Scholarships and Grants for Women: A Comprehensive Guide to Funding Your Education

Many scholarships aim to support women and promote leadership roles. Scholarships are fantastic sources of financial aid because they don’t have to be paid back. It’s also emotionally rewarding to get one, as it shows that someone (or a whole committee) believes in you. This guide explores various scholarships and grants specifically designed for women, offering essential tips to help you secure funding for your education.

Understanding Financial Aid Options

Grants, scholarships, and loans are common types of financial aid, but loans come with many drawbacks. When you borrow money for school through student loans, you not only have to pay back the loans, but also have to pay interest. Grants and scholarships, on the other hand, are the type of aid you don’t have to pay back. While most grants are income-based, scholarships are based on factors such as academic merit. Some scholarships are also reserved for certain demographics, like those specifically for women.

Women’s scholarships are financial awards designed to support women pursuing education-from certificates and associate degrees to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. Awards can be merit-based, need-based, or targeted to specific majors, backgrounds, or interests (for example, STEM or business). Many scholarships are funded by colleges, nonprofits, professional associations, and local community organizations. Because scholarships generally don’t need to be repaid, they’re one of the best ways to lower your total cost of attendance.

National Scholarships and Grants for Women

Here’s a detailed look at some notable scholarships and grants available for women:

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Career Development Grants

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) offers Career Development Grants specifically for women who are trying to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the workforce. The scholarships focus on women pursuing degrees in education, health and medicine, and STEM fields.Amount: $8,000-$20,000

Read also: Camp Scholarships Guide

Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarship

The Army Women’s Foundation offers a Legacy Scholarship Program for current and former women soldiers and their descendants. Recipients of this scholarship can receive assistance for certificate programs, community college courses, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees. Additionally, the LTC Nancy Porr Scholarship is specifically for eligible recipients pursuing a nursing ADN, BSN, or graduate level degree in healthcare. The scholarship is granted based on numerous factors including academic potential and financial need.Amount: $2,000-$5,000

Leslie Andree Hanna Medical Scholarship

The Leslie Andree Hanna Medical scholarship is specifically for women who are attending medical or osteopathic school. The recipient of this award is chosen based on their academic merit, and they must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 to qualify. This award is presented annually and provides a one-time scholarship to an aspiring female doctor.Amount: $5,000

Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant

Continuing Jeannette Rankin’s commitment to creating better futures for American women, our Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant provides unrestricted non-tuition funding and support to women and nonbinary students across the country. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation provides female students ages 35 and older with the opportunity to receive the Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant. Women who have financial needs can apply for up to $2,500 to help pay for their vocational education, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree.Amount: $2,500

The Jeannette Rankin Foundation invites a diverse group of volunteers from around the country to serve as application reviewers. Application reviewers are trained, must complete an assessment and sign a confidentiality agreement before they are allowed to begin. We use a three-tier review process where a different group of volunteers reviews each application at each level. Every application is reviewed at least five times by these three levels of volunteers.

Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Support Award

The Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation offers Education Support Awards for young mothers who need assistance paying for school. This foundation awards scholarships each year to five low-income women to help them pursue a vocational, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in their chosen field.Amount: $5,000

Read also: Benefits of NSHSS Scholarships

P.E.O. Star Scholarship

The Philanthropic Educational Organization, or P.E.O., has a mission of motivating, educating, and celebrating women. They offer the Star Scholarship for women in their senior year of high school to help them attend college. To win this award, students must be recommended by someone in a P.E.O. chapter.Amount: $2,500

An eligible candidates exhibits excellence in leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, academics and potential for future success. The applicant must have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. She must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States or Canada with plans to attend an accredited post-secondary educational institution in the United States or Canada full-time or part-time in the fall of the academic year after graduation. She must also be recommended by a P.E.O. chapter.

Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award

Soroptimist provides women with access to the education they need to overcome economic hardship. The core values of this organization include gender equality, empowerment, education, and diversity. The Live Your Dream Awards are for women who provide the primary financial support for their family and have a demonstrated financial need.Amount: $1,000-$16,000

Among many programs aimed at promoting female empowerment and improving the lives of women and girls, Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Awards support education and training for women who want to make a positive change within their community and around the world.

