USDA 1890 National Scholars Program

By Press release submission

Feb 10, 2022

Islands High School issued the following announcement on Feb. 3.

The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program seeks to increase the number of minorities studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines.

The program provides full tuition, employment, employee benefits, fees, books, and room and board each year for up to 4 years to selected students pursuing a bachelor's degree in agriculture, food science, natural resource science, or a related academic discipline at one of 19 designated 1890s land-grant universities and Tuskegee University. The scholarship may be renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and normal progress toward the bachelor's degree.

Scholars accepted into the program will be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a permanent appointment with USDA upon successful completion of their degree requirements by the end of the agreement period. (5 CFR 213.3202) (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 - Section 12519) If selected, scholars must commit to at least one year of service to USDA for each year of financial assistance provided. The details of this requirement will be outlined in the service agreement for the scholar, their university, and the USDA sponsoring agency.

Who and When Should Candidates Apply

The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is available to high school seniors entering their freshman year of college and rising college sophomores and juniors.

All application materials must be postmarked by the new deadline on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, and sent to the university liaison (or universities) selected by the applicant to attend. (University addresses and contact information are included in the application.)