There are a wide range of scholarships for women at all levels of study and all ages. Whether you are in high school, or ready to pursue a bachelors or graduate degree.
Some scholarships are for minority or low income women. Other scholarships may target a specific field to incentivize women to study it. Others scholarships may be available for women in STEM, business, nursing, and armed forces.
Yet others are set aside for residents of a certain state or applicants to specific schools. You’ll also find scholarships if you are a woman serving in the army (or the child of a military mom).
The Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarship is a prime example. Applicants must be a woman who has served or is serving honorably in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, Army National Guard. Or be the child of a woman who served honorably in the one of these branches.
Male vs Female Scholarships
Unless a scholarship has criteria that say otherwise, both men and women might apply. But some providers want to award aid for women and girls only. Female scholarships thus restrict applicants to persons who identify with the female gender.
To get this kind of financial help, you’ll thus go up against competitors that are other females. Though there may be other rules about eligibility. This might include showing financial need, a specific GPA, SAT/ACT scores, or talent.
Nonetheless, scholarships are gift money and may help you get the education you seek. Without the need to pay the money back the way you do in a loan. You do need to respect the conditions of the scholarship so make sure to read what these are.
What Types of Scholarships for Women and Girls Can You Apply for?
There are two kinds of scholarships that women might apply. One is need based. The other is based on merit. Need based scholarships look at your family finances. They often go to recipients who cannot afford college. Merit based scholarships are for students with good grades, high GPA and test scores.
Within these broad categories, there are scholarships for females of certain age ranges. Many providers also offer awards to help underserved groups of women. Or help women reach a specific degree level or career path. We’ll walk you through a few to give you an idea of how to streamline your search for the perfect scholarships.
How Do Women Get STEM Scholarships?
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) scholarships may be available through technology companies, such as Google, or association members. You may also find industry specific STEM scholarships when enrolled in full time study. Government organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, also provide STEM scholarships.
One recent study shows women account for smaller shares of the STEM workforce. Luckily this means there are many STEM scholarships that women can apply to.
The Brookhaven Women in Science (BWIS) offers the Renate W. Chasman Scholarship. It consists of a one time $2,500 award. Applicants must be female graduate students at an accredited institution. They must also be performing STEM research at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Since STEM comprises a few fields, there are lots of other options. If you prefer statistics, try applying for the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship. They offer a $1,000 award to women studying statistics. It was established in 1989 to encourage more women to enter statistically oriented professions. Eligible applicants must submit an essay, transcript and application form.
You might also find scholarships through engineering associations. The Society for Women Engineers (SWE) offers many engineering scholarships to women in STEM. They often pair with a certain university with ABET accredited programs. There’s also the Houzz Women in Architecture Scholarship. This one supports next generation female architects and architectural engineers.
College Scholarships for Women
College bound women have a range of scholarships to choose from. It is a good idea to consider your career and study goals. This is because many providers want to pave the way for women to succeed in their industry.
Women in Public Finance Scholarship awards $3,000 to 10 eligible female students. Applicants need to have an interest in pursuing a public finance related career in finance, government, nonprofits or law.
Scholarships for Female Grad Students
There are many graduate scholarships for women. It all depends on what you want to study. Are you a business minded woman looking for an MBA scholarship? Wondering about law school scholarships for women? Use this to focus your search.
One to check out is the Jane M. Klausman (JMK) Women in Business Scholarship program. It helps women pursue undergraduate and master’s degrees in business management. The scholarship is also open to international female students.
Scholarships for Women over 40 and 50
Many scholarships are for women who want to change or advance a career or reenter the workforce. Scholarships for women over 40 make it possible to return to school without taking out huge loans.
One example is the Sophie Greenstadt Scholarship for Mid-life Women. It is for women age 35 and up living in the Greater Los Angeles area. You must also be entering or continuing a program to learn a marketable skill. One that will lead to economic self sufficiency.
Another option might be the Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund. It provides scholarships for low income women ages thirty five and older across the nation. Their goal is to improve lives through post secondary education.
Scholarships for Female High School Students
If you are a female high school student, there are scholarships available. Even if you don’t yet know what you will major in. One example is the 1,000 Dreams Scholarship Fund Recipients get money to pay for extracurricular activities, lessons, and conferences. Another is the P.E.O. Star Scholarship. It goes to girls in their senior year of high school. You need an unweighted 3.0 GPA and leadership skills to apply.
What Makes Scholarships for Women Unique?