Women’s Independence Scholarship Program

The purpose of the Women’s Independence Scholarship Program is to stop the cycle of partner abuse by financial empowerment through access to education. Women who are survivors of intimate partner abuse and are physically separated from their abuser are eligible to apply for funding to help pay for tuition, textbooks, and other fees.Amount: $500-$2,000

Read also: Scholarship Guide

Executive Women International Scholarship Program

Executive Women International exists to change the roles of women in business and awards over $200,000 in scholarships each year. Women with a demonstrated financial need who live within the boundaries of an EWI chapter are qualified to apply. Students are chosen based on their academic achievements, leadership qualities, and extracurricular activities.Amount: $2,000-$10,000

Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs

Zonta Club of Milwaukee scholarships are open, and promoted, to students in the six-county greater Milwaukee metro area (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties). Aimed at young women ages 16 to 19, the goal of the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award Program is to encourage young women to pursue careers or seek leadership positions in public affairs.Amount: $5,000

Medical Professional Student Scholarship

To apply for the Medical Professional Student Scholarship, applicants must: have completed the appropriate undergraduate education and be currently pursuing an advanced degree in a medical-related field, such as physician, physician assistant, dentist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, APRN, etc.; or be an undergraduate nursing student enrolled in nursing studies.Amount: $10,000

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Beyond the specific scholarships listed above, numerous other opportunities exist for women seeking financial aid. These include:

Scholarships for Specific Fields of Study

Just like they sound, scholarships for women are typically awarded exclusively to women. Many female-oriented scholarships are given to those studying a particular major or topic, often one that is traditionally male-dominated. These scholarships are designed to attract female students to the field or make it easier for them, like the W.I.S.E (Washington Women in STEM Excel) Scholarship. This scholarship is worth $3,500.

Scholarships for Community College Students

While most scholarships are traditionally set aside for students attending a four-year school, there are opportunities for community college students, like the scholarship from the Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation. The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Scholarship seeks out bright, highly motivated, underprivileged women attending Cabrillo College, Hartnell College or Monterey Peninsula College with a strong potential for making a difference. The program provides one or more students from each participating college with a $20,000 scholarship over two years. To become eligible for a scholarship from the Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation, recipients must be participants for at least one full year at Cabrillo College, Hartnell College or Monterey Peninsula College. citizen or eligible noncitizen with an Alien Registration Number. They must be eligible for financial aid and not currently in default on a Title IV student loan.

Scholarships for Graduate Students

Even if awards are harder to come by, female grad school students can still find scholarship opportunities, like the ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship. If you have yet to enroll in a graduate program, take the time to look for scholarship opportunities from the institution.

Scholarships for Specific Demographics

For example, if you’re a woman and part of the queer community, you can apply for the Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship. You should also look for scholarships designed for those with specific skills, passions or career interests. If you plan to study Italian, look for awards for students who speak Italian.

Scholarships for Returning Students

The Rae Lee Siporin Scholarship for Women offers support for female students who have completed their freshman, sophomore, and junior year of college and are returning for their senior year after taking a break in their educational career. Applicants must be New Mexico residents attending a college or university in this state. The Yale University Women's Organization's scholarships assist women who wish to return to their educations following a delay or disrupt; one specifically benefits women age 35 or older. Applicants must have an affiliation with Yale University, either personally or via an immediate family member.

Tips for Landing Your Scholarship

Landing a scholarship takes diligence and commitment. Here are some tips for setting yourself up for success:

