Black STEM Students Success Program

Social Impact Education Loans for Black STEM Students in US Colleges and Universities

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PROGRAM APPROACH

Syndicated impact loans and recoverable grants to support Black and African students.
Financial literacy & borrower support services tailored for each student group.
Joint marketing initiatives to raise awareness and promote program
accessibility, especially to HBCUs

PROGRAM IMPACT

Unlock affordable education finance at scale
Demonstrate repayment behavior of Black STEM Students
Expand the participation of Global African Diaspora in innovation ecosystems
Challenge narratives about the achievement of people of African descent
Change face of global leadership across all sectors

PARTNERSHIP OVERVIEW

The partnership between Funding University, Inc. (Funding U) and 8B Finance, Inc. (8B) aims to facilitate non-cosigner student loans for Black STEM Students:

African-American students within two years of graduation needing “last mile” financing.

African students seeking undergraduate and graduate STEM degrees in U.S universities.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Provide $100 million in education loans across 4 student cohorts

Target $10 million for the 2025/26 academic year and $30 million for 2026/27

Reduce dropout rates due to lack of funding for low-income, high-achieving students.

Expand STEM student enrollment in HBCUs and MSIs.

THE CHALLENGE

Inequity in STEM Education:

Black students earn only 4.2% of STEM degrees in the U.S

Enrollment Barriers:

-$50 billion in U.S. student loans are denied yearly due to lack of co-signers.
-$12 billion in potential tution spending by African students who in
the US is foregone annually for a lack of financing options.

Low

enrollment:

Only 15% of qualified African students who apply enroll in US, because of a lack of funding

Degree Completion Gaps:

3 million students drop out annually due to financing shortfalls of under $7,500.

Let’s Change The Face Of
STEM Workforce Together

We would love to hear from you.