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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website shows that it has suspended a scholarship program for students who enroll at Tennessee State University and other land-grant historically Black colleges.
It’s not clear when the suspension of the 1890 National Scholars Program took effect, but word began to spread this week once people noticed the website said the scholarship “has been suspended pending further review.”
The program has provided full-ride scholarships to students accepted into one of the 19 land-grant HBCUs around the country.
According to the website, the scholarship has been around since 1992 and benefits students from rural and underserved communities.
Students who qualified had at least a 3.0 GPA, a minimum ACT score of 21, or a SAT score of 1080, and planned to study agriculture or science-related fields at one of these universities.
You can find the rest of the qualifications by visiting their website.
The scholarship was awarded to 94 students in 2024, worth more than $19 million.
Congresswoman Alma S. Adams of North Carolina, a senior member of the Committee on Agriculture and Founding Chairwoman of the HBCU Caucus, called the suspension “infuriating,”
“This is a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody, and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture, and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has said they want to put an end to programs using federal money to promote diversity through scholarships because they believe this creates an unfair advantage for minority students.
Nowhere in this scholarship, however, does it say it’s only limited to students of a certain race, gender, or ethnicity.
“This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it,” Adams said.
The latest move from the USDA is a drastic shift in policy compared to what we saw under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
That’s when the USDA sent multiple letters to governors about the money these land grant HBCUs had been underfunded by their respective states over the past 30 years.
That included a letter to Gov. Bill Lee where they claimed that TSU had been underfunded $2.1 billion.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville and TSU are land grant colleges, meaning they have an elevated funding status when it comes to dollars from the state. The two were established before desegregation and Tennessee higher education institutions wouldn’t accept Black students.
We reached out to the USDA and asked about students who already have these scholarships and are currently enrolled at one of these institutions.
A spokesperson for the USDA said, “To be clear, every scholar — over 300 — regardless of matriculation date, was retained to finish their studies and complete their work with the Department. In line with President Trump’s directive, USDA is optimizing operations and strengthening its ability to serve farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture community. Like other programs within the Department, Secretary Rollins will continue to review the 1890 National Scholars Program, its mission, and its metrics to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer resources.”
Meanwhile, representatives for TSU meanwhile said that while TSU is not prepared to comment at this time, “we will continue to closely monitor the rapid changes in Washington and respond with our students best interests guiding our way forward.”
Earlier this week, TSU announced plans to cut scholarships for incoming freshman classes by as much as $18 million.
It’s not clear yet what kind of impact losing the USDA scholarship will have on enrollment moving forward considering the deadline to apply was set for March 1.
