Navigating Full Scholarship Opportunities for Master's Programs

Pursuing a master's degree is a significant investment in one's future. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that individuals with postgraduate degrees earn considerably more than those with only an undergraduate degree (ranging from 18% to 44% higher), the costs associated with graduate school, including tuition, books, and living expenses, can quickly accumulate. Scholarships play a vital role in alleviating this financial burden, allowing students to concentrate on their studies and future careers without the encumbrance of substantial debt. This article explores the requirements and opportunities for securing full scholarships for master's programs.

Understanding the Landscape of Graduate School Funding

Graduate school isn’t cheap. Between tuition, books, and living expenses, the costs can add up fast. Scholarships help you cut down on debt and focus more on your studies-and your future. Whether you're pursuing a master’s, PhD, or professional degree, scholarships can be a game-changer.

Types of Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, including:

Academic Achievement: Recognizing students with outstanding academic records.
Leadership Qualities: Supporting individuals who have demonstrated leadership skills.
Special Talents: Acknowledging unique talents and abilities in specific fields.
Financial Need: Assisting students who demonstrate financial need.

Internal vs. External Funding

Funding for master's programs can come from various sources:

Internal Funding: Provided by the university or academic department.
External Funding: Sourced from external organizations, foundations, and government agencies.

Strategies for Finding and Applying for Scholarships

Finding scholarships is just one part of the grad school journey. Scout College Search Use Scout College Search to explore grad programs that match your interests, career goals, and budget.

Read also: A Look at Student of the Year

Identifying Scholarship Opportunities

Trusted Sources: Begin with trusted sources like Scholly Scholarships and your school’s financial aid office.
Filters: Use filters to narrow by degree type, major, and eligibility.
Deadlines: Note that most scholarships have deadlines between January and May, but some are open year-round.
Specific Fields: Some scholarships are designed for specific fields like engineering, education, or public health.
Adults Going Back to School: Scholarships for adults going back to school after some time in the workforce.
Scholarships for Women: Women pursuing graduate degrees in male-dominated fields-or any field-can find support through scholarships for women.
Location-Based Scholarships: Some scholarships are location-based.

Application Tips

These tips can help as you get ready to apply for graduate student scholarships. There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. Absolutely not, so apply for as many as you can to increase your chances of winning free money. Want to find more types of scholarships? There are so many, check them out!

Early Application: Apply early, as funding may be limited.
Multiple Applications: Apply for as many scholarships as possible to increase your chances of success.
Essay Writing: If a scholarship requires an essay, seek tips for writing effective scholarship essays.
No Purchase Necessary: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.
Tailored Guidance: Tailored guidance can be provided by one’s department and academic adviser. Students are also encouraged to explore the resources on this site, which are aligned to a wide range of interests.

Specific Scholarship Programs and Opportunities

This list contains scholarships specifically for graduate students. Keep in mind, however, that many generic college scholarships are also open to graduate students.

National GEM Consortium

Founded almost 50 years ago, the National GEM Consortium strives to support burgeoning scientists and engineers. To apply, you must be pursuing a graduate degree in a STEM-related field. Awardees get a significant stipend and full tuition and fees to a participating GEM university, but that’s not all. They’re also presented with an internship with a GEM employer.

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship

Sponsored by Hungarian Americans Paul and Daisy Soros, the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship focuses on supporting immigrants and children of immigrants pursuing graduate school in the United States. There is no required major, university, or GPA to be eligible for this merit-based scholarship. Since the award is targeted toward new Americans, candidates should also highlight their commitment to American values, specifically those in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Beinecke Scholarship Program

Endowed in memory of the philanthropic Beinecke family, the Beinecke Scholarship Program is both merit-based and designed to support college students with demonstrated financial need. There’s also some preference for those who are Pell Grant-eligible, so if that sounds like you, consider applying. Fine print: Applicants must attend an affiliated university and be nominated by their university.

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Sidney B. Williams Jr. Scholarship

If you’re a law student looking for scholarship opportunities, this one’s worth considering. The Sidney B. Williams Jr. Scholarship provides a $10,000 stipend each academic year for up to three years. Prime candidates will be those with a history of strong academic achievement and an interest in patent law.

Goldman Sachs MBA Fellowship

The Goldman Sachs MBA Fellowship is one of the most competitive scholarships for graduate students in their first year of business school. To apply, you have to be a woman, a person of color, or both.

Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship

If you’re a student-athlete considering grad school, the Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship should top your list. Given to one male and one female student-athlete each year, this renewable grad school scholarship is one of the NCAA’s bigger awards, and a fairly prestigious one at that.

