Win Up to $5,000 for a STEM or Business Degree: Black at Microsoft Scholarship Program 2026 Application Guide

Picture this: it’s spring of senior year. You’re juggling finals, graduation plans, and that low-grade panic about how expensive a four-year college can get. Meanwhile, everyone is telling you to “apply for scholarships,” as if scholarships are just lying around on the sidewalk like spare change.

Here’s one that’s actually real money, with a clear purpose and a reputable administrator behind it: the Black at Microsoft Scholarship Program 2026. It’s aimed at current high school seniors heading to a four-year U.S. college or university to study Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or specific business majors (Business Administration, Finance, Marketing). And yes—international students can apply as long as they’re enrolling in a U.S. school.

The headline detail: awards range from $2,500 to $5,000, with up to 55 scholarships available. Five of the top awards are renewable for up to three additional years (so potentially up to $20,000 total across a bachelor’s degree timeline, assuming you keep your grades up and stay in an eligible major).

This is a competitive scholarship, but it’s the kind worth your time because it rewards the stuff that actually predicts success in tech and business: solid academics, leadership, initiative, work experience, and a clear sense of where you want to go.

Let’s make sure you’re not just applying—you’re applying well.

Black at Microsoft Scholarship 2026 at a Glance

What This Scholarship Actually Offers (Beyond the Check)

First, the obvious: money you don’t have to pay back. In the scholarship universe, that’s the purest currency.

But the structure here matters. The program offers two “lanes” of awards:

The $2,500 awards are one-and-done. Still meaningful—$2,500 can cover a laptop that won’t wheeze when you open a coding IDE, a chunk of housing, lab fees, or that sneaky first-semester bill that arrives after you thought you’d already paid everything.

Then there are the $5,000 renewable awards—the unicorn tier. If you land one of the five renewable scholarships and maintain the requirements (notably a 3.0 GPA, full-time enrollment, and staying in the eligible major), you can renew for up to three years or until you earn your bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first. That’s the difference between a scholarship that helps and a scholarship that actually changes your college budgeting.

Also worth noting: this program is connected to the Black at Microsoft Inclusion Network and supported through The Seattle Foundation, and it’s administered by Scholarship America, a major scholarship manager. Translation: this isn’t a random internet form asking for your Social Security number. It’s a serious operation.

Finally, there’s the intangible benefit that’s very real: being selected signals that you’re already moving like a future technologist or business leader. Scholarships like this can strengthen future applications—internships, honors programs, and other scholarships often love seeing that another respected committee already voted “yes” on you.

Who Should Apply (And Who Should Not Waste Their Time)

If you’re a high school senior planning to start college in the fall right after graduation, you’re already in the right neighborhood. From there, the program gets specific—this scholarship is for students headed into a four-year program (not a two-year college, not part-time) in:

• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Computer Information Systems
• Business Administration
• Finance
• Marketing

The scholarship also wants evidence—not just claims—of a passion for technology and leadership in school or your community. That doesn’t mean you had to found a nonprofit at 16 or build an app with 100,000 users. Real examples count.

If you built a small website for your aunt’s bakery and then taught yourself how to track orders? That’s technology in action. If you organized a tutoring group, led a club project, captained a robotics team, worked part-time while keeping your grades steady, or took care of siblings while still showing up for your community—that’s leadership. Leadership is initiative plus follow-through. Fancy title optional.

You’ll also need at least a 3.0 GPA (or equivalent). This scholarship isn’t demanding perfection; it’s asking for proof you can handle college-level work without imploding by midterms.

International students: yes, you can apply if you’ll be enrolling in a U.S. four-year college or university. Just be prepared for extra documentation (more on that below).

Who should skip it? If you’re not a senior, not heading to a four-year U.S. school this fall, not planning to major in the eligible fields, or you’re a Microsoft employee (or their child). Also, if you previously received the $2,500 one-time award, you can’t reapply for that track.

The Essay: Your Golden Chance to Sound Like a Real Person

The required short essay topic is:

Describe how you plan to engage in the technology industry in your career.
Length: 2,000 characters (about 500 words or less)

This prompt is sneaky. It isn’t asking “Why do you love computers?” It’s asking: Where do you see yourself in the tech industry, and what are you going to do there?

“Engage in the technology industry” can mean building software, designing hardware, analyzing data, managing products, running operations, marketing technical products, working in fintech, doing cybersecurity, improving IT systems, or creating tools that fix real problems. Business majors: you’re not an outsider here—you’re part of how technology actually reaches customers and changes markets.

