Black Birthright 2024 applications are now closed.

Black Birthright 2025 applications will open on February 1, 2025 and close on April 30, 2025.

Black Birthright 2025 applicants apply during the aforementioned application window and are notified of their acceptance in June 2025. Scholars then participate in educational programming starting in October 2025, ending in June 2026. They travel in July 2026.

The applicant criteria and program requirements outlined on this page pertain to Black Birthright 2024 applicants. While the applicant criteria and program requirements are generally consistent from year to year, we will update this page with specific 2025 applicant information closer to the 2025 application period.

Applicants must meet all criteria to be considered for Black Birthright. Applicants who do not meet these criteria at the time of application will not be considered for Black Birthright.

Once accepted into Black Birthright, Scholars who do not continue meeting these criteria will not be permitted to continue in the program.

If you have questions regarding program criteria or the application, please complete the Contact Us form. A real, live human being will respond within three business days.

Applicant Criteria

DEMOGRAPHIC

• Full-time resident of the United States within the contiguous 48 states

• At least one biological parent of the African Diaspora (i.e. identifies as African-American, African, Caribbean, Caribbean-American, etc.)

EDUCATION

• Enrolled full-time in an accredited school or state-recognized home-school program

• Currently enrolled in 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade at the time of application (Minimum age: 13)

• GPA: Minimum 3.0/4.0 (or the scale equivalent at your school)

TRAVEL

• Obtain a valid passport: Scholars must submit passport applications no later than November 8, 2024.

• If you have a passport, ensure the passport has at least three completely blank pages and will not expire within six months of our travel dates. If the passport does not have sufficient blank pages and/or will expire within six months of our travel dates, the passport must be renewed prior to travel.

• Available to travel July 2025 for approximately 11 - 14 days
  
  Note: Travel dates have not yet been determined, but we will travel sometime between July 5th and July 27th, 2025.

MEDICAL

• Complete a medical examination with a US-board certified physician who certifies that you are in good health to travel and fully participate in the Black Birthright experience

• Complete immunization series as advised by the CDC (Please note that while vaccines are treated as recommendations by the CDC, they are required to participate in Black Birthright. Visit the Health page on our website to learn more.)

• Obtain a prescription for anti-malarial pills and complete the prescription according to schedule

PERMISSION

• Obtain written permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate in Black Birthright

Note: You must obtain permission from your parent or legal guardian to travel to Africa before submitting your application. If you complete your application and your parent will not grant permission to travel, you will not be accepted into Black Birthright.

FINANCIAL

• Pay $1,500 non-refundable program fee according to the payment schedule following program acceptance

NOTE: Black Birthright does not cover the cost of passport, medical or immunization fees. You must cover these costs independently in addition to the program fee. Scholars will have 8 months to gather all funds and will have opportunities to participate in guided fundraising efforts to assist in raising funds. Visit the Costs page on our website to learn more.

OTHER

• Have not traveled to Black Birthright destination country in the last 7 years

• Agree and adhere to Black Birthright Code of Conduct, including maintaining academic standing

• Complete pre-trip assignment (Estimated time to complete: 10 - 15 hours)

• Participate in all activities and daily reflection discussions during trip

• Participate in the Black Birthright referral program by referring three students who meet the program’s demographic requirements

Purpose

Black Birthright educates Black children for a mindset of liberation through knowledge of self, knowledge of history, and knowledge of the people and events that have and continue to impact the Black condition. We do this work through our year-long intensive, The Salon: Awakening Your African Mind, and our annual trips to Africa.

Click the link below to learn more about our purpose, our beliefs and our mandate as an organization. (Note: We strongly recommend applicants read the contents of this page prior to applying.)

Our Purpose, Our Beliefs, Our Mandate

The Salon

In addition to traveling to the African Continent, Black Birthright Scholars have an incredible opportunity to immerse themselves in Black American and African Diaspora history, economics, philosophy, psychology and culture, during the school year preceding travel. This immersive program is called The Salon: Awakening Your African Mind.

• All Black Birthright Scholars must participate in The Salon without exception.

• The Salon consists of 16 separate sessions, beginning October 2024, ending June 2025.

• The Salon sessions will be conducted on Sundays at 5:00PM Eastern. We will not meet every Sunday as the program consists of 16 sessions spread over nine months (October - June).

• Scholars are required to prepare for sessions - doing the required reading, listening, viewing, etc. Average prep time per session is 4 - 6 hours. Scholars will have at least two weeks between each session to prepare.

• Scholars can miss up to four of the 16 sessions.

• Scholars who miss more than four sessions, are not prepared for session or do not meet other specified criteria, are ineligible to travel. There are no exceptions whatsoever.

Note for Parents

Parents are not permitted to serve as chaperones during the year in which their child is traveling. We do this to ensure continuity of care, attention and experience for all Scholars.

If a parent is interested in serving as a chaperone when their child is not traveling, we welcome their application to chaperone. Chaperone criteria can be found on the Safety page of our website. Subscribe to our newsletter (at the bottom of our website) to receive updates on chaperone applications.

While we are pleased to see siblings, relatives and friends apply to Black Birthright at the same time, there is no guarantee that they will both/all be accepted into the program. If you are uncomfortable with your child traveling without his or her siblings, relatives and/or friends, we strongly recommend that your child not apply. We appreciate your understanding.

Medical Policy

Black Birthright maintains a comprehensive medical, health and wellness policy to which all Scholars and parents must adhere. Click on the link below to access the policy:

Medical, Health & Wellness Policy