Women can undertake study in any academic field they desire, to pursue the career of their dreams. However, for many, the cost of attending University is a concern and deters some women from applying.
There are however scholarships that can help to lessen the financial burden of education. Many scholarships for women have come about because of the hard work in promoting equal opportunities for women in education and jobs.
There are a variety of scholarships available for women, dependent upon which academic area they want to follow from: science and technology, to arts and humanities, sports, law, graphic design, business, management, archaeology, music, social work, education, and so on.
Scholarships are available for college, undergraduate and postgraduate study. Sometimes governments or other big national institutes will offer scholarships. Other times the government gives Universities funding directly to allow them to offer scholarships. Sometimes scholarships will be connected to a specific industry.
Many scholarships and grants apply to specific groups of women, for example scholarships for women from certain ethnic and cultural backgrounds; scholarships for women who are mothers, acknowledges the fact that women want a career and need to provide for their family too; empowering scholarships for women over 40 or 50; women who want to do MBAs; scholarships for women from abroad, ie. international students; and of course, scholarships for certain fields of study, such as nursing or engineering for example.
There are scholarships for certain roles in the community, ie. for people who want to be leaders, or to promote peace. The UK has a specific focus on encouraging scholarships for STEM students, getting women more involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine. Some scholarships are very specific and require applicants to fall in a certain age-range, live in a certain location, be in financial need, have certain skills, qualifications or, to have a minimum GPA score etc. Many scholarship applications will require a short essay to be completed on a set-question.
Top Tips To Get Scholarships For Girls and Women
- Constantly search and apply for scholarships, this isn’t a one-off event, continually strive to submit new applications fortnightly.
- Apply for every scholarship that you’re eligible for and meet the criteria.
- Ensure you have photocopies of every document that you’re likely to need to send off with a scholarship application, multiple times, at hand, ready to simply complete a new form. If this is well organized, it will make your application procedure that much easier.
- Be well organized and ensure you get references from academic tutors well in advance of the end of term. Once it gets to the summer holidays it can be impossible to get in touch with staff, and you may miss your scholarship application deadline.
- To demonstrate your financial need of the scholarship, you can complete an application to get a SAR score, at: FAFSA.ed.gov
- Ensure you’ve filled out all parts of the form required to the letter, stick to word-counts, and have submitted everything they’ve asked for in the manner that they ask (ie. references, transcripts, essay, proof of income, copies of official documents, and the correct quantities they need). Don’t submit anything that wasn’t asked for. Also, make sure you submit the application well in advance of the deadline. Make sure your application is spotless, typed with no errors; proofread it carefully.
- If you have a list of universities that you’d like to attend, ensure that you frequently check their website for scholarship opportunities.
- If there are big companies near where you live, or where you intend to study, ensure you check the company websites for scholarship information.
- There will be catalogues held at libraries, giving you more information on state and private college scholarships.
- If there’s an industry that you genuinely have a passion to enter, and you feel like women are under-represented in it; then look and apply for scholarships. There are scholarships for women in aviation; sport; scholarships in science, technology, engineering and medicine etc…
- If you’re applying for scholarships in specific industries, try to become a member of that profession’s key organization/association, it is worth paying a small monthly subscription to the key one, so that you get full access to their website (and scholarship information), you may receive a journal, regular email updates and invites to any seminars. Being part of a professional association/organization, is a great way to network.
- Tailor your scholarship applications, don’t just have one application/essay that you churn out for all, because it won’t fit exactly. Make sure that you meet the exact criteria asked for.
Scholarships and Grants For Women
Below is a list of some of the top scholarships for women:
#1. The A.R.F.O.R.A Undergraduate Scholarship for Women
This is offered by the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, a diocese of the Orthodox Church in America. This scholarship is for $1000 and will be given to a student who has passed year one of an undergraduate degree. Good qualifications are needed, and the applicant also needs to demonstrate sound character and involvement in religious life connected to the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America and have been involved for at least one year prior to the application.
The scholarship is a one-off payment, and can’t be received more than once. The application needs to show any honors, awards, extra-curricular activities, vocational goal, and a 300 word statement of goals, church/community involvement and why they should be considered. Three letters of recommendation are required from the Parish Priest, High School, and a character reference.
For more information, click here!
#2. The WSCGA Foundation Scholarship
This is aimed at amateur golf for women and young golfers, but also assists these people to fulfil their academic ambitions through scholarships. Academic achievements, extra-curricular activities and overall educational aim are considered. Four key entry criteria apply: the applicant must play golf; she must be taking a full-time degree course; she must live in South California and she must have an academic grade of 3.2 or higher. WSCGA give the Anne Trabue Scholarships for English and Journalism, Anne Trabue was the founder and first president of the foundation back in the late 20s, and 30s.
There’s the Bev Granger Scholarship Fund for Biological Sciences, Nursing and Pre-Medicine, she herself had been a graduate from nursing school and worked as an x-ray technician. There’s the Mimi Deatherage Scholarship Fund for Law, she practiced Law. There’s the Flo Scott Scholarship Fund which is named after the Hacienda Golf Club that she was a member of for 40 years.
Finally, there’s the Desert Fund which is sponsored by the Palm Valley Ladies Golf Association, this scholarship is specifically targeted at young women who live in Desert communities such as Bermuda Dunes, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Coachella, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage and La Quinta.
For more information, click here!
#3. The Danish Sisterhood of America
This is an organisation that wants to preserve Danish heritage and tradition for the future. It offers five separate Scholarships, which they award twice a year. The scholarships have been created from donations from individuals and lodges from various districts of the Danish Sisterhood. Applicants can claim a maximum of two national scholarships; the exception to this is the Elizabeth Garde National scholarship, which may only be claimed as a one-off.
