5 Strong Partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to provide full-tuition scholarship and mentorship and support to promising student leaders from matriculation through graduation.
Andrew Ragland, who founded 5 Strong in 2015, began connecting students with HBCUs he believed could help them become leaders and change makers. 5 Strong partnered with HBCUs in order to provide full-tuition scholarship funding so that money would not be a barrier for young scholars. Ragland created a college success program that was run by a team of experienced professionals who were ready to treat their students as family. This model is now being used by more HBCUs, and 84% (5 Strong’s) scholars are on track for graduation — twice as many as the national average.
The 5 Strong Scholarship Foundation’s mission is to increase retention and graduation rates in Historically Black Colleges and Universities that partner with the Foundation by assisting academically talented student leaders through their enrollment and success until graduation. The 5 Strong Scholarship Foundation will support these emerging leaders and scholars who will be enrolled in a group of five students, and known as 5 strong Scholars. They are supported throughout their college career in order to ensure that they graduate in four years. These students, through academic, personal/social and career development will have a positive impact on their college campuses, and better prepare them to compete in the global society.
Eligibility
- The applicant must be a high school senior who is a student leader with promise.
- The applicant must have at least a 2.8 GPA, and an ACT score of 19/SAT score of 980 (verbal & math only).
- The applicant must live in the Metro Atlanta Area (nine counties surrounding Atlanta) and commit to attending all 5 Strong College prep sessions (bimonthly).
Requirements
Applicants should also be extremely interested in attending a historically black college or university.
How to Apply
Some HBCUs still require 5 Strong applicants to submit standardized test results (ACT/SAT), in order to qualify for full tuition scholarships. This institution is aware that recent events have made it difficult for students to take tests, but all applicants are still required to complete either the ACT/SAT test before this institution’s application deadline. We highly recommend that students do their research and find the best time and location for them.
Reward
The big prize is a full tuition scholarship. The scholarship covers the full tuition.
Deadline
The deadline is December 1, 2023. The application process will begin in August 2021.
Annual
You can apply annually for this scholarship.
