At a time when a college degree is what a high school diploma was to previous generations, the minimum entry-level requirement for almost every well-paying career, UNCF plays a critical role in enabling more than 65,000 students each year to attend college and get the education they want and deserve. To close the educational attainment gap between African Americans and the majority population, UNCF helps promising students attend college and graduate by:
• Providing operating funds for its 39 member colleges, all of them small, liberal arts institutions, making it possible for them to offer their students 21st century academic programs while keeping their tuitions to less than half the average of other private colleges;
• Administering 300 scholarship and internship programs, so that even students from low- and moderate income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board;
• Serving as a national advocate for the importance minority higher education by representing the public policy interests of its students and member colleges, through its annual television program, An Evening of Stars®, and by using print and electronic media to carry out the mission implicit in its motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."®
Quick Facts
Our Students
Today, 60 percent of students supported by UNCF are the first in their families to attend college; 62 percent are from families with annual income of less than $25,000; and 92 percent qualify for financial aid.
Scholarship and Fellowship Programs
UNCF administers more than 300 scholarship, fellowship and institutional grants that support students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
Internships
UNCF administers the Corporate Scholars Program that supports hundreds of students with scholarships and with internships at major Fortune 500 corporations.
Gates Millennium Scholars Program
UNCF administers the Gates Millennium Scholars Program that supports students from undergraduate through to doctoral studies.
UNCF-Merck Science Initiative
The UNCF-Merck Science Initiative offers students bioscience and biotechnology research fellowships, cultivating their potential with financial support, hands-on training, close mentoring relationships, and institutional support.
Institute for Capacity Building
The UNCF Institute for Capacity Building supports strengthening the capacity of the 39 UNCF member private historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the areas of fundraising, enrollment and retention, academic programming and faculty development, financial management, historic preservation of campus facilities, executive leadership and governance.
Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute
The UNCF Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute focuses on the educational status of African Americans of all ages from preschool through adulthood. The Institute seeks to understand and expand the multiple pathways leading to educational attainment. Using varied research methods, the institute serves to positively impact public policy and improve local practice for African Americans and education.
