The Bryan A. Collins Memorial Scholarship Program awards 3-year, $5,000 per year scholarship grants to outstanding college students at Tennessee State University (TSU) who demonstrate excellence in pursuit of their college degrees.
Students selected for this scholarship must embody the values embraced by the late Bryan A. Collins — great with people, great at academics, and great in extra-curricular leadership activities.
The program has awarded 198 scholarship grants at TSU since its launch in 2007.
Currently, the priority is given to students enrolled in the prestigious Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute at TSU. Through this Institute, TSU and Meharry Medical College have teamed up to achieve the goal of preparing more black students for careers as doctors and dentists.
Any Tennessee State University applicant or student meeting the eligibility criteria is encouraged to apply.
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Eligibility Criteria
Scholarship recipients must:
- Be a enrolled or intend to enroll as an undergraduate student at Tennessee State University.
- Be involved in extra-curricular or campus activities outside of the classroom, demonstrating leadership in such activities.
- Have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale) each academic year. The GPA will be evaluated each academic year for renewal of the scholarship.
- Provide at least one faculty recommendation that highlights the applicant’s interpersonal excellence in working with students, faculty, administrators, campus employees or in the community.
- All winners must be present at all scheduled meetings or Zoom calls held at least once per year in order to be recognized and honored. Those not present will forfeit the scholarship.
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Scholarship Grant
Students selected will eligible to receive a $5,000 per year scholarship grant that will be renewed each year for 3-years (or a maximum of 6 semesters) — as long as they continue to meet the eligibility criteria above.
This grant will be paid directly to Tennessee State University and applied the tuition of the student in two equal installments ($2500 for the Fall Semester tuition and $2500 for the Spring Semester tuition). No direct payment to any student will be made.
The 3.2 GPA requirement will be evaluated each academic year in order to be eligible for the renewal of the scholarship.
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Application
At the present time, to be eligible for this scholarship grant, students must complete an application and be selected for admission into The Dr. Levi Watkins Jr Institute at TSU.
Applications for the Institute must be received by 3/28/2026. The application and further details about the Institute can be found HERE.
For additional information about the The Dr. Levi Watkins Jr Institute and the selection process, contact Ms. Barbara Murrell at bmurrell@tnstate.edu or (615) 804-6125.
If there are other questions regarding the Bryan A. Collins Scholarship Program, please contact Ms. Lawanda Johnson, Interim Executive Director – TSU Foundation Fiscal Operations, at ljohns100@tnstate.edu or (615) 963-7978.
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Notification
Winners will be selected and notified of their award status sometime between March and August, 2026.