The Quick Version
- The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has multiple scholarships open now for the 2026-2027 school year, including the FedEx HBCU, Wells Fargo, Lowe’s, and Sallie Mae awards.
- TMCF awarded more than $21 million to 2,718 scholars in 2024-2025, so this is real money, not a long shot.
- Most awards require you to attend one of TMCF’s member HBCUs and keep a solid GPA; each scholarship lists its own amount and deadline.
- Build one strong TMCF profile, then apply to every award you match — a single application can put you in front of several funders.
If you attend or plan to attend a historically Black college, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund should be a bookmark on your phone. TMCF is the largest organization representing the country’s public HBCUs, and it has a batch of scholarships open right now for the 2026-2027 school year.
This is not spare change. In the 2024-2025 year alone, TMCF awarded more than $21 million to 2,718 scholars. Here is how to get your name in that pool.
What is open now
TMCF runs its awards in waves, and several are currently live on the open scholarships page. Names shift each cycle, but the 2026-2027 lineup includes:
- TMCF | FedEx HBCU Scholarship
- TMCF | Wells Fargo Access Scholarship and the Wells Fargo Gap Scholarship
- TMCF | Lowe’s Gap Scholarship
- TMCF | Sallie Mae Completing the Dream Scholarship
- TMCF | Bridging the Dream Scholarship for Graduate School Students
- TMCF | MUFG Scholarship and several partner and memorial awards
Award amounts vary by scholarship, with some corporate awards reaching several thousand dollars per student. The exact figure and deadline live on each scholarship’s own page, so read before you start.
Who qualifies
Requirements differ by award, but most TMCF scholarships share a common core:
- You attend, or are enrolling in, a TMCF member school — primarily publicly supported HBCUs. Confirm your campus is on the member list.
- You are enrolled full-time and in good academic standing, often with a minimum GPA around 3.0.
- You can show financial need and, for many awards, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.
Graduate students are not left out. The Bridging the Dream award is built specifically for students heading to graduate school.
How to apply, step by step
- 1. Create your TMCF account. One profile lets you apply to multiple scholarships without starting over each time.
- 2. Complete the general profile fully. Enter your school, GPA, major, and financial details carefully. Errors here can knock you out of matches.
- 3. Let the system match you. TMCF surfaces the awards you qualify for. Apply to every one you match, not just the biggest.
- 4. Gather documents early. Expect to need a transcript, a resume, at least one recommendation, and a short essay or two.
- 5. Write to the prompt. Funders want to hear your goals and why the money matters. Be specific and be yourself.
- 6. Submit before the deadline, not on it. Portals slow down and crash on final days.
Make your application stronger
Two things separate funded applicants from the rest. First, a clean, complete profile — missing fields are the most common reason strong students get filtered out. Second, an essay that names a concrete plan. “I want to be a nurse who returns to my hometown clinic” beats “I want to help people” every time.
Keep a simple tracker with each award, its deadline, and what it needs. Reuse your best essay and tailor it, rather than writing from scratch each round.
For more scholarship guides and HBCU news, browse our Education (Learning & Youth Development) section. Start your applications at the official TMCF scholarships page.
The bottom line
TMCF has the money and a system built to connect it with HBCU students who do the work. Build one strong profile, apply widely, and beat the deadline. The students who treat it like a job are the ones who get paid.