Davis-Putter Scholarship

Determined to support a generation fighting for social justice, the Davis-Putter Scholarship was designed for current students who are active advocates. It’s needs-based, and it’s applicable to a wide variety of activism, from economic justice to trans rights to anti-imperialism.

Stephen K. Hall ACWA Water Law & Policy Scholarship

As the statewide leader in water policy, the Association of California Water Agencies created this award to support the next generation of students passionate about solving the climate crisis. To that end, the ACWA chooses one graduate student each year to receive the Stephen K. Hall ACWA Water Law & Policy Scholarship.

Read also: Full Ride or Full Tuition?

GFOA Scholarships

The GFOA provides several scholarship opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in state/provincial or local government finance. There are 11 scholarships from the GFOA, so be sure to check out the others if this is your chosen field.

SEG Scholarship

While there’s no exact GPA requirement for the SEG Scholarship, it’s still merit-based. That means that to be competitive, you’ll need to demonstrate above-average academic performance. The good news? That’s pretty much it.

American Speech-Language-Hearing (ASH) Foundation Graduate Scholarship

The American Speech-Language-Hearing (ASH) Foundation is passionate about communication. With this in mind, use your essay to explain how your experiences have shaped your passion for breaking through barriers of communication-related disorders. Aside from the essay, applying for the ASH Foundation’s Graduate Scholarship is a pretty involved process.

(ISC)² Graduate Scholarship

The (ISC)² Graduate Scholarship was created for students pursuing graduate degrees related to cybersecurity or information assurance. Grad students can be full-time or part-time, and can attend school either online or on campus. This award is merit-based but it also takes financial need into consideration.

Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship

Not previously a recipient of this award or the Foster G. The Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship seeks to support ethnically diverse graduate students enrolled in a healthcare management graduate program.

Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarship

Not previously a recipient of this award or the Albert W. Sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives, The Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarship aims to reduce the burden of paying for graduate studies - and to make it easier for outstanding students to achieve their healthcare career goals.

Banks Brown Graduate Scholarship

Both full-time and part-time students are eligible for the Banks Brown Graduate Scholarship. Backed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation, this industry-specific scholarship was created with a simple goal: to strengthen the lodging industry and equip the next generation to succeed.

Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship

In support of future foreign correspondents, the Overseas Press Club Foundation selects 18 scholars to sponsor each year. The Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship can help fund students’ academic endeavors or pay for a trip abroad to pursue experience in the field of journalism.

Edward C. Bryant Scholarship

The best way to honor someone obsessed with statistics is to empower someone with a similar obsession. To that end, the Edward C. Bryant Scholarship - established in the name of the founder of the American Statistical Association - supports one student each year in their pursuit of an advanced degree in statistics.

Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship

Given in honor of the groundbreaking writer Dr. Jack Shaheen, the Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship is available to Arab-American students who are college juniors, seniors, or graduate students. Hopefuls must share Dr. Shaheen’s affinity for compelling storytelling - only journalism, television, radio, and/or film majors are invited to apply. Pro tip: If you don’t already know Dr.

Rick Guggolz Memorial Scholarship

Here’s some simple addition for all you math and econ majors out there: What’s your tuition bill minus $2000? Correct - $2000 less in student loans that you’ll have to repay after graduation. Presented by a professional organization of insurance executives, the Rick Guggolz Memorial Scholarship was designed to help subsidize higher education for graduate students in math-adjacent fields.

Gertrude M. Fox Scholarship

The Gertrude M. Fox Scholarship is sponsored by the American Statistical Association. Its goal: to support outstanding women as they pursue statistics-related professions.

University-Specific Funding Opportunities

In general, the Graduate School does not provide central funding for master’s candidates. However, certain academic departments do provide partial or full funding to master's students. In addition, students may be eligible for Teaching Assistantships (TAs) or Research Assistantships (RAs). External funding options may also be available.

St. John's University Scholarships and Awards

St. John's University offers a variety of scholarships and awards for graduate students. These include merit scholarships, alumni scholarships, and school/college-specific scholarships.

General Scholarship Requirements

Full-time students who are awarded the below scholarships must take a minimum of nine credits in both the fall and spring semesters. Part-time students must take a minimum of six credits in both the fall and spring semesters to be considered eligible. International students must take a minimum of nine credits in both the fall and spring semesters for eligibility. Changes in School/College, program, and/or term may impact scholarship eligibility. Funding may be limited; therefore, the timing of application submission is considered. You are encouraged to apply early. Fast-track, pathway, and combined degree students are not eligible for many of these awards.

