Brazeal Scholars

The Brazeal Honors College Endowed Diversity Scholarship Fund was created in 2004 by Jim and Cathy Brazeal in order to attract and retain the best young scholars to the MU campus and Honors College. This funding is one aspect of addressing the issues of affordability, access, and diversity in recruitment and retention of academically talented undergraduate students from ethnic groups that are typically underrepresented in higher education, particularly Black or African-American students.


Award Amount and Expectations

Recipients of the Brazeal Scholarship receive:

  • At least $15,000 per year, renewable for a total of four years
  • Waiver of out-of-state tuition (if necessary)
  • An additional $6,000 to cover the costs associated with an MU Study Abroad Program
  • Freshman year research placement

Recipients of the Brazeal Scholarship are eligible to receive National Merit or Bright Flight Scholarships. They may not combine it with certain general University Scholarships, including the Curators Scholars Award, Excellence Award, Chancellor’s Scholarship, George C. Brooks Scholarship, Diversity Award, Mizzou Scholars Award, Mark Twain Nonresident Scholarship, Mizzou Heritage Award, or the Dr. Donald Suggs Scholarship.


Eligibility Requirements*

The Brazeal award is open to incoming freshmen who are Black or African-American. Recipients must have a minimum ACT composite score of 32 or an SAT score of 1420 and be admitted to the MU Honors College.

*Qualified applicants may be identified through the George C Brooks Scholarship application pool. Students are encouraged to apply for this award and more information can be found here.


How to Apply

Incoming freshmen who are eligible for this scholarship program can click here for instructions on how to apply. Please note, your MU and Honors College application must be submitted by December 1st, but you don’t have to be admitted by that date.

If you are a finalist in the application process, an Honors College representative will reach out to you and schedule an interview with faculty, staff, and current Brazeal Scholars. These interviews usually occur in February and may include an on-campus component. Once a decision is made notifications will be sent out by March 15th.


Current and Former Brazeal Scholars

Alexa Henry | Class of 2026 | Chicago, IL | Engineering
Mariam Morafa | Class of 2025 | Germantown, TN | Biomedical Engineering
Jayden Francois | Class of 2024 | Kansas City, MO | Physics
Rachel Henderson | Class of 2023 | Roswell, GA | Journalism
Paige Williams | Class of 2023 | Kansas City, MO | Biology
Olivia Flagg-Bourke | Class of 2021 | Kirkwood, MO | English
Maya Hill | Class of 2020 | Kansas City, MO | Sociology


For More Information

If you have any questions regarding this program or application, please contact our Scholarship & Research Coordinator, Ava Drayton, or contact the Honors College at 573-882-3893.