Get your application in early. The earlier you send in your application, the more likely you’ll get a discerning eye on it. As the deadline nears, the avalanche of applications pours in. If the committee looks at entries as they come in and yours is early, your entry may garner more assessment time. If it comes in with the near-deadline avalanche, weary recipients may spend less time with it-which could negatively impact your chances.
Apply for local scholarships. Apply to all the scholarships you are qualified for, but don’t discount smaller scholarships offered by local organizations and businesses. Those smaller dollar amounts can add up fast. Community-based scholarships, such as the ones offered by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, also have less competition.
Have someone proofread your application. Having someone else look over your application can help you catch errors you might not see on your own. This is especially true with essays and personal statements, where it’s easy to miss minor mistakes. Frequent errors in your application could impact your chance of getting a scholarship.
Create a great essay that reflects who you are. Almost everything else about the application comprises numbers-e.g., grade point average, scores, even financial info. The essay is where you can break free of the pack and stand out as an excellent candidate. Focus on writing about who you are and what you can bring to the table. Never rush the essay, which is arguably the most important part of any scholarship application. No matter what your resume or transcript says, the essay can be your make-or-break opportunity.
Ask for letters of recommendation early. Colleagues, former professors, community leaders, and others who might agree to write you a recommendation letters are likely very busy people. Ask for letters of recommendation well before you even start your application and remind your contacts of the deadline. It’s better to receive them too early than too late.
Be Organized: Eligibility requirements vary by scholarship. Pro tip: Build a simple tracker (deadline, requirements, documents submitted) and batch your applications weekly to stay organized and meet more deadlines.
Brainstorm Unique Attributes: Set aside some time to brainstorm the unique attributes you have. Remember: the more niche the award, the greater your shot of winning.
Complete the FAFSA: Another major piece of advice is to always complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is your gateway to federal student loans, work-study, grants and, yes, even scholarships. Many scholarships, mostly focused on students with demonstrated financial need, will want a copy of your FAFSA.

Essential Funding Resources for Women Students

The process of securing funding for school may include finding scholarships, grants, or other financial aid resources. However, there’s more to being financially prepared than locating funding. To help you keep your finances on track, we’ve provided a list of budgeting, saving, and other financial resources you can use for college.

Budgeting and Financial Literacy Tools

Budgey: Budgey is an app that allows you to create simple budgets so you can stay on track to pay for school. It’s perfect for college students because all you have to do is name your desired budget, choose spending categories, and input when you get paid.
Clever Girl Finance: Clever Girl Finance for women who want to achieve financial freedom. They offer many free resources for women regarding managing their money and becoming debt-free.
Credit Karma: Credit Karma is another budget app that’s perfect for college students. This app allows students to track their monthly spending and income, receive bill reminders, and monitor their credit score.
The College Financial Lady: The College Financial Lady’s blog and podcast include numerous resources on paying for college expenses and saving money while in college. The host also offers a free masterclass on planning for an affordable college education.
Women’s Institute for Financial Education: The Women’s Institute for Financial Education provides financial education and resources that may benefit women in college.

Guides and Checklists

Discounts & Freebies Every Nursing Student Should Know: Securing funding for college isn’t just about paying tuition. It’s also about having the money to pay for living expenses. If you’re a current nursing student, EduMed’s guide to discounts and freebies for nursing students can help you save.
The Essential FAFSA Checklist for College Students: If you think you might qualify for financial aid, you’ll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This checklist from EduMed walks you through each step you need to take before applying.
The Online College Student’s Guide to Financial Aid: Finding ways to pay for college can be overwhelming, but EduMed’s guide to financial aid for online college students can help you explore your options. This guide provides a wealth of advice and knowledge regarding financial aid resources and online programs.

The Importance of Scholarships for Women

Did you know women make up about 60% of all college students? It's true; female students make up the majority of college coeds, but many still struggle to afford tuition. In fact, research shows that women borrow about 10% more in student loans than men do. That’s where scholarships come in. They’re the best way to pay for college-associated expenses without relying on loans.

Scholarships for women can be controversial. There are laws against gender discrimination, and many women's scholarship funds get bogged down in red tape. Statistics show the need for such measures of inclusion and equality is perhaps greater now than ever. Even with "controls" that measure male and female statistics within the same job type and level of education, the gender gap as recently as 2016 revealed that women earn 98 cents on the dollar, compared to men. The uncontrolled, or "raw," statistics are even more disparate, with women earning just 76 cents for every dollar earned by men. This is not for lack of trying to gain some ground on the part of women. In fact, more than 11 million females were expected to attend college in 2016, encompassing a larger percentage of the college student population than males during that year.

And, while paying for college is a challenge that members of both genders can relate to, women may face additional struggles compared to men when it comes to higher education, such as entering a historically male-dominated field - such as a STEM-related discipline - after graduation, or raising a family while pursuing a degree. This is where our list of dedicated college scholarships for women comes in. Some of the scholarships below are available only to single parents, returning students, or those pursuing specific subjects.

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