Sallie Mae Fund and BET Launch Programs to Encourage College

The Sallie Mae Fund and BET Networks are collaborating on two new initiatives to generate awareness of scholarships and other college-funding resources among African-American students.
BET will launch a special program to promote college scholarship awareness among its 87 million viewers and Web users. The “Next Level” scholarship competition will award $25,000 in Sallie Mae Fund scholarships to deserving students. Applications for the awards will be accepted on BET’s Web site from now through December 21. Winners will be announced in February. For more information about the "Next Level" scholarship competition, visit www.BET.com/nextlevelscholar.
In addition, a new directory will provide African-American students and their families with easier access to hundreds of college scholarships and millions in scholarship dollars. Sponsored by The Sallie Mae Fund and BET and produced by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, “Black College Dollars,” available at www.blackcollegedollars.org, offers a free, comprehensive listing of more than 300 scholarships designed for African-American students.
According to research from the U.S. Department of Education, white Americans are nearly twice as likely as black Americans to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the age of 29.
If current trends continue, of every 100 African-American kindergarteners today, only 18 will achieve a bachelor’s degree by age 29, compared to 34 out of 100 white students. Containing listings of more than 300 scholarships for African-American students, the directory is available in both a print edition and a searchable online format, both free of charge. Students can research scholarships by GPA requirement, academic and career interest, and application deadline.
To access the directory, visit www.blackcollegedollars.org. The Sallie Mae Fund is a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae. The Fund achieves its mission-to increase access to a post-secondary education for America's students-by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information, visit www.salliemaefund.org.

— Teachers of Color