Education

Helping kids make the grade

Desire to pursue higher education should not be extinguished due to lack of either funding or the college preparation that makes students better candidates for college acceptance. Over the years, The 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc has invested considerable effort towards closing the achievement gap in academics between African American youth and their peers in other ethnic groups. Our college prep initiatives address the quality and quantity of information, resources, and tools available to youth. We have provided free ACT/SAT practice exams, reduced priced exam prep courses, college campus visitation, workshops on preparing for, and funding a college education. In addition, we host the largest College Scholarship Fair targeting African American and Latino students in the Midwest, drawing busloads of students from as far as Detroit, Milwaukee, Rockford, Indianapolis, and St. Louis.

College Scholarship Fair

Since 2002, the 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc (100BMC) has hosted its annual College Scholarship Fair (CSF), becoming Chicagoland’s premiere educational event held at the University of Illinois Chicago Campus. Each year, over 200 college and university recruiters interact with nearly 8,000 students and parents. Almost 75% of the students are from Chicago, and the remainder are from surrounding suburbs, downstate Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and as far away as Florida.

The date over 50,000 students have benefited from attending the CSF by being accepted to the school of their choice. This also resulted in over thirty 30 million dollars in student scholarships.

Honor Student Reception (HSR)

Kicking off the College Scholarship Fair weekend is our invitation-only Honors Student Reception (HSR). This “mini-College Fair” is held on the Friday before the CSF and provides a unique opportunity for the high-achieving students and their families to be recognized. Given the quality of the colleges, universities, and students involved, the HSR has quickly become the most highly anticipated event of the college recruiting season.

The HSR attracts some of the best-prepared students from some of the most selective colleges across the United States. Students who have registered for the CSF with a 3.5 GPA or higher and a 25 ACT score or higher will be automatically invited to register for the Honor Student Reception. The first 200 Honor Students who register are invited to attend.

College recruiters attend this event with the understanding that these select students have many college options, which is why offers of scholarships and financial aid packages should be seriously considered to compete successfully for their acceptances.

The students and parents have one-on-one meetings with a select group of universities. Typically, there are approximately 20 Colleges and Universities, including HBCUs, State Universities, PBI’s, and private universities, which include Ivy League Schools.

At the HSR, typically 80% of the students who attend are accepted that night into an institution, and most receive full four-year scholarships.

Crowd of people at a job fair or expo with numerous booths and two large screens displaying the "100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc." logo on stage in the background.
Young man in a blue suit and black tie holding a black folder talking to a woman in black at a professional event with several people in the background.
Group of students wearing maroon blazers at a college scholarship fair, holding a sign that reads 'Welcome to the 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc. Annual College Scholarship Fair.'
A young man and an older woman are looking at a notepad and discussing something. The young man is wearing a black suit and glasses, and the woman is wearing a beige jacket and glasses, with a pen in hand.