There’s the Past National Officers’ Scholarship worth $500 this runs concurrently with the Betty Hansen Scholarship which is worth $2,500; there’s also the Mildred Sorensen National Scholarship which is worth $1000; the Olga Christensen National Scholarship worth $1,000, and the Elizabeth Garde National Scholarship, this is for $850 used for a student wanting a degree in nursing or the medical profession.
For most of the scholarships it is necessary to be a Danish Sisterhood member for at least a year; and have a high GPA score – this varies for each scholarship but is always usually a minimum of 2.5 up to 3.8; and be a full-time student – for some of these scholarships they’re aimed at high school graduates in technical education, others are for undergraduate students.
For more information, click here!
#4. Central California Asian Pacific Women Scholarship (CCAPW)
They award three scholarships: A General Scholarship; A Graduate Studies Scholarship and a Mae Takahashi Scholarship.
The General Scholarship is specifically for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women who live in Fresno County. When people apply, their academic grades will be considered, as well as proof of their financial need. This can be used for undergraduate study at a College or University. If a student is studying either Health or Business they may be eligible for a special award.
The Graduate Studies Scholarship is for women studying at graduate level, to make their education more specialized, there’s no specific field that this applies to.
The Mae Takahashi scholarship is named after the founder and president of CCAPW, who worked to improve the lives of API women in Central California, and the scholarship is funded by Asian and Pacific Islander women members from organizations and community groups connected to education, health, business and activists. Scholarship opportunities tend to be advertised on the website in January, so it’s worth looking online then.
For more information, click here!
#5. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) – The American Fellowships Dissertation
This is the oldest non-institutional form of graduate funding for American women. The funding is for women in full-time education who are either competing their dissertation, carrying out full-time post-doc research, or will be trying to get their research published and spending at least eight continuous weeks or more doing this. The fellowship money is intended to cover the applicants living expenses whilst they complete their academic write-up work. The fellowship is worth $20,000.
Applicants can only receive the fellowship once. Applicants must be female residents of America who have completed all their course, and will then be working on their doctoral dissertation. This is for classroom based courses only, and not distance or online programs. The applicants’ grades will be considered, how original and high quality their dissertation is; what their dissertation will add to the research area; how committed the applicant is to women’s issues; their teaching experience; and what overall contribution the applicant can make.
The fellowship fund can be used for living expenses, childcare expenses, travel to educational related things, and educational expenses only. To apply applicants must pass an eligibility quiz, have three recommendation letters, show qualifications, their CV, demonstrate their financial need, and answer some questions. There is currently a small admin fee to apply for the fellowship.
For more information, click here!
#6. The Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) Scholarships
AIWA offer 6 scholarships each year. Sometimes if many applicants have applied, a scholarship will be split amongst applicants.
There’s the Agnes K. Missirian Scholarship worth $2000 named after a Professor in Management who was a key activist for women’s rights.
There’s an Ethel Jafarian Duffett scholarship which offers varying amount of money, named after a biochemical researcher.
There’s a Dr. Carolann S. Najarian Scholarship which offers five scholarships per year worth $1,000.
There’s a Lucy Kasparian Aharonian Scholarship named after a software engineer, the scholarship is worth $1,000 this is specifically for students who study science, maths, engineering, computer science, architecture or technology.
The Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship is solely for people who live in California. The requirements are that students need to be females of Armenian descent, studying full-time at accredited colleges or Universities, the awards will be based on academic achievement and financial need. It’s worth looking at the website in January for details of the scholarships and how to apply.
For more information, click here!
#7. Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM)
This is intended to encourage women to work in the media industry and the scholarships are to help women successfully gain an education in media. AWM combines with the Loreen Arbus Foundation Scholarship which focuses on achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, to award a journalist scholarship worth £2,500.
This is for undergraduate and graduate degrees. A 750-1000 word essay needs to be competed to apply, plus it is necessary to attend a luncheon to receive the scholarship. There’s the Ford Emerging Voices Scholarship which is partly funded by the Ford Motor Company, and is worth $2,000. Two of these scholarships are offered each year, applicants must submit an essay and if successful in getting the scholarship, part of the prize is that they’ll also write four blog posts for AWM.
There’s also the Ford Empowering America Scholarship worth $3,000, with a $2,000 runner up prize. The main winner of this scholarship makes a video about a woman from the Empowering America list, or a woman from her community and they get a $350 flight credit and ticket to the ‘Women In’ event that takes place in Las Vegas.
Finally, there’s the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA)/AWM Joint Scholarship which awards $5,000 and this is to be used towards tuition fees. To apply for this applicants need to put together a proposal for a project out of three industry ideas; a work sample must be provided, a statement about why the topic is significant, and a reference is required. This scholarship is for any female student attending College or University in America.
For more information, click here!
#8. NCAA – Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Graduate Scholarship
This scholarship was put together by two NCAA committees. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage more female minority students in intercollegiate athletics. The scholarship is worth $7,500 and 13 are offered each year, to female graduate students who are studying in a field connected to athletics, this could be as an administrator, a coach, or a trainer.
If a student has graduated from NCAA regardless of when, they’re able to apply for a scholarship. To apply, students need to have an academic minimum score of 3.2; they must not have studied at the graduate level previously; they must reside in America; and they must study full time with NCAA.
The applicant must show themselves to be an excellent role-model, have participated in extra-curricular activities, and have shown a commitment to intercollegiate athletics as a future career. Applicants will need to complete a profile and application form online; they’ll need to include transcripts, three references (two of which are academic); applicants will also be expected to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum (CSF) in Indianapolis (air-fare, accommodation, meals and materials to attend the CSF are covered by the NCAA).
For more information, click here!
These are the ones we have found so far, we will continue updating this list of scholarships for women regularly. Please support us by sharing this page to your friends.