A strong essay does three things:

1. It names a direction. Not “I like technology,” but “I want to work in cybersecurity to protect small businesses,” or “I want to become a product manager in educational technology.”
2. It shows receipts. A class, a project, a job, a club, a problem you noticed and tried to solve.
3. It connects your story to your future. How your background shapes what you want to build, improve, or lead.

Keep it specific. If your essay could be pasted into someone else’s application with zero changes, it’s too generic.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application (The Stuff People Learn Too Late)

1) Treat the application like a mini admissions file, not a form

Selection includes academics, leadership, activities, work experience, goals, circumstances, an essay, and a recommendation. That’s basically a full portrait of you. Make sure your pieces agree with each other—your transcript says “serious student,” your activities say “I show up,” and your essay says “I know where I’m headed.”

2) Translate your passion for technology into plain evidence

“Passion” is not a feeling; it’s behavior. Maybe you:

• built something (even small),
• fixed something (computers at home count),
• learned something independently (online courses, certifications),
• taught someone else (helped friends code, ran a workshop),
• stuck with a hard technical class and improved.

In your essay and activities, emphasize effort and progress. Tech is a field built on iteration. Show yours.

3) Make leadership concrete and measurable

Instead of “I was a leader in my club,” say what happened because you were there. Did membership grow? Did you run meetings? Did you coordinate an event? Did you create a system that made things easier? Leadership is impact, not vibes.

4) Don’t hide work experience—use it

The selection criteria explicitly include work experience. If you worked a job—retail, food service, tutoring, family business—tell the story correctly. What did it teach you? Time management, customer empathy, money handling, communication under pressure… those are business skills and tech skills. (Anyone who has done tech support knows patience is basically a programming language.)

5) Get the recommendation right by setting your recommender up to succeed

This is an online recommendation, which usually means your recommender will receive a link and submit directly. Choose someone who can speak to your character and initiative, not just your grade. Then give them a “recommender packet”: your resume, your essay draft or summary, the scholarship description, and two or three bullet points of what you hope they’ll highlight.

6) Use the “unusual circumstances” element wisely

The selection criteria mention unusual personal or family circumstances. If you’ve dealt with hardship—financial instability, illness in the family, caregiving responsibilities, housing issues—this is where you can explain context. Keep it factual, not melodramatic. The goal is clarity: what happened, what changed, and how you responded.

7) Polish your application like it’s going in front of a human (because it is)

Scholarship America’s evaluation team and a committee connected to Black at Microsoft will review applications. Real people. They notice sloppy writing, missing documents, and vague answers. Read your essay out loud. Fix the awkward sentences. Make it easy to root for you.

Application Timeline (Working Backward From March 16, 2026)

If you want to submit something strong, don’t start on March 14 with a bag of panic and a half-written essay.

6–8 weeks before the deadline (mid-January to early February): Create your account, read the full application carefully, and confirm you meet eligibility. Make a simple checklist of required documents. Draft your essay early while you still have brain space.

4–6 weeks before (February): Request your transcript through your school counseling office and verify it meets the scholarship requirements (it must be a complete transcript, not a grade report). Ask for your recommendation now—good recommenders book up fast, and you want them writing about you when they’re not stressed.

2–3 weeks before (late February to early March): Revise the essay. Aim for clarity and specificity. Upload documents and confirm everything displays correctly. If you’re submitting test scores separately, scan them cleanly.

Final week (March 9–15): Do your quality-control pass. Check names, dates, and uploads. Confirm your recommender submitted their piece. Submit at least 48 hours early so you’re not troubleshooting login issues on deadline day.

Required Materials (And How to Prepare Them Without Drama)

You’ll need to upload a current, complete transcript of grades. The scholarship is strict here: grade reports are not accepted. Your transcript must clearly show your name, school name, grades, and credit hours for each course and term.

If you’re an international applicant, you may also need:

• an upper secondary school diploma or certificate (if already earned)
• exam results (as applicable)
• English translations for any documents not originally in English

If you plan to include SAT/ACT scores and they aren’t already listed on your transcript, you’ll upload score reports separately. (If you’re uploading a college transcript, those scores aren’t required—though most high school seniors won’t have a college transcript yet.)

