FAMU among land-grant HBCUs affected by USDA's suspended 1890 Scholars Program

By Tarah Jean

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended a scholarship program designed to increase the number of agriculture students at the nation’s historically Black land-grant universities – a decision that hits home for Florida A&M University.

If the scholarships are not reinstated, FAMU and 18 other land-grant HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) will not have future cohorts of students through the decades-old program.

According to the announcement made on the USDA’s website last week for the 1890 National Scholars Program, the scholarships have “been suspended pending further review.”

“As a result, Florida A&M University may not have an incoming class of USDA 1890 Scholars for the 2025 academic year,” Garlen Dale Wesson, dean of FAMU’s College of Agriculture & Food Sciences, said in a statement sent to the Tallahassee Democrat Monday.

“However, this decision does not affect the 20 current scholars enrolled in the program, who will continue to receive their scholarship benefits and assistance as previously awarded. Additionally, other agriculture scholarships awarded to FAMU remain unaffected.”

The 1890 land-grant institutions are HBCUs that were established with federal land grants under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which required states to establish those colleges and universities for Black students.

Through the scholarship program, established in 1992, students from underserved communities are given scholarship money to attend land-grant HBCUs for a full four years for specific training related to agriculture as well as animal science, botany, forestry and more.

But the program’s suspension comes as part of President Donald Trump’s directives during efforts to cut all federal assistance that may conflict with his recent executive orders, including ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

With Trump’s executive orders underway, the scholarship program was suspended while it is being reviewed to ensure that it aligns with the president’s new rules since Jan. 20, which include “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”

The USDA scholars program gave $19.2 million to scholarships for HBCU students in the 2024 fiscal year to provide them with full tuition, fees, books, room and board. FAMU gets $39,000 per student each year for scholarships through the program, according to a spokesperson.

It’s unclear whether the majority of the university’s scholarship recipients are from Florida or from out of state. Also, while 50 to 60 students usually apply to FAMU through the 1890 Scholars Program each year, it is unclear how many prospective students have applied for the upcoming school year before the suspension.

“While this suspension presents a challenge for prospective students who would have benefited from the scholarship, we remain committed to supporting scholars in the program,” Wesson said. “We will continue collaborating with our supporters and corporate partners to ensure students have access to opportunities in agriculture and food science.”

The University of Florida is the only other land-grant university in the state, but it was established under the Morrill Act of 1862. Besides FAMU, here are all the other 1890 land-grant HBCUs that are part of the program: