As college applications rise, so does the cost of a good education. Many students hesitate to attend prestigious colleges simply because they can’t afford them.
Minority students often face more competition for scholarships, and opportunities aimed at them don’t always reach their audience. It gets even harder when you narrow the search to STEM scholarships for minorities.
This guide gathers strong options to help make a great education more affordable. Scholarship amounts, eligibility, and availability change year to year, so confirm each is still active and check the current details before applying.
1. Gates Millennium Scholars Program
Eligibility: minority students with significant financial need.
Award: covers the cost of education.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the GMSP reduced financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students, supporting over 1,000 students a year. Note: the program is now closed to new applicants and runs as an alumni network, so check the Gates Foundation for current scholarship programs.
2. Generation Google Scholarship
Eligibility: financial need, study in a field close to computer science, and a passion for improving representation of underrepresented groups in CS and tech.
Award: $10,000.
This scholarship encourages minority students who are often excluded from the tech industry to pursue those fields. The online application covers academic information, letters of recommendation, and short-answer questions.
3. Raytheon Cybersecurity Scholarship
Eligibility: underrepresented minority in STEM, pursuing cybersecurity or a related field.
Award: $10,000.
Raytheon is a major name in cybersecurity and tech. This scholarship goes to dedicated students in the cyber and information security fields. Participants in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition are especially encouraged to apply.
4. Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Sallie Mae Completing the Dream Scholarship
Eligibility: diversity in gender, disability, race, ethnicity, and underserved communities.
Award: $2,500.
The TMCF and the Sallie Mae Fund partnered to sponsor this scholarship, awarded to 260 students. It recognizes leadership and dedication to serving the community.
5. ExxonMobil LNESC Scholarship
Eligibility: Hispanic students pursuing engineering.
Award: two awards of $20,000 and seventeen awards of $2,000.
This award goes to students across the United States and in certain local regions (defined on the website). It’s a great opportunity for Hispanic students to gain recognition from a renowned STEM company.
6. The Science Ambassador Scholarship
Eligibility: women and non-binary students pursuing STEM fields.
Award: see the website for details.
This unique opportunity highlights ambassadorship in STEM. Applicants make a 3-minute educational video about a STEM topic they’re passionate about.
7. American Meteorological Society Scholarship for Underserved Communities
Eligibility: minority students pursuing oceanic, atmospheric, and hydrological fields.
Award: $6,000 two-year stipend.
The AMS uses this scholarship to build interest in these fields. It’s granted from an online application that highlights academics and short answers.
8. Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Scholarships
Eligibility: Black and African American students in engineering, computer science, and business programs.
Award: five awards of $5,000 and forty-five awards of $2,500.
The BAM Scholarship helps Black and African American students attend college and pursue careers in technology, empowering future generations to do and be more.
9. McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship
Eligibility: Hispanic students with financial need.
Award: Tier 1 recipients receive up to $100,000; Tier 2 receive $20,000 or $10,000; Tier 3 receive $5,000.
This award supports Hispanic students who lack the resources to excel in college. It’s given to 30 students each year. The application is involved, but it’s worth it.
10. National Hispanic Health Foundation Scholarship
Eligibility: Hispanic students pursuing medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and public health.
Award: $20,000.
This opportunity is mainly for students from Hispanic, underserved communities heading into medical and related fields. The organization has awarded over $2 million to students in total.
11. Dr. Adawia Alousi Scholarship Fund
Eligibility: Muslim women in STEM.
Award: typically between $2,500 and $10,000 per student.
For Muslim women with research experience, this is a great option. It encourages scientists to apply and stay in STEM. The application is a straightforward online form covering high school academics and extracurricular work.
12. Hispanic Scholarship Consortium Scholars Program
Eligibility: Hispanic students.
Award: scholarships, mentorship, and leadership training (depending on the award level).
Aimed at Hispanic leaders, this program provides both skills and financial support. Many of its scholars go on to prestigious colleges.
13. Jackie Robinson Scholarship Foundation
Eligibility: minority students with financial need.
Award: $35,000 plus a mentoring and leadership conference.
Although it doesn’t target STEM specifically, many scientists have come through this program. The leadership skills taught at the conference and the connections students make are both valuable.
14. Esperanza Education Fund
Eligibility: immigrants and children of immigrants.
Award: education scholarship (varies).
This fund serves immigrants, especially in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas, and its scholars go on to top institutions. It targets immigrants with strong leadership and dedication, and there are STEM-specific scholarships too.
15. BestColleges Scholarship for Black Women in STEM
Eligibility: Black or African American women pursuing STEM fields.
Award: $6,000.
The application is a 500-word essay on why you want to pursue a STEM field, a simple application for a sizable scholarship. (Check the BestColleges site for current scholarship offerings.)
16. José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions
Eligibility: students who plan to attend Minority Serving Institutions as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.
Award: up to $45,000 plus two paid summer internships.
This program provides STEM scholarships and internships for minority students. Recipients can earn up to $45,000 and spend two summers at NOAA, conducting research and presenting their work at national symposiums.
17. UNCF STEM Scholars Program
Eligibility: Black or African American students in STEM fields.
Award: a 10-year scholarship and academic support.
Long-term support programs are rare. This one supports 500 African American students each year, providing guidance all the way from college to the workforce.
18. The Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship
Eligibility: STEM scholarship for minority students with financial need.
Award: $10,000.
The scholarship also offers career opportunities with Xerox. It’s aimed at high school seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA who demonstrate financial need and interest in a technical career, and it covers one academic year.
19. Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) Underrepresented Student Scholarship
Eligibility: underrepresented minority groups in science and engineering.
Award: $2,000.
SSAI is a woman-owned company in STEM, devoted to diversity in the field, and this award reflects that. The application is online and takes a fair bit of work.
20. Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology
Eligibility: African American students pursuing STEM fields.
Award: varies.
This award focuses mainly on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Students in STEM fields at those schools can access these resources to help fund their education.
21. NSHSS Scholarship Foundation
Eligibility: a variety of fields and competitions to choose from.
Award: varies.
This foundation aims to ease the burden of paying tuition. Qualifying mostly comes down to the high school activities you’ve taken part in, with awards spanning everything from DECA to theatre. A genuinely diverse opportunity.
22. Center for Arab American Philanthropy Scholarships
Eligibility: first- or second-generation Arab American students.
Award: between $2,500 and $10,000.
Created by two Arab Americans, this foundation works to get first-generation immigrants and students into higher education, with a focus on AI and business. It’s a niche area where STEM students can have real impact.
23. American Chemical Society Scholars Program
Eligibility: historically underrepresented groups in the chemical sciences.
Award: up to $5,000 per year.
The ACS is the most notable name in chemistry research, involved in everything from publications to research funding. Its scholars program offers students excellent opportunities and resources.
24. Advancing Indigenous People in STEM Scholarship (AISES)
Eligibility: American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous people of Canada.
Award: varies.
AISES hosts many scholarships for Indigenous people pursuing STEM. Awards are typically given on a rolling basis and range from STEM to art scholarships.
25. American Indian Education Fund Scholarship
Eligibility: Native Americans and Indigenous people of America.
Award: varies.
This program has done a lot for Native American college education. Against a typical first-year retention rate of around 20% for Native American students, its scholars see a retention rate of about 95%, thanks to the many opportunities it provides.
Resources and remarks
Scholarships can be hard to navigate, but they’re essential to an affordable college education. Cutting down your college costs takes a lot of stress off your four years, which is why winning scholarships matters so much.
We know it’s difficult, so we built a course to help you ace any scholarship application. For more, visit the course here.
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