Merit Scholarships

Awards range from $3,000 to $9,000. The admission application is used to determine merit scholarship eligibility automatically; no additional application is required. Scholarships are awarded based on your academic ability, School/College, and program of study. You are notified of your award in your acceptance letter. Students accepted into the M.S. in Physician Assistant degree program cannot be considered for any merit awards. Several other programs (i.e., M.S. in Actuarial Science, M.S. in Enterprise Risk Management, M.S. in Risk Management and Risk Analytics, and M.S. in Library and Information Science) are not considered for this award as they offer departmental merit scholarships. Students accepted into doctoral and advanced certificate programs are not eligible for merit awards.

Alumni Scholarship

Alumni scholarships are automatically awarded to students accepted to a master’s program* who have already earned a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree from St. John’s.*The following programs are excluded from the alumni scholarship consideration: M.S. in Actuarial Science, M.S. in Enterprise Risk Management, M.S. in Physician Assistant, M.S. in Risk Management and Risk Analytics, and M.S. in Library and Information Science.

School/College-Specific Scholarships/Awards

The School of Education: Offers the New York City Public Schools Employee Tuition Discount, Catholic School Educator Grant, and Institute for Catholic Schools’ Catholic School Teacher Scholarship.
Donald R. Tobin College of Business: Awards scholarships based on the academic strength of the application, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Also offers the CFA Institute Student Scholarship.
The Greenberg School of Risk Management: Offers academic scholarships ranging from $5,000 to full tuition and Insurance Leader of the Year Fellowships.
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Provides the Clergy and Professed Members of Religious Communities Discount, The Pope Paul VI Scholarship, and Rev. Brian J. O’Connell, C.M., Scholarship.
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies: Offers the Graduate Law Enforcement Grant.

External Scholarships

Students may contact their college adviser to learn more about available endowed scholarships.

Scholarship Details

For the Fall 2025-Spring 2026 academic year, external graduate student merit scholarships range from $3,000 to $9,000 annually and are awarded for up to three years of continuous graduate enrollment at St. John’s University.

Scholarships and grants are awarded based on academic ability, and may vary based on school/college, academic program, and/or location of study. Scholarships and grants are included in acceptance letters and are subject to change. The University reserves the right to alter its academic programs, campus offerings, scholarships, and grants.

Scholarships and grants are applicable for the fall and spring terms and are split equally between these terms. Scholarships and grants are not applicable for summer or winter terms, and may only be applied towards St. John’s University tuition and fees unless specifically noted otherwise.

Scholarships and grants may be renewed for up to three years of full-time (nine credits), continuous graduate study. Eligibility for renewal is contingent upon meeting all renewability requirements, including:

Maintaining full-time enrollment (9+ graduate degree applicable credits per semester)
Maintaining a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
Making satisfactory academic progress toward graduate degree completion
Remaining in good disciplinary standing at the University.

Students enrolling in the PharmD programs and/or combined undergrad/graduate degree programs should note that scholarships and grants are only applicable towards the undergraduate portion of the degree program.

The University reserves the right to cancel scholarships and grants if covered by another source. The combination of all institutional scholarships and grants and external scholarship and grants cannot exceed tuition and fees.

The University reserves the right to adjust and or discontinue scholarship and grant programs without prior notice.

Scholarships and grants are not applicable to St. John’s Online degree or certificate programs.

Specific Programs with Funding

Architecture (ARC M.Arch.): Tuition packages vary by program. If students obtain an Teaching Assistantship (RA) appointment, they are eligible for tuition and stipend support through the TA.
Computer Science (COS M.S.E.): Full financial support is offered through Teaching Assistantships.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (ECE M.Eng., MAE M.Eng.): Students admitted into these M.Eng. programs are generally self-funded. However, M.Eng. students are eligible for up to a three-hour TA appointment per term, subject to teaching needs and satisfactory academic progress. If a TA appointment is obtained, commensurate tuition and salary support is provided.
The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA M.P.A., M.P.P.): SPIA offers generous financial support to every admitted student. All admitted students receive 100% of tuition, required fees support, and comprehensive health insurance.

Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

Many college graduate students secure fellowships or assistantships as a method of paying for their advanced degree. Grad students apply for an assistantship or fellowship at the program department level, or college level (for instance the College of Science and Technology at XYZ University). Like work-study programs, an assistantship provides money and/or tuition reimbursement to help grad students pay for college. However, a graduate assistantship program includes work tied directly to your graduate degree or area of interest. A graduate student working an assistantship will, in most cases, be working for the college or university they're attending.

