Students from rural and underserved communities who attend historically Black colleges and universities again have the opportunity to apply for a federal scholarship program after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reopened a temporarily suspended program.

The program’s permanent suspension would have affected Alcorn State University in Mississippi and 18 other HBCUs across the nation. 

The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program resumed on Feb. 24, days after being closed pending review, and will accept applications through March 15, USDA officials say. The original deadline was March 1.

“The application process was temporarily suspended pending review to ensure that the program, its mission and its metrics ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer resources. This review was completed late afternoon on February 24, 2025,” a USDA spokesperson told the Mississippi Free Press in a statement on Feb. 25.

The scholarship program is a partnership between the USDA and the 1890 land-grant universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890. The USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement manages the program designed to increase the number of students who study food, agriculture, natural resources and other related sciences at land-grant HBCUs. Those universities are federally funded and tend to have significant agricultural programs. The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program provides scholarship recipients with full tuition, fees, books, room and board. It also can include work experience at the USDA.

Alcorn Already Underfunded

Alcorn State University is the nation’s oldest and Mississippi’s only land-grant HBCU. The school announced its 2025 USDA 1890 scholars on Dec. 19, 2024. The webpage where the press release was located showed an error once the program went under review and has not been restored. The university directed the Mississippi Free Press to the USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement Communications Department on Feb 21. The officer had declined to comment when the MFP first contacted it on Jan. 28 after learning that the program could be in jeopardy. 

10 photos of black college students tiled beside each other
Alcorn State University announced its 2025 USDA 1890 scholars on Dec. 19, 2024. The cohort included Conrad Amos, Erionna Jarvis, Jaylon McDougal, Je’Milya Hudson, Jo’Shariah McCray, K’Cy Jones, Kaiden Hollins, Kendalyn Washington, NiShan Shears, and Vinterrious Hunt. Christian Jones, who is also in the cohort, is not pictured. Photos courtesy Alcorn State University

The federal government had already identified state funding discrepancies at the university. In Sept. 2023, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack sent a letter to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves saying that Alcorn State University has been underfunded by $257,807,216 over the last 30 years. The letter asked the state to rectify the disparity.

Suspension Spurs Controversy

The program’s website included a banner saying it was “suspended pending further review” for at least part of the day on Feb. 24. The program review occurred shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

U.S. House Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, a Democratic member of the House Committee on Agriculture from Illinois, said on Feb. 20 that suspending the program removed important equity protections. 

“This isn’t just about funding—it’s about fairness,” Jackson said on his website. “The 1890 Scholars Program is a direct response to the USDA’s own history of racial discrimination. Killing it now sends a dangerous message that equity and opportunity no longer matter. I’m calling on the USDA to reverse this disgraceful decision immediately and fully reinstate the program—no delays, no excuses.”

Woman smiles for a photo with the American flag behind her.
U.S. House Rep. Alma S. Adams, a Democrat from North Carolina, said on Feb. 25, 2025, that the 1890 Scholars Program was “a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it.” Photo courtesy U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House Rep. Alma S. Adams, a North Carolina Democrat who is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and the founding chairwoman of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus.

“This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it,” Adams said on Feb. 25.

The USDA said in its statement that the review did not impact the more than 300 students already in the program and that the Office of Partnership and Public Engagement would continue to support students as they move through the program.

“The USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) will host a webinar for applicants on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, to discuss more information about the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program. USDA liaisons will present information about the program, eligibility, fields of study and the selection process. The second portion of the webinar will be Q&A.”

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

More information on the 1890 Scholars Program is available here.

Torsheta Jackson is MFP's Systemic and Education Editor. She is passionate about telling the unique and personal stories of the people, places and events in Mississippi. The Shuqualak, Miss., native holds a B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Southern Mississippi and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi. She has had bylines on Bash Brothers Media, Mississippi Scoreboard and in the Jackson Free Press. Torsheta lives in Richland, Miss., with her husband, Victor, and two of their four children.