A$AP Rocky is giving one future industry player a major head start on their college education. The Harlem rapper has announced a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University, helping an aspiring creative learn the business with the tuition bill handled.
As per Essence Magazine, the scholarship was announced on Tuesday, October 6, and is intended for an incoming freshman beginning in fall 2027. The award will cover tuition for one student across four years, with applications open through December 15, 2026. “I’m a big believer in creating your own lane and giving people the opportunity to do the same,” Rocky said in LIU’s announcement. He described the scholarship as a way to help a talented young person “turn that vision into something real.”
Roc Nation and LIU announced their partnership in August 2020, and the school began enrolling students at the university’s Brooklyn campus in fall 2021. Located in JAŸ-Z’s hometown, it was established to prepare students for careers in music, performance, entrepreneurship and sports business, bringing an entertainment company’s industry perspective into a university setting.
The original announcement outlined undergraduate degrees in music; music technology, entrepreneurship and production; and sports management. It also described a combination of university professors, visiting artists, guest lecturers and internships, with the goal of helping students connect their coursework to professional experience.
At the school’s launch, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez called the partnership “a true investment in our community and young people in Brooklyn, in New York City and beyond.” The school subsequently brought hip-hop expertise into its classrooms, with LIU announcing in 2021 that producer 9th Wonder would join as a visiting professor and artist in residence, teaching hip-hop history and the making of an album.
That broader approach reflects the range of businesses under the Roc Nation umbrella. Co-founded by JAŸ-Z in 2008, the company works across artist management, music publishing and distribution, touring, production and brand development. Those services involve the people building careers, organizing releases and shows, and developing commercial opportunities around talent.
Its sports division, Roc Nation Sports, launched in 2013 and expanded that model into athlete representation. As Sports Business Journal has reported, its services include playing-contract representation, endorsements, social media, content creation and publicity. In practical terms, that means helping athletes negotiate team contracts, secure deals with brands and develop their public profiles, with opportunities that can also extend into television and film.
That scope helps explain why sports management and entrepreneurship sit alongside music in the school’s mission. An entertainment career can involve producing a record, managing an artist, working on a sponsorship campaign or helping an athlete build a business. Rocky’s scholarship supports a student seeking an education in that wider field.
Rocky also joins a growing group of artists and athletes who have established scholarships at the school. According to LIU, that group includes Megan Thee Stallion, DJ Khaled, LaMelo Ball and Young Guru, who also serves as director of the school’s Music Technology, Entrepreneurship & Production program.
Prospective first-time freshmen seeking enrollment for fall 2027 can visit apply.liu.edu/rn for application details before the December 15 deadline. The selected student will begin their college career with four years of tuition covered and a chance to study the industry they want to enter.