A graduate student fellowship earns a stipend, or payment, and/or a tuition waiver as they work on a grad-level research project related to their field of study. Many grad students select a faculty member to work alongside on the assigned research project; this is often called their faculty adviser. Even after securing a fellowship or assistantship, graduate students still find a financial gap exists as they plan to pay for their master's degree.

Scholarships for Underrepresented Populations at NYU Steinhardt

Scholarships for Underrepresented PopulationsCuppy Africa Steinhardt Scholars StipendThe Cuppy Africa Steinhardt Scholars stipend was created by Cuppy and the Cuppy Foundation to honor Cuppy’s background and experience at NYU and to empower future students by narrowing the resource gap and ensuring all students can take full advantage of experiential opportunities that are part of a Steinhardt education.Each year NYU Steinhardt awards the Cuppy Africa Steinhardt Scholars Stipend to two newly admitted for the fall/summer semester, full-time, on-campus master’s degree, advanced certificate or diploma students starting in the Fall semester only who have received their post-secondary degree (bachelor's degree) from Africa.To apply, submit our new student scholarship application using the same login credentials you used to submit your NYU Steinhardt on-campus graduate application. The deadline for the scholarship application is March 1 for Fall semester start. Diversabilities ScholarshipSteinhardt believes that inclusive education is central to achieving high-quality education and experiences for all learners, including those with disabilities. Preference for this scholarship is given first to students eligible for services in the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities, including hearing and visual impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, chronic illnesses, and psychological impairments. Available to newly admitted on-campus, full-time master's degree, advanced certificate or diploma programs students. To apply, submit our new student scholarship application using the same login credentials you used to submit your NYU Steinhardt on-campus graduate application, and complete the FAFSA. Deadlines for the scholarship application are March 1 for Fall/Summer start and November 1 for Spring.First Generation ScholarshipRecipients of this award must be in the first generation of their family to have completed a bachelor’s degree and have the potential to excel academically based on demonstrated success.Available to newly admitted on-campus, full-time master's degree, advanced certificate or diploma programs students. To apply, submit our new student scholarship application using the same login credentials you used to submit your NYU Steinhardt on-campus graduate application, and complete the FAFSA. Deadlines for the scholarship application are March 1 for Fall/Summer start and November 1 for Spring.Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), and Tribal Colleges ScholarshipWe offer this scholarship on a competitive basis to newly admitted full-time on-campus students who are graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. Available to newly admitted on-campus master's degree, advanced certificate or diploma students. To apply, submit our new student scholarship application using the same login credentials you used to submit your NYU Steinhardt on-campus graduate application, and complete the FAFSA. Deadlines for the scholarship application are March 1 for Fall/Summer start and November 1 for Spring.LGBTQ+ Diversity ScholarshipApplicants must have a proven track record of leadership and community involvement, working for the betterment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities. Any interested student, regardless of identity or background, is eligible for this opportunity.Available to newly admitted on-campus full-time master's degree, advanced certificate or diploma students.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Cooke Graduate Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to outstanding Cooke Scholars and recent Alumni to support them to complete graduate degrees at top institutions.
AAUW International Fellowships: These fellowships support women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Daniel M. Jobbins Scholarship: Available to full-time graduate students.
William L. Wilson and Diane C. Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science: Available to students pursuing a master's degree.
Lighthouse Graduate School Scholarship: Available to students who are legally blind.
Life Membership Fund Scholarship: Available to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in wildlife management, wildlife biology, and wildlife pathology.
Melanie Foundation Scholarship: Available to students pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in the mental health field.
Thornton Tomasetti Foundation Scholarship: Available to master's degree students enrolled in programs that specialize in structural engineering or architectural engineering.
Laurels Fund Scholarship: Available to female students pursuing a Ph.D. in accounting.
WEF Canham Graduate Studies Scholarship: Available to graduate students in the water environment field.
Richard A. Freund International Scholarship: Available to graduate students studying the theory and application of quality control, quality assurance, quality improvement, and total quality management.
Samvid Scholarship: Available to full-time, first-year graduate students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.
NPG Graduate Essay Scholarship: Available to graduate students.
JD-Next Impact Scholarship: Available to entering law students who submit a 600-word essay.
Herbert Roback Scholarship: Available to full-time graduate students enrolled in a master's degree program in public administration, public and international affairs, or political science.
American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scholarship: Available to graduate students engaged in a research project in which diving is used as a principle research tool.
Tannenwald Writing Competition: Available to undergraduate and graduate law students.

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