Annual Giving

About Annual Support

Annual support is essential to Norfolk State University’s ability to achieve its mission “to provide an affordable, high quality education for an ethnically and culturally diverse student population, equipping them with the capability to become productive citizens who continuously contribute to a global and rapidly changing society.” 

Annual support bridges the gap between the amount students pay for tuition and state funding, and the actual cost of educating each student. Annual gifts allow the University to fulfill its mission by providing funding for scholarships, academic program enrichment and access to the latest technologies in our classrooms.

The Annual Fund gives alumni and friends the opportunity to support many areas of need at Norfolk State University. Gifts to the Annual Fund can be unrestricted, allowing the Foundation and the University to allocate resources to the most critical areas of need, or donors may choose to focus the impact of annual gifts by designating them to one or more of the following programs: 

  
Unrestricted Giving

Unrestricted giving to the University provides critical dollars for the areas of greatest need. These dollars are used to fund general operational cost and programs to enhance and enrich the academic experience of each student. 
 

Scholarships 

Today, the cost of higher education may represent one of the largest single investments that a family or individual may make in a lifetime. As a result, most students need some form of financial aid package, a combination of scholarships, grants and loans, in order to finance their education. At Norfolk State University, nearly 88% of students meet the federal guidelines for need-based financial assistance. 

Norfolk State University enrolls nearly 7,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Many of these students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and are often the first in their families to attend college. 

While many come to the University with strong scores on standardized tests and academic records, pursue marketable and competitive academic majors, and are highly motivated to succeed, they often lack the financial stability to enable them to pursue their education uninterrupted.

Usually their family resources cannot assist with their academic endeavors. In many cases, students must work during the academic year in jobs that are incompatible with the academic rigors of higher education. Some students find it necessary to "stop out" a semester or year to earn enough money to cover their expense shortfall for subsequent years and/or to pay current debts. This practice delays the time when they can enter the full-time workforce and become productive citizens.

About The Foundation

The Norfolk State University Foundation, Inc. seeks to provide scholarships and fellowships for all promising and deserving students. Today’s outstanding students will be tomorrow’s leaders, exercising exceptional influence on the future of our society.

Need-based scholarships help us to live up to our tradition of serving the talented, but financially disadvantaged students. Many students are able to attend Norfolk State University only because of the generosity and support of private donors.

Privately supported scholarships also allow the University to recruit and retain top ranked students from across the nation and the world, adding to the rich academic environment of the University.