In 1989, Oprah launched a scholarship fund at Morehouse; 30 years later, her $25 million in gifts had helped nearly 600 students pay for college

In 1989, Oprah Winfrey began funding scholarships at Morehouse. In 2019, a $13 million gift brought her total to $25 million, backing nearly 600 scholars.

The cost of college still worries many young adults. That is why one scholarship story from Atlanta, now seven years old, still stands out. According to Morehouse College, Oprah Winfrey visited the school on Monday, October 7, 2019, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program. She announced a gift of $13 million. The 2019 gift brought her total giving to $25 million.

How a 1989 gift became a lasting program

Oprah Winfrey launched the scholarship fund at Morehouse College in 1989. By 2019, her gifts totaled $25 million. (Getty Images via AFP)

It all started in 1989. That year, Winfrey gave Morehouse money to set up a scholarship fund. Morehouse is a historically Black all-male college in Atlanta, Georgia. At the 2019 event, she explained why she chose it. She said the school has a "moral core" and a goal to shape servant leaders. She also said she felt that way the first time she visited the school. The fund became the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program.

Morehouse President David A. Thomas said the program paid for the education of nearly 600 scholars over the next 30 years. He added that the scholarships also helped students gain global experience, taking them beyond the classroom and to many parts of the world. The program provided more than tuition assistance.

A surprise gift and a day of celebration

Oprah Winfrey’s gifts to Morehouse College, which began in 1989, made up the largest scholarship endowment in the college’s history by 2019.

The new donation brings her total giving to $25 million. According to Morehouse, the gift made the fund the largest scholarship endowment in the college's history. The school also highlighted alumni who had benefited from her seed money in the program. One was Randall Woodfin, class of 2003. He was elected mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, in 2017 at age 36, making him the city's youngest mayor in more than a century. Another was Tope Folarin, who graduated in 2004. He was Morehouse's third Rhodes Scholar and an award-winning writer, according to the school.

Why help with college costs matters

College debt can keep piling up after you graduate. This problem was explored in a 2016 report from the Brookings Institution, “Black-White Disparity in Student Loan Debt More than Triples after Graduation.” Authors Judith Scott-Clayton and Jing Li examined graduates from the 2007-08 school year. Average debt at graduation was $23,420 for Black graduates and $16,046 for white graduates. Those averages included students who had never borrowed.

Four years later, the gap was nearly $25,000. The average debt for Black graduates was $52,726, versus $28,006 for white graduates. The widening gap was due to accumulated interest and student loans for graduate school, the authors said. For graduates from the 1992-93 school year, the gap four years out was under $2,000. The report examined graduates nationwide, not just Morehouse students, so it cannot tell us how Oprah Winfrey Scholars performed, but it does show the wider problem that aid like this can help ease.

What readers can take away from this story

Student debt might not be solved by any individual scholarship, and these sources do not claim it can. What they do show is a long-term commitment. Winfrey started in 1989 and by 2019 had donated $25 million in total. During that time, almost 600 scholars were supported. The Brookings report shows how debt can look very different once graduates have been repaying for a few years. The story is a reminder for students planning to go to college today. Begin the search for scholarships early, ask about named awards at schools, and treat every dollar of aid as a way to borrow less.