.

These are just three of the institutions that can provide African-American student financial aid to those who need help financing their college education. With the wide range of options available for funders and providers of scholarship grants , more African-Americans of good academic standing should be able to pursue quality college education.

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