May 1, 2026
The scholarship was established to honor the pioneering legacy of alumnus Dr. Levi Watkins Jr.
The Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund is seeking candidates interested in pursuing medical and dental professions.
The scholarship was established to honor Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., the TSU alumnus and cardiac surgeon who revolutionized medicine with the first internal defibrillator implantation.
The fund is designed to remove the cost barriers that often discourage underrepresented students from pursuing high-level medical careers. By providing significant financial support, the endowment allows scholars to bypass the traditional eight-year educational route in favor of a streamlined seven-year curriculum without the burden of overwhelming student debt. Currently, the applicant pool is meager, which leaves the opportunity wide open, according to the Mutual Alliance Restoring Community Hope (MARCH) Foundation.
The endowment specifically rewards academic high achievers who meet the rigorous standards of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute. Eligible students must be interested in the medical field. Additionally, they must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and an ACT score of 28 or a 1300 on the SAT.
Scholarship recipients will gain more than just tuition assistance. Funds are utilized to support:
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Accelerated Undergraduate Study: Covering the intensive three-year pre-medical phase at TSU.
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Professional Transition: Supporting the bridge into the four-year medical or dental programs at Meharry Medical College, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, or the Frist College of Medicine.
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Professional Identity: Funding essential milestones such as the White Coat Ceremony and specialized physician shadowing opportunities.
The financial security provided by the fund has allowed scholars to focus entirely on their demanding coursework, resulting in a 61% increase in the Biology Department’s graduation rate at TSU. Furthermore, the inaugural cohort of scholarship recipients produced the university’s top two graduates in 2024, both of whom maintained perfect 4.0 GPAs throughout their accelerated undergraduate tenure.
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