About
USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is available to eligible high school seniors entering their freshman year of college as well as rising college sophomores and juniors.
The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is a partnership between USDA and the 1890 historically black land-grant colleges and universities (PDF, 1.2 MB). The program provides full tuition, fees, books, room and board to students pursuing degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. When the student has completed the academic and summer work requirements of the scholarship, USDA may at its discretion convert the student to a permanent employee without further competition.
The 1890 National Scholars Program provides full tuition, fees, books, room and board, and a summer internship which may convert to full-time employment with USDA after graduation. High school and college students who are U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.
These are the (19) 1890 universities:
- Alabama A&M University
- Alcorn State University, Mississippi
- Central State University, Ohio
- Delaware State University
- Florida A&M University
- Fort Valley State University, Georgia
- Kentucky State University
- Langston University, Oklahoma
- Lincoln University, Missouri
- North Carolina A&T State University
- Prairie View A&M University, Texas
- South Carolina State University
- Southern University, Louisiana
- Tennessee State University
- Tuskegee University, Alabama
- University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Virginia State University
- West Virginia State University
Study Disciplines
USDA 1890 National Scholars are required to study one of the following disciplines:
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Business/Management
- Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Engineering/Mechanics
- Agricultural Production and Technology
- Agronomy or Crop Science
- Animal Sciences
- Botany
- Food Sciences/Technology
- Forestry and Related Sciences
- Home Economics/Nutrition
- Horticulture
- Natural Resources Management
- Soil Conservation/Soil Science
- Farm and Range Management
- Other related disciplines, (e.g. non-medical biological sciences, pre-veterinary medicine, computer science)
The Award
The scholarship may be renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and normal progress toward a bachelor's degree.
General Eligibility
To be eligible for the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program scholarship, a student must:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale)
- Have a minimum of 21 ACT, 1080 SAT scores
- Have been accepted for admission or currently attending one of the nineteen 1890 Land-Grant Universities.
- Study agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or other related academic disciplines
- Demonstrate leadership and community service
- Submit an official transcript, from each high school and college attended, with an authorized official's signature
- Submit a 250-500 word essay for each of the following questions:
- How will the USDA 1890 National Scholarship support your career aspirations? If there is a particular mission area within USDA that also supports your career aspirations, please indicate that mission area.
- What factors have influenced your decision to pursue academic studies in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or a supporting discipline (such as economics, computer science, accounting, etc.)?
- Submit completed application
Who Should Apply
The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is open to high school seniors entering their freshman year of college, and rising college sophomores and juniors.