In 2017, the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) became the first Ivy League institution to launch a formal fellowship for top graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The result: the Columbia HBCU Fellowship Program, a one-of-a-kind, full scholarship for students to pursue a master’s degree at SPS. 

The program’s mission: to prepare talented, high-performing HBCU graduates to lead, innovate, drive community impact, and advance their professional industries through program engagement, mentorship, and career development opportunities. 

The Columbia HBCU Fellowship Program has graduated more than 100 fellows who are excelling in a range of fields—from sustainability to risk management to film. Fellows have secured full-time opportunities at top businesses and organizations worldwide such as Goldman Sachs, the NBA, and Walt Disney Studios. Others have gone on to medical school, pursued doctorates, or won prestigious awards such as the Schwarzman Scholarship in Beijing.

For application information, view the application website.