Steph Curry is turning his alma mater into a lifeline for Oakland students.
Curry and Davidson College are rolling out a new scholarship, the Curry Scholars program, that will hand out full rides to a small group of Bay Area students each year. Instead of focusing on traditional recruiting pipelines, Davidson and Curry plan to select scholars from lower-income communities in the Bay Area, primarily Oakland, and cover tuition, housing, and other college costs. The first class is scheduled to land on campus in fall 2027.
According to the college’s announcement, Curry Scholars will have tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, a computer allowance, and a senior-year campus visit fully covered, with 5 to 10 full scholarships expected to be awarded annually. Davidson is partnering with College Track to deliver academic support, while counseling teams in the Oakland Unified School District will help identify candidates. These details, including the Sept. 21 application deadline, were reported by The Charlotte Observer.
“Davidson is where I learned what kind of person I want to be as much as I learned about basketball,” Curry said in a statement announcing the program, adding that it “means so much to me to help high-achieving students from the Oakland area.” Davidson College President Doug Hicks called the partnership an exciting way to build on the school’s efforts to recruit first-generation students. Those quotes and the program description were shared with reporters and summarized by The Charlotte Observer.
Curry’s Ties To Davidson And Prior Gifts
Curry has stayed closely connected to Davidson since leaving for the NBA. He formally completed his degree in 2022 and has supported athletics and student programs through gifts such as the Curry-Berman fund. He also serves in an advisory role with Davidson’s basketball programs, signaling a multi-year commitment to the college’s recruiting and student-support efforts. Davidson College has detailed those efforts in past announcements.
Local Partners And Long-Term Support
Davidson says the Curry Scholars program will lean on trusted Bay Area partners to help students make the cross-country leap. College Track, a national college-completion nonprofit based in Oakland, will provide academic advising and persistence supports aimed at boosting graduation odds.
The Curry family’s philanthropic presence in Oakland through the Eat.Learn.Play Foundation also gives the scholarship local infrastructure for outreach and services, from identifying potential applicants to helping families navigate what can be a confusing college process.
Who Should Apply And The Timeline
Davidson emphasizes that the Curry Scholars award is academic, not an athletic scholarship, so students do not need any sports background to qualify. Applications for the inaugural class are due Sept. 21, 2026, for students who would enroll in fall 2027. Each scholar will receive additional support, including a computer allowance and an April campus visit the spring before they start college. Families and counselors are being encouraged to monitor Davidson’s admissions pages for the Curry Scholars application and financial aid specifics.
For Oakland students, a guaranteed full ride to a selective East Coast liberal-arts college is rare and could change how families weigh long-distance options. Davidson is framing the Curry Scholars program as part of a broader effort to recruit and graduate students from underserved communities, with early partner work designed to give scholars academic and social support once they arrive on campus.
