Beyonce has announced that she is offering four scholarships to female students to mark the one year anniversary of her Lemonade album.

The scholarships will be given at four US colleges for the 2017-2018 academic year, to "encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident".

The singer, who is expecting twins, said the chosen students will be called Formation Scholars.

Formation was the name of one of the songs on Beyonce's album, which topped the charts in both the UK and the US when it was released in 2016.

A statement on the star's website said: "To add to the celebration of the one-year anniversary of Lemonade, Beyonce Knowles-Carter announces the establishment of Formation Scholars awards for the 2017-2018 academic year, to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident.

"Four scholarships will be awarded, one per college, to female incoming, current or graduate students pursuing studies in creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies."

The schools selected for participation are Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design and Spelman College.

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