1890 National Scholars Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
About
The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program enhances career opportunities for students at 1890 land-grant universities. The program has also been an effective tool to help USDA recruit and retain highly qualified students into careers in food, agricultural science, natural resources and related fields.
The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is a partnership between USDA and the 19 land-grant universities that were established in the Morrill Land Grand Act of 1890. USDA partners with these 1890 universities to provide scholarship recipients with full tuition, fees, books and room and board. Scholarship recipients attend one of the 1890 land-grant universities and pursue degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. The scholarship also provides work experience at USDA through summer internships. Scholars accepted into the program are eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a permanent appointment with USDA upon successful completion of their degree requirements and program requirements by the end of the agreement period. The program awarded 94 scholarships in the 2024 cohort of 1890 Scholars.
USDA has a long history of developing the next generation of agricultural leaders at, and providing support to, public land-grant universities, such as those established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890. These institutions emphasize building and sustaining tomorrow’s food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce.
The 19 members of the 1890 universities system are:
- Alabama A&M
- Alcorn State University
- Central State University
- Delaware State University
- Florida A&M University
- Fort Valley State University
- Kentucky State University
Langston University - Lincoln University
- North Carolina A&T State University
- Prairie View A&M University
- South Carolina State University
- Southern University and A&M College
- Tennessee State University
- Tuskegee University
- University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Virginia State University
- West Virginia State University
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 the school seal and 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.
Awards
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.
The scholarship may be renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and normal progress toward a bachelor's degree.