Ron Brown Scholar Program

Scholarship Overview: African American high school senior who will pursue full-time study at a four-year college or university in the U.S.
Application Available: August 1, 2024
Deadline Date: December 1, 2024

Scholarship Details:

RBSP competitively awards 45 – 50 four-year $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 each year) to the most talented and economically-challenged high school seniors who demonstrate a keen interest in public service, community engagement, business entrepreneurship and global citizenship – the four pillars of the late Ronald H. Brown’s mission to uplift people of all races, cultures and ethnicities – especially our disadvantaged youth.

Recipients may use the renewable scholarships to attend an accredited four-year college or university of their choice within the United States. Ron Brown scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline. Since the Program’s inception in 1996, 634 students have been designated as Ron Brown Scholars.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • African American high school seniors who have excelled academically, exhibited leadership, participated in community service and demonstrate financial need.
  • Applicant must pursue full-time study at a four-year college or university in the United States.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  • Applicant must be a current high school senior at the time of their application.
  • Financial need is a factor that we consider in awarding scholarships.

Application Requirements:

  • All transcripts and letters of recommendation should be submitted by the deadline.  All letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically through the online application process.
  • Two letters of recommendation

We do not require either SAT (Verbal and Math) or ACT (composite) scores. Results of AP/IB exams are optional as well.

Application Requirements: Essay, Letter(s) of Recommendation, Transcript

Essay Details:

Two essays, each approximately 500 words. In the first essay, we ask that you answer a specific question. The second essay can be on any topic. See online application for more information. If you haven’t written one for a college application, you may submit an essay that you wrote for one of your classes, or write a new essay. Keep in mind that the essays are an opportunity for you to tell us something about yourself that we cannot learn from your application, transcript or test scores.

Award Amount: $10,000

Award Details:

$10,000/year, renewable to $40,000 (50 awards annually).
Semifinalists will be contacted by mid-February. Finalists will be notified by early March and invited to Washington, DC, (we pay expenses) to be interviewed by the National Selection Committee. Because of the large number of applicants, we are not able to guarantee notification of those who have not reached the semifinalist or finalist stage. We will post the names of the scholarship winners on our website in early May.

Website/URL: http://www.ronbrown.org

Scholarship Manager Information:

Contact Email: info@ronbrown.org

Filters:

Eligibility: Community Service, Ethnicity/Race, Financial Need, U.S Citizen/Permanent Resident
Areas of Study: Open to All
Applicant’s Current Education Level: High School Senior
Location Specific: National