Women are enrolling in college classes at increasing rates, but doing so often comes at great expense – many graduates leave school with significant debt burdens.
Scholarships for women can help bridge the gap between tuition costs and financial aid, while simultaneously closing gender disparities in certain fields.
Scholarships available to students come with their own individual criteria and requirements, and vary based on who’s applying and their fields of interest. Some scholarships exist to encourage women into STEM fields while others seek to help single mothers return to education.
The Agnes Drexler Kujawa Scholarship
An education is key for many women’s future success; however, the costs associated with tuition, room and board, books and more can be daunting. Luckily, there are scholarships that specifically target non-traditional students that can help them overcome financial hurdles that would otherwise prevent them from finishing their degree programs.
Some scholarships target specific subject areas or levels of study, like Reach for the Gold Book Scholarship which acknowledges academic and benevolent achievement among young women of color. Other scholarships provide assistance for wide range of students seeking colleges that fit them like CAPPEX’s $1,000 “A GPA Isn’t Everything” Scholarship which provides help finding colleges where one will find happiness.
Single mother scholarships can also provide assistance for both incoming freshmen and returning students alike, helping with costs such as outside expenses, child care and even transportation to class.
The Agnes Drexler Kujawa Scholarship was established to remember and provide for her family financially by forgoing her college education herself. It focuses on non-traditional female students looking for an accounting or finance degree.
Other scholarships target specific groups of people, like Lutheran Laywomen in particular. There are Opportunity Scholarships for Lutheran Laywomen which assist women from ELCA congregations looking for careers outside ordained ministry; as well as scholarships available specifically to women of color or STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). There is an abundance of help available for women seeking assistance with their college educations.
The Business and Professional Women’s Foundation
Imagine a young girl’s ambition of becoming a doctor or scientist researching rare diseases; or an aspiring entrepreneur’s desire of owning their own company. At Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, financial support is available to help working women pursue their ambitions. The foundation’s scholarship program awards graduating high school seniors who demonstrate excellence in extracurricular educational activities with a $1500 award that can be applied toward tuition or school expenses such as books. Applications are accepted from residents of Latrobe, Derry Area or Greensburg Central Catholic high schools who intend to attend either an accredited vocational/technical trade school, 2- or 4-year college/university.
At its inception in 1919, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s clubs (BPW) served to identify women’s resources and potential. After World War I, three primary issues drove BPW’s legislative agenda: eliminating employment discrimination due to gender, equal pay for men and enacting laws allowing federal income tax deductions for dependent care costs. Locally, Tulsa BPW club held educational workshops as well as established scholarships that assisted women’s educational expenses.
In 2009, BPW/USA and the BPW Foundation joined forces to continue their long-standing advocacy work for working women. The combined organization, now known as BPW/USA/BPW Foundation, provides research, education and career development programs for women of all ages. Furthermore, its public policy focus will remain strong with regards to small business issues, women veterans issues, green economy women as well as equal pay affecting working women and their families – such as small business loans for veterans or equal pay issues being some examples. Furthermore, grassroots activism along with volunteers ensure key issues are being addressed at local, state or national levels.
The Renate W. Chasman Scholarship
Many women don’t stop at earning an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree; they wish to pursue further study with Master’s and even Doctoral degrees, but funding such advanced degrees can be challenging. Luckily, there are scholarships available specifically for female students looking to continue their education beyond these initial levels.
Brookhaven Women in Science (BWIS), part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, offers one such scholarship: Renate W. Chasman Scholarship. This honoring of late physicist Renate Chasman who pioneered electron particle accelerator research was instrumental in shaping some of today’s most powerful accelerators; students enrolled in third or fourth year undergraduate or first-year graduate natural science or math programs can apply; it is co-managed by BWIS and Stony Brook University who co-manages both labs to offer this scholarship opportunity.
Another scholarship option available to women who need financial aid and are working toward either an undergraduate or graduate degree is the AARP Foundation David Risling Emergency Aid Scholarship, offering awards ranging from $100-400. A competitive selection committee evaluates each applicant based on her financial need, educational and career goals, personal circumstances and achievements as well as challenges she may be experiencing and the scholarship will impact their life positively.
Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting offers an annual scholarship that is specifically aimed at low-income women returning to college to complete their undergraduate degrees. Recognizing that returning to school can be daunting and costly, EFWA gives women an opportunity to reach their educational goals by providing financial aid through this scholarship. Applicants are asked to write an essay describing themselves and how this scholarship will benefit both themselves and their family.
The AARP Foundation
The AARP Foundation, an affiliate of American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group dedicated to issues impacting older Americans. The Foundation funds organizations that create economic opportunity and financial security for older adults systemically; additionally it offers scholarships that assist older adults who wish to continue their education or career training.
The AARP Foundation’s multiplatform campaign seeks to raise awareness about how millions of older adults struggle to meet basic needs, with women particularly affected. One spot shows an empty table top filled with photo frames, mail, and other clutter until eventually someone sweeps it all up into a truck for transportation.
AARP’s BACK TO WORK 50+: Women’s Economic Stability Initiative (WESI), funded through a Social Innovation Fund grant, seeks to move low income women age 50 or above from instability into economic security. WESI’s implementation is carried out via community colleges that host information sessions as well as recruit job candidates for targeted training and employment assistance programs.
Other programs supported by the AARP Foundation include Tax-Aide, which offers free tax counseling and preparation services across the U.S.; Property Tax-Aide helps people locate property tax credits and refunds; as well as technology services designed specifically for older adults to help them thrive in today’s digital economy.
To qualify for a BACK TO WORK 50+ scholarship, applicants must be women aged 40 or over who have moderate to low incomes with limited resources and are currently enrolled in an accredited school or technical program. AARP scholarships provide up to $5,000 toward tuition costs and fees associated with qualified applications.
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship
This scholarship is tailored to assist women from countries other than the U.S. and Canada who want to pursue graduate studies at colleges or universities within these nations. Established by Philanthropic Educational Organization in 1949, its purpose is to use education for world peace. Scholarships are based on need, but do not cover all living expenses; applicants should provide details regarding any additional financial resources that may help cover anticipated costs such as personal finances, tuition waivers, teaching assistantships, labor scholarships and study grants that might aid their application.
The Stipend Scholarship offers funding for up to one year for academic expenses and living costs in either the USA or Canada. Applicants must possess an admission letter from their university as well as provide details regarding their financial circumstances in a statement that must include a pledge that they will return home after finishing degree programs or Optional Practical Training programs or OPT.
Applications may be submitted anytime during the year; however, completed applications must be returned to IPS office no later than December 15. Scholarships from IPS are open to qualified women who are non-citizen or permanent resident non-US and Canadian residents but enrolled at an accredited college or university within either nation.
Applications must include both an online application and eligibility form in order to be considered for this scholarship. Applications will be considered nondiscriminatorily without regard for age, race, national origin, religion or handicap. Those selected for a scholarship will be interviewed by members of their local P.E.O. Sisterhood chapter as well as meeting with our Trustees; scholarships and grants are made possible thanks to tax-deductible gifts from individual donors as well as from P.E.O. Foundation donors.