Finally, you’ll submit:

• the short essay (2,000 characters)
• an online recommendation (submitted by your recommender through the system)

Pro tip: scan everything as a clear PDF, name the files like a calm adult (“Transcript_FirstLast.pdf”), and open each upload after attaching it to make sure it’s readable.

What Makes an Application Stand Out (What Reviewers Actually Notice)

A standout application usually feels coherent. The student makes sense on paper.

Strong academics matter, but this scholarship doesn’t read like it’s hunting only for perfect GPAs. It’s looking for students who can thrive in demanding majors and eventually contribute to the technology industry—through building, solving, managing, analyzing, or communicating.

Reviewers will likely gravitate toward applications that show:

Momentum. You didn’t just “like tech.” You did tech. You pursued classes, projects, clubs, or work that moved you forward.

Leadership with a footprint. You didn’t just join activities; you shaped them.

Career intent with flexibility. You have a direction and reasons, but you’re not writing like you’ve memorized a job title. A thoughtful plan beats a buzzword soup every time.

Context and resilience. If you’ve had obstacles, explaining them clearly can turn your application from “good student” into “this student has grit.”

Clean execution. Missing documents, messy writing, and vague answers signal rushed work. And rushed work rarely wins.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And the Fix)

Mistake 1: Writing an essay that’s basically a TED Talk about technology.
Fix: Make it personal and specific. Name the role you’re interested in, the problem you care about, and what you’ve already done to explore it.

Mistake 2: Assuming leadership requires a title.
Fix: Describe actions and outcomes. “I organized a peer tutoring schedule that helped 15 students pass algebra” beats “I’m a leader.”

Mistake 3: Uploading the wrong “transcript.”
Fix: Confirm it’s an official or complete transcript, not a progress report screenshot. Check for your name, school name, grades, and credit hours.

Mistake 4: Choosing a recommender who barely knows you.
Fix: Pick someone who has seen your work ethic up close—teacher, advisor, coach, supervisor—and give them materials to write a detailed recommendation.

Mistake 5: Ignoring the business-major tech connection.
Fix: If you’re applying as Business Administration/Finance/Marketing, explicitly connect your goals to the tech industry—tech product marketing, fintech, analytics, operations, entrepreneurship, etc. Spell it out.

Mistake 6: Waiting until the last minute and submitting a “technically complete” application.
Fix: Submit early, revise, and proofread. “Complete” isn’t the goal. “Compelling” is.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How much is the Black at Microsoft Scholarship worth?

Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000. Up to 55 scholarships are available, including 5 renewable $5,000 awards and 50 one-time $2,500 awards.

2) Can international students apply?

Yes—international students are eligible if they will enroll in a four-year college or university in the United States. Expect to provide additional documentation and translations if your records aren’t in English.

3) Is the $5,000 award renewable?

Yes, for up to three additional years or until you earn a bachelor’s degree (whichever comes first), as long as you maintain a 3.0 GPA, stay full-time, and remain in an eligible major.

4) What majors qualify?

Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and the following business majors: Business Administration, Finance, or Marketing.

5) What GPA do I need?

At least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).

6) Can I apply if my parent works at Microsoft?

No. Microsoft employees and children of Microsoft employees are ineligible.

7) What is the essay length and topic?

The essay is 2,000 characters (about 500 words or less): Describe how you plan to engage in the technology industry in your career.

8) If I received the scholarship before, can I apply again?

If you received one of the $2,500 one-time awards, you cannot reapply (past recipients can’t reapply for that track). Renewable award recipients renew based on the program’s rules.

How to Apply (Do This Like You Mean It)

Start by confirming the basics: you’re a current high school senior, planning to enroll full-time at a four-year U.S. college/university this fall, and your intended major matches the eligible fields. Then gather your transcript early—this is the most common snag because students upload the wrong document or request it too late.

Next, draft your essay in a separate document where you can edit properly. Aim for a clear through-line: what you’ve done so far, what you want to do in the tech industry, and why that path makes sense for you. Then choose a recommender who can speak to your initiative and leadership with specifics—and give them time.

Finally, upload everything, review it carefully, and submit before the deadline. Treat this like a professional application, because that’s what it is: your first real pitch to a committee that decides who gets funded.

Apply Now and Full Details

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page here:
https://scholarship-america-production.identity.saiapply.org/signup?state=gbdwyJfdLQkNRm88tIbOk3M21KqCawcmidBd&trace=1CXe4YUA44MLznbd9w8G7N

Deadline: March 16, 2026. Submit early—future you will be extremely grateful.