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Scholarships
- Scholarships Find out how to get scholarship money for college that you don’t need to pay back.
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Scholarships
Top LGBTQ scholarships for you
Find scholarships for LGBTQ that can help you pay for college.
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What are LGBTQ scholarships?
LGBTQ scholarships are financial aid for college created specifically for LGBTQ students. LGBTQ scholarships can help students attain higher education opportunities that otherwise may be out of reach due to financial reasons. All scholarships are free money for college that you don’t have to pay back.
Eligibility requirements for LGBTQ scholarships
Before you apply for LGBTQ scholarships, make sure you check the eligibility requirements. Some common eligibility requirements may include your GPA, community service, citizenship, plan to attend an accredited program, leadership potential, and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Scholarship eligibility requirements vary, so don’t assume you won’t qualify. Check them out!
Are LGBTQ scholarships worth my time?
Some scholarships are quick and easy to apply for. Others require time and effort. Typically, fewer students apply to scholarships that require work which means you could have better odds of winning.
Pro tip: Don’t skip over scholarships for LGBTQ with smaller award amounts ($). There’s typically less competition for them—and they add up!
How do I find LGBTQ scholarships?
There are many resources to help you find scholarships for LGBTQ.
Scholarship resources
- The financial aid office at a college or career school
- Organizations (such as professional associations) related to your field of interest
- Federal agencies
- Free scholarship search engine tools like Scholly Scholarships
- Local libraries, businesses, or associations
Your high school guidance office is a great place to start when looking for local scholarships. You could also try doing a search for your city’s name and “community foundation,” or the county you live in and “foundation.”
Scholly Scholarships
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Easily search through thousands of college scholarships based on your background, major, state you live in, and more.
Hot tip! Smaller scholarships may have less competition, increasing your odds of winning.
LGBTQ scholarships
Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant
Due: 2/17/2025
No min. GPA Required
Amount Varies
Applicants must be a woman, trans, nonbinary, intersex, agender, or queer individual. Two recommendation letters are required for application.
Janet Cullen Tanaka Geosciences Undergraduate Scholarship
Due: 1/12/2025
No Essays
$2,000
The Janet Cullen Tanaka Geosciences Undergraduate Scholarship will be awarded to female or female-identifying students (cisgender or transgender, gender fluid, and/or non-binary person). They must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in the geosciences, including: geology, environmental/engineering geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and hydrogeology or hydrology. Three letters of reference are required. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Womens Jewelry Association Student Scholarships
Due: 4/30/2025
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$7,000
The WJA Foundation provides scholarships to female-identifying students enrolled in jewelry, metalsmithing or watch programs at an accredited college, university, or training school between August 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025. Scholarships are awarded in three categories: (1) Designer/Creator: based on images of finished pieces that are designed and created by the student; (2) Designer: based on designs by the student, includes CAD and drawings; (3) Non-Designer: essay-based for those studying to be a gemologist, appraiser, watchmaker, bench jeweler, or retailer. Student applicants are not required to be members of WJA but are encouraged to join for free. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
SWE New Jersey Section Scholarship
Due: 3/31/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$2,750
SWE New Jersey was chartered on October 10, 1970. This section supports professional women engineers in the entire state of New Jersey. The SWE New Jersey Section Scholarship aims to support incoming freshman engineering and engineering technology majors. SWE considers academic achievements, participation in extracurricular or volunteer activities, and interest in engineering. Those who identify as a woman and pursue an ABET-accredited program may apply for this scholarship. Students who attend an ABET-accredited community college program full-time are also eligible. A personal reference and STEM reference are required. The personal reference must be a person who has known the applicant for two or more years and who is not a relative or member of the applicant's family. For the STEM reference, it is highly recommended that the reference be someone in a STEM field who is familiar with the applicant's academic work. The references must submit the recommendation letters by the deadline stated. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Society of Women Engineers for more information.
Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship
Due: 3/31/2025
No min. GPA Required
$5,000
Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship is designated for racially/ethnically diverse students enrolled in their final year of a healthcare management graduate program. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a healthcare management graduate program - MHA, MPH, MBA in Healthcare Administration or similar and is expected to graduate between Sept. 1, 2023 and Aug. 31, 2024. Doctoral students are also not eligible to apply. Applicants are not required to be a Student Associate of the American College of Healthcare Executives. However, during the selection process, preference is given to applicants who are Student Associates of ACHE. Three current letters of recommendation (one must be from your graduate program director) are required. For more information, kindly visit the scholarship's website.
