The Ron Brown Scholar Program

My son is a freshman but I have begun the search for scholarship opportunities for college.

The Ron Brown Scholar Program

The Ron Brown Scholar Program seeks to identify African-American high school seniors who will make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, exhibit exceptional leadership potential, participate in community service activities and demonstrate financial need. The applicant must be a US citizen or hold a permanent resident visa card. Current college students are not eligible to apply.

Each year, a minimum of ten students will be designated Ron Brown Scholars and will receive $10,000 annually for four years, for a total of $40,000. The recipients may use the renewable scholarships to attend an accredited four-year college or university of their choice within the United States. Ron Brown Scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline. More than 200 students have been designated as Ron Brown Scholars since the inception of the Program.

Ron Brown Scholars are selected in the spring prior to entering college. Applications are screened during the month of February by Ron Brown Scholar Program staff. In March, finalists are invited to participate in a weekend selection process in Washington, D.C. at the expense of the CAP Charitable Foundation. Finalists are interviewed by members of the Ron Brown Selection Committee and are expected to participate in several Selection Weekend activities. Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of their applications, interviews and participation in Selection Weekend activities. Notification follows immediately.

Application Deadline
The Ron Brown Scholar Program currently has two deadlines for applications (students must be current high school seniors at the time of their application):

November 1st - application will be considered for the Ron Brown Scholar Program AND forwarded to a select and limited number of additional scholarship providers.

January 9th - final postmarked deadline in order to be considered for only the Ron Brown Scholar Program ONLY.

Application materials must be mailed in one packet. Transcripts and letters of recommendation should not be sent under separate cover. Incomplete, e-mailed or faxed applications will not be considered.

Due to the volume of applications received, the Ron Brown Scholar Program can only notify semi-finalists and finalists of their status in the competition. This notification will be made in March. Winners of the scholarship will be notified by April 1st and names