Throughout my time running Access Scholarships, I have spoken to students of all kinds about scholarships that fall into all sorts of categories. One of those categories is scholarships for graduate school students.
Depending on your area of study and intended career path, graduate school can range from being an absolute necessity to simply being a helpful addition to an already earned undergraduate degree.
Regardless of where graduate school stands for you on this spectrum, it's important to know that scholarships for graduate school are out there to help you fund your journey.
While graduate scholarships tend to be slightly less common than college scholarships (for undergraduate students), that doesn't mean there aren't some great opportunities out there for you to apply for! Further down in this post, we'll highlight some great scholarships for graduate school students. Keep reading for the good stuff!
There are many different types of graduate degrees out there. I recently published this blog post which outlines most, if not all, of the various types of undergraduate and graduate degrees that are out there.
One important callout I want to make is that some graduate scholarships will specify if they are open to all graduate students or only masters students, whereas others will not. If you're a doctoral student and you are not sure if a scholarship is open to you, I highly recommend reaching out to the provider directly to clarify if you're eligible before starting your application.
Now, back to the topic at hand!
Without further ado (as I always say in these posts), keep reading for our short yet diverse list of great scholarships for graduate school students.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Quarterly
Applicable areas of study: Open to all graduate students, no minimum GPA and no essay required!
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Monthly
Applicable areas of study: Open to all. No essay required!
Amount: $4,000
Deadline: Monthly
Applicable areas of study: Open to all graduate school students.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Monthly
Applicable areas of study: Open to all graduate school students.
Amount: $15,000
Deadline: January 4
Applicable Areas of Study: Law
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 31
Applicable areas of study: Open to all graduate students, no minimum GPA required!
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: January 15
Applicable Areas of Study: Education / teaching
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: January 16
Applicable Areas of Study: Behavioral Health
Amount: $7,500
Deadline: January 18
Applicable Areas of Study: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: January 24
Applicable Areas of Study: Physiology or related fields
Amount: up to $5,000 per month on the fellowship
Deadline: January 25
Applicable Areas of Study: Humanities
Amount: up to $16,000
Deadline: January 31
Applicable Areas of Study: Aerospace, Aerospace Technology, or related fields
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: January 31
Applicable Areas of Study: Aerospace, Aviation Training, Aerospace Engineering, Aviation Management, Air Traffic Control, A&P certification, Commercial Airline Pilot, or any STEM field
Amount: $6,000
Deadline: January 31
Applicable Areas of Study: STEM majors/areas of study with aerospace relevance
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Dental hygiene or related field
Amount: up to $20,000
Deadline: February 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Ocean Engineering
Amount: up to $5,000
Deadline: mid-February
Applicable Areas of Study: Hospitality
Amount: up to $5,000
Deadline: February 15
Applicable Areas of Study: All majors, but an emphasis on STEM
Amount: Varies, $1,000 - $17,000
Deadline: February 15
Applicable Areas of Study: Engineering
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Medical Technology, Nursing
Amount: up to $5,000
Deadline: March 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Accounting
Amount: up to $5,000
Deadline: March 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Must have an interest (career or hobby) in the automotive field
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: March 15
Applicable Areas of Study: Civil, Architectural, or Structural Engineering
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: March 31
Applicable Areas of Study: Interior design
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 31
Applicable Areas of Study: Anything, as long as you played a sport during your undergraduate years! Open only to black female-identifying students.
Amount: $500
Deadline: April 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Psychology, Counseling
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: April 15
Applicable Areas of Study: Nursing, Healthcare
Amount: up to $10,000
Deadline: April 19
Applicable Areas of Study: Nutrition, Dietetics, related areas
Amount: $24,000
Deadline: May 4
Applicable Areas of Study: Engineering
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 14
Applicable Areas of Study: Nursing
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: September 24
Applicable Areas of Study: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing (including BSN), Public Health/Policy, Physician Assistant
Amount: Varies
Deadline: September 7
Applicable Areas of Study: Law
Amount: $500
Deadline: September 30
Applicable Areas of Study: Law
Amount: $90,000
Deadline: October 29
Applicable Majors/Areas of Study: Any (but you must be either an immigrant to the US for study or the child of two immigrant parents)
Amount: $3,750
Deadline: November 1
Applicable Areas of Study: Construction or related area
Amount: varies from $1,000 to full tuition
Deadline: varies for each scholarship
Applicable Areas of Study: Business
Amount: up to $5,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Applicable Areas of Study: Any, but the goal of this program is to increase the number of professors who teach and research in management accounting
Amount: up to $3,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Applicable Areas of Study: Any, but must be able to show interest in alternative energy (through an essay)
Amount: $40,000
Deadline: Varies
Applicable Areas of Study: Museum Conservation
At the end of the day, I hope that one or more of these scholarships is up your alley! If not, it's no sweat! The best way to find scholarships for graduate school is to head over to our scholarship search. Using this tool, you can get more personalized results based on your area of study, home state, and more.
If you’re still in the process of applying to graduate school and comparing programs, I also recommend checking out each program’s financial aid page. That way, you can see what scholarship opportunities each may offer and also compare costs while you're there.
Finally, if you’re looking to head into law, a medical field, or business, and you need scholarships for graduate school, be sure to check out these resources:
