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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 women scholarships for you
Find scholarships for women that can help you pay for college.
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Here’s a scholarship you can apply for in minutes.
What are women scholarships?
Women scholarships are financial aid for college created specifically for women students. Women 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 women scholarships
Before you apply for women 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 women 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 women with smaller award amounts ($). There’s typically less competition for them—and they add up!
How do I find women scholarships?
There are many resources to help you find scholarships for women.
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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Find scholarships that are right for you
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.
Women scholarships
Greek Women's University Club Scholarships
Due: 6/30/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$5,000
The EOK scholarship program is for deserving young women who have demonstrated community service, leadership, and academic achievement. Previous applicants may apply but must submit a new application. Prior recipients are not eligible. Applicants must submit their verification of enrollment in an accredited US college or university as a degree candidate for undergraduate or graduate study (i.e. letter from advisor, letter of matriculation, tuition bill). Recommendation forms from two academic, professional, or personal references must also be submitted. Applications may also be submitted through email or mail to Jackie McCabe from Hellenic Women's Club, Inc., EOK Scholarship Committee. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Georgia Harkness Scholarships
Due: 3/1/2025
$5,000
The Georgia Harkness Scholarship is designed to encourage women to prepare for ordained ministry as an elder in The United Methodist Church as a second career. The award is not available for undergraduate, D.Min., or Ph.D. work. Applicants must be pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at any University Senate-approved school of theology. Applicants must be a certified candidate for the elder track at time of application. Preference will be given to applicants who have chosen ministry as a second career. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for more information.
Agnes E. Vaghi Scholarship
Due: 3/1/2025
No Essays
Amount Varies
The Agnes E. Vaghi Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student majoring in Italian, English, literature or journalism. Applicants must have an active NIAF Membership. Students may use their parent, guardian or grandparent's membership. Applicants must have Italian American ancestry. To be considered Italian American, the student must have at least one ancestor who has immigrated from Italy. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the National Italian American Foundation for more information.
AWAF Scholarship
Due: 4/19/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Transcripts Required
$7,500
The Association for Women in Architecture Foundation offers annual cash awards to women students studying Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and/or Land Planning, Interior Design, Historic Preservation or Environmental Design leading to a college degree. Applicants must be enrolled in one of the qualifying majors for the current school term. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 18 units in their major by the application due date, or current community college students shall have a minimum of 10 units completed in their major. Applicants must submit a portfolio with 3-4 projects. Following the selection committee's review of submitted application materials, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to participate in an interview as part of the final selection process. Interviews will be held via web conference in early to mid-May. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Association for Women in Architecture Foundation for more information.
Mary McEwen Schimke Scholarship
Due: 1/24/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$1,600
Mary McEwen Schimke Scholarship, a supplemental award to provide relief from household and child care expenses while pursuing graduate study. Preference given to American studies majors. Three letters of recommendation are required for application.
M.A. Cartland Shackford Medical Fellowship
Due: 1/24/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$12,000
M.A. Cartland Shackford Medical Fellowship for the study of medicine with a view to general practice, not psychiatry. Three letters of recommendation are required for application.
Nellie Yeoh Whetten Award
Due: 5/13/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The Nellie Yeoh Whetten Award aims to recognize and encourage excellence by women in graduate studies in the sciences and technologies of interest to AVS. The nominee must be a registered female graduate student in an accredited academic institution at the time when the applications are due. Applicants are normally expected not to graduate before the award selection. The award may be given to a particular individual only once. Following the Awards Committee Meeting in the Spring or Summer, the top eight student nominees are notified and invited to present talks on their research to the Awards Committee in a virtual interview in late summer. After the interview, one of the top three students of the eight finalists will receive the Whetten Award. Criteria for selection of the awardee are excellence in research and academic record. Please visit the award's website or contact the American Vacuum Society for more information.
Association for Women in Mathematics Travel Grants
Due: Varies
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$3,500
The Association for Women in Mathematics Travel Grants enables women mathematicians to attend conferences in their fields and provides them a valuable opportunity to advance their research activities and their visibility in the research community. The Mathematics Travel Grants provide full or partial support for travel and subsistence for a meeting or conference in the applicant's field of specialization. Applicants must be women holding a doctorate (or equivalent) and with a work address in the USA (or home address, in the case of unemployed applicants). Anyone who has been awarded an AWM-NSF travel grant in the past two years is ineligible. Anyone receiving more than $2000 yearly in external governmental funding for travel is ineligible. Partial travel support from the applicant's institution or from a non-governmental agency does not, however, make the applicant ineligible. Decisions on the level of funding provided to successful applicants are based both on funds available to the panel and on our evaluation of whether the level requested was appropriate. These travel funds are provided by the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) of the National Science Foundation. The conference or the applicant's research must be in an area supported by DMS. Applicants must first fill out a pre-survey questionnaire. After the applicants must have completed the pre-survey, they will have access to the online application. Application sites open approximately 45 days in advance of the deadline. Travel Grants application deadlines are February 15, May 15, and October 1. Please visit the award's website for more information.
J. Frances Allen Scholarship Award
Due: 4/19/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
$2,500
The American Fisheries Society is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the J Frances Allen Scholarship for a doctoral fisheries student. The scholarship fund was established with the intent of encouraging women to become fisheries professionals. The qualified applicant must be a PhD student conducting aquatic research in line with AFS objectives, which include "all branches of fisheries science, including but not limited to aquatic biology, engineering, fish culture, limnology, oceanography, and sociology." Applicants must also be current AFS members. Applicants must submit their dissertation research narrative. The research proposal should encompass the applicant's entire dissertation research (not a single project/chapter). Three letters of recommendation are also required. One must be from the applicant's major advisor and one must be from an AFS member. Each letter should address (1) the applicant's promise as a fisheries scientist, (2) the potential of the applicant to complete their proposed work and (3) significance of the applicant's proposed research to the advancement of fisheries science. Awardees will be selected on a competitive basis, with an emphasis placed on research promise, scientific merit, and academic achievement. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
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 women 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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