RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A decades-old federal scholarship program available to students at 19 historically black colleges and universities has been restored.
The 1890 Scholars program was temporarily suspended by the Trump Administration's Department of Agriculture.
North Carolina A&T University is one of the HBCU's receiving the scholarship, which provides recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions.
After graduation the scholars are able to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to work in the area they studied.
The scholarship program dates to 1992, but 1890 in the title refers to the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which established historically Black colleges and universities.
Eligibility rules include being a U.S. citizen with a GPA of 3.0 or better, along with acceptance to one of the 19 1890 land grant universities. Eligible students must also study agriculture or related fields and "demonstrate leadership and community service," according to the department's site.
In October, the department said it had set aside $19.2 million for the program. In fiscal year 2024, 94 students were awarded scholarships, the department said.
The program is accepting applications for next school year. The deadline is March 15.
