R&B sensation Mary J. Blige and PepsiCo. Inc. has collaborated, once again, to award an undergraduate woman with $30,000 as part of their “Strength of a Woman” scholarship. This time, the award is designated to a lucky Hampton University student.

According to the scholarship’s site, the applicant must self-identify as a female, “be a current college sophomore undergraduate at Hampton University, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at Hampton University for the entire 2024 – 2025 academic year, be pursuing” the listed degrees (business administration, marketing, arts, finance and creative design) and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

The “Strength of a Woman” scholarship aims to empower women in areas from wellness and technology to finance and creative arts. It also alleviates some economic burdens applicants face while obtaining a higher education.

Scholarship overseers will select the qualified recipient based on their academic record, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience, statement of educational and career goals and objectives, unusual personal or family circumstances and online recommendation.

The applicant must submit their transcripts (grade reports will not be accepted) and a “copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed IRS Form 1040 used for the financial information section of the application.” 

Online recommendation forms should be submitted on the applicant’s behalf by Oct. 19, 2023, at 3 p.m. CT.

Pepsico employees and their offspring aren’t eligible.

The application deadline is Oct. 16, 2023, at 3 p.m. CT. Apply now!

Pepsi and Blige announced the HBUC scholarship over the summer on the heels of the “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” in Atlanta. 

“The whole mission of this festival is to celebrate and advocate for Black women,” Blige said in the press release for the scholarship announcement. “So to have Pepsi show up and show out in the way they do is overwhelming. With their support for the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, we are able to pay it forward in so many impactful ways and to be able to grant an HBCU scholarship for a deserving student is nothing short of incredible.”