More than $100K in scholarship funds available for eligible HBCU upperclassmen—applications now open at TMCF.org
CHICAGO — McDonald’s USA and Roland S. Martin, a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., are awarding more than $100,000 in scholarships to rising juniors and seniors attending Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). The effort, in honor of the fraternity’s 115 years of scholarship and Black excellence, is to help address the often-insurmountable financial challenges faced by HBCU students attempting to fund a four-year college education.
Data shows that on average, scholarships and grants only cover 25% of the total cost of college per year and often scholarships for HBCU students are centered on transitioning them from high school to college. For upperclassmen, the rising costs of tuition and growing loan debt paired with the limited scholarship funds offered for this group can make it financially difficult to graduate.
“HBCUs and their students are vital to the fabric of our nation and I will always champion for their success,” said Roland S. Martin. “I’ve witnessed first-hand the financial struggle that impacts Black college students, especially those in their final semesters. So, I’m pleased to partner with McDonald’s and TMCF to celebrate my beloved fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and provide a resource that will help Black students graduate.”
With the help of Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), seven rising juniors and seniors will be awarded $15,000 scholarships for the 2022-2023 academic year. In alignment with Alpha Phi Alpha’s century-long commitment to scholarship, McDonald’s continues its longstanding support of community, education and feeding and fostering community with this scholarship, which is additive to its existing Black & Positively Golden Scholarship program that awarded $500,000 to HBCU students last year.
