5 Strong Scholars Scholarship - Houston

5 Strong Scholars' Houston track, established in 2020, connects high-achieving Houston-area seniors with full-tuition scholarships at partner HBCUs — Benedict College, Bennett College, Huston-Tillotson University, Langston University, Lincoln University (PA), Stillman College, Texas Southern University, Voorhees University, and Wilberforce University, per the program's live application form — along with mentoring and mandatory bimonthly college-prep sessions through graduation. Applicants must reside in the Houston metropolitan area, be current-year graduating seniors, have at least a 3.0 GPA, and score at least 19 on the ACT or 990 combined on the SAT (Evidence-Based Reading & Writing + Math); several partner schools set their own higher GPA or test-score bar for their specific full-tuition award. The organization has provided about $1.9 million in scholarships to Houston-area students since inception. Applications for the current cycle are submitted through the Virtual Scholarship Center portal and are due December 31, 2026.

Eligibility

DemographicsMust reside in the Houston metropolitan area and commit to enrolling at one of nine specific partner HBCUs; not open to students in other cities or attending other colleges.

Applying

Full-tuition awards at partner HBCUs; individual school minimums and amounts vary (e.g. Wilberforce University offers $10,000-$12,000 depending on GPA). About $1.9 million awarded to Houston-area students since inception.