Scholarships may help female students succeed in school and in their careers. One study found that women are 50% less likely to get help from their parents to finance their studies than men. But women make up the majority of college and university students. At last check, there were 19.9 million students enrolled in the U.S. colleges and universities. Of these, women accounted for 11.2 million.
This isn’t always the case in the workforce. Women are still breaking ground in traditionally male dominated areas. In fact, in recent years only 47% of full time wage and salary workers were women. The numbers shift depending on the field of employment. The good news is women ages 25 to 64 in the labor force are more educated than in the past 45 years. In 2016, 42% of women held a bachelor’s degree and higher, compared with 11% in 1970.
Many scholarship providers recognize these trends. They want to help women fulfill their dreams. For instance, there are many scholarships for women in computer science. Another area that women are breaking ground in.
Women Techmakers Scholars program offered through Google, the scholarship is in honor of Dr. Anita Borg. She spent her life trying to break down barriers. Ones that keep women and minorities from pursuing a tech focused career.
A Peek at Women in the Workforce
Career Path
Percentage of Women Employed
Registered Nurses
90%
Elementary and middle school teachers
79%
Accountants and auditors
61%
Management
52%
Life, physical, and social science occupations
42%
Physicians and surgeons
38%
Chief executives
27%
Computer and mathematical occupations
25%
Software developers
20%
Architecture and engineering occupations
14%
List of Scholarships for Women
Scholarships often provide a leg up for women at various stages of life and education. Whether you want to pursue a college degree after high school or return to college after a break.
Supports students admitted to a nursing program, either LPN, RN, or BSN. Verda Lane scholarship was made possible through an endowment established by her family in honor of her years of dedicated nursing service.
Each academic year the MCS Public Affairs Scholarship is awarded to one or two UMaine undergraduates who propose an independent research project relevant to public policy in Maine. Scholarship students apply in April and work with a faculty advisor throughout the following year to conduct their research. The students then present their work in the spring at the UMaine Student Research Symposium.
AnitaB.org produces Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) in collaboration with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). GHC is the world’s largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists. Those who attend GHC gain access to career and academic workshops, networking opportunities, inspirational role models, and memories that will last a lifetime!
For 2022, GHC will be going hybrid! GHC Scholars will participate in the virtual component of GHC and receive exclusive opportunities such as pre-GHC programming, professional development, and networking opportunities.
Established in honor of Dr. Gerry Wheeler, for his outstanding dedication to NSTA and lifelong commitment to science education and towards encouraging girls to consider careers in STEM. The award recognizes one female student in grades 5-8 who has shown excellence of involvement and/or has strong connections to science; evidence of sustained accomplishments or progress/interest in science; and evidence that the student’s interest in science has impacted others.
The purpose of this award is to stimulate interest in meteorology among college students through the submission of original student papers concerned with some phase of the atmospheric sciences. The student must be enrolled as an undergraduate at the time the paper is written, and no more than two students from any one institution may enter papers in any one contest.
Scholarships are the root of our purpose at Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF). We are an active professional foundation dedicated to supporting the advancement of automotive and mobility industry professionals.
Scholarships are selected by the Scholarship Committee and awarded quarterly to the women with a quest and drive for the automotive, mobility and related industries. It is our hope that with these scholarships, we can lessen the burden on students and allow them to focus on gaining knowledge and further development toward a solid career path in this ever evolving expansion of global mobility.
Association For Women In Science New Jersey High School STEM awards and scholarships are offered annually. Female high school seniors and juniors, residing anywhere in the state and interested in STEM can apply. Applicants are asked to write an essay on a STEM professional with a NJ connection (female). Academic performance and teacher recommendations are also evaluated.
This $1,000 scholarship honors Virginia Ruff, a member of Bedford BPW for more than 50 years at the time of her death in April 2002 at age 94. A graduate of The College of Mary Washington and The College of William and Mary, Miss Ruff dedicated her life to the education of Bedford children as a teacher at the Villamont and Montvale schools, and as a librarian at Bedford and Liberty High Schools. She retired in 1973. This scholarship provides financial assistance for women seeking education to re-enter the job market, advancement and/or to achieve economic self-sufficiency. A committee of four BPW members selects the recipient.
Since its founding in 1891, the Woman’s Century Club has provided annual scholarship support to deserving women through local colleges and universities.
The club continues that tradition by awarding a scholarship each year to an outstanding junior woman student, at a King County college or university, who exemplifies the traditions of female leadership and service that our club’s founders sought to encourage. The scholarship is for $2,000 and the recipient also receives a one-year membership in the club.