PFund Foundation Scholarship Program
Due: 3/11/2025
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$12,000
The PFund Foundation Scholarship Program awards LGBTQIA individuals for their commitment and leadership within LGBTQIA communities. Scholarships support post-secondary academic programs as well as non-scholastic leadership development opportunities. Applicants must be either from or currently attending school in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, or South Dakota. Applicants must also be currently enrolled in or admitted to a GED program, community college, four-year college, university, graduate school, trade school, professional certificate program, or apprenticeship program for the 2024-2025 academic year. Preference will be given to applicants with a strong vision for making a social or political impact in LGBTQIA communities; applicants serving, leading and working for culture change in communities around LGBTQIA issues, recognizing that access to leadership opportunities can vary; and applicants of diverse backgrounds, particularly those from traditionally under-represented communities and demographic groups including but not limited to: (1) Indigenous, Black, People of Color; first generation, immigrant, and new Americans; (2) Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming people, and (3) LGBTQIA Individuals from rural communities across the upper Midwest. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
LEAGUE Foundation LGBTQ Scholarship
Due: 4/14/2025
No Recommendations Required
Amount Varies
LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship is open to self-identified Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender graduating high school seniors.
Philip L. Graham Diversity Fellowships
Due: 4/3/2025
No min. GPA Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The Diversity Fellowships are funded by the Philip L. Graham Fund, the IRE Diversity Development Fund and individual donors. The goal of the fellowships is to increase the diversity of IRE's membership. Journalists, educators and students of color, those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or with disabilities are eligible to apply. Applicants must submit a LinkedIn page or link to resume, links to two clips showcasing investigative work (for journalists), description how the training will be put to use for students (for educators), and letter of support from your supervisor/manager/adviser describing how this training would be beneficial and affirming that you will be given time to attend the training. Independent journalists: this letter will serve as a recommendation letter. For more information, kindly visit the scholarship's website.
Jennifer Leonard Scholarship
Due: 4/3/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
Amount Varies
Journalism students or early-career professional journalists (three years or less of post-college work experience) is eligible to apply. Women of color and trans women are encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit LinkedIn page or link to resume, links two clips showcasing investigative/journalistic work, Link to college transcript (for students only), and a letter of support from your supervisor/manager/adviser describing how this training would be beneficial and affirming that you will be given time to attend the training. Independent journalists: this letter will serve as a recommendation letter. For more information, kindly visit the scholarship's website.
What types of scholarships are available for students?
Need-based scholarships
These are scholarships for students who have demonstrated a financial need. There’s no universal number or set income level that tells you if you qualify. How each scholarship defines what financial need means varies. The federal government as well as specific organizations, corporations, and colleges/universities/schools offer need-based scholarships.
Merit scholarships
Merit scholarships are for students who have shown high academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievement over their high school careers. Not all schools/colleges offer merit-aid—highly selective schools typically don’t. The process for applying for merit scholarships varies. For merit scholarships offered through colleges and universities, you generally don’t have to do anything other than complete the application to the school itself. For some schools, you need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to be eligible.
Career-specific grants or scholarships
These are awarded to students who know they want a career in a specific industry. Maybe they know they want to be a teacher, a nurse, or an engineer. To be eligible for grants, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). To find career-specific scholarships, try searching for your major and “association.”
Community or nonprofit scholarships
Nonprofit and community organizations often receive funding from donors to create scholarship programs for students who need them.
Tips for successful scholarship applications
- Pull together everything you need for the application including transcripts, so you can submit a complete scholarship application.
- You may need a recommendation letter or letters for a scholarship. Ask a teacher, employer, or someone else who knows you to write one for you—and be sure to give them enough time to do it.
- If you’re writing a scholarship essay, follow the prompt, answer the essay question completely, and write from your experience. A few well-written essays that you can reuse for different scholarship applications can really pay off.
- Highlight your strengths and achievements in your application.
- Talk about your financial need and what you would use the scholarship money for if you won. How would it help?
- Have to interview for a scholarship? Dress to impress in a professional outfit. And do your research! Look into how/why the scholarship was created. Try to bring up why it’s meaningful to you. Also, don’t forget to send a thank-you note afterwards.
- Keep track of all the deadlines for the scholarships you’re applying to. If you miss one, they may not extend the due date.
- Apply for scholarships year after year, all through college. As you continue your studies, gain more experience, and try new extracurricular activities in college, you might be eligible for more scholarships you weren’t originally qualified for.
Here are more tips that can help you understand all there is to know about scholarships and up your chances of winning.
Frequently asked questions
These tips can help as you get ready to apply for LGBTQ scholarships.
When are scholarship application deadlines?
There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. Each scholarship has its own deadline, so be sure to keep track of dates and make sure you don’t miss any deadlines of scholarships that you want to apply to.
Do you need to know which college you’re attending?
You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. However, once you’re awarded scholarships, some of them may ask for eligibility verification—which can include proof of college enrollment.
Is there a limit on how many scholarships you can apply for?
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!
Pro tip: Apply for scholarships each year you’re in college.
Does every scholarship application require an essay?
Not every scholarship will ask you to submit an essay—different scholarships have different requirements. If you’re applying for a scholarship with an essay and need help writing yours, get tips for writing scholarship essays.
Need more money for college?
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More resources to explore
Tips for writing scholarship essays
Get tips for writing scholarship essays. Learn what makes a good scholarship essay.
Find scholarship resources
Explore our scholarship resources, articles, and guide to get all the tips and tricks to help pay for college.
Fill out the FAFSA®
Learn when and how to apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to maximize your chances of getting federal student financial aid. Get tips now.
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