25+ Scholarships for Women (2024)

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    Introduction

    According to an article by the Washington Post, 50 years ago, 42 percent of college students were women.

    Compare this percentage to 2019, where 56 percent of college students were women. It's clear that women have come a long way in terms of becoming more represented on college campuses across the globe.

    With a significant increase in women pursuing higher education, there are now more scholarships being offered specifically for women than ever before.

    Types of Scholarships for Women

    As with all scholarships, scholarships for women come in the form of opportunities based on financial need as well as merit.

    Need-based scholarships are scholarships in which one of the eligibility requirements is demonstrated financial need.

    By contrast, merit-based scholarships for women are awarded on the basis of proven success both inside and outside the classroom. A scholarship based on merit may look at your grades, test scores, or leadership experience, among other things.

    Scholarships for women fall into nearly every category imaginable.

    However, many of these scholarships are created with the intent of supporting women achieve success in historically underrepresented professions or career fields. A few of these areas are STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, finance, and architecture.

    Scholarships for women come in all shapes and sizes, which can sometimes make the process feel overwhelming!

    Finding scholarships that fit your specific criteria isn’t always easy, but that’s why we’re here to help. Keep reading for our list of great scholarships for women to help get you started.

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    Scholarships for Women in 2024

    • Award amount: $1,000

      Application deadline: Quarterly (March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31)

      Eligibility:

      -Open to high school, college, and graduate school students of all years 

    • Award amount: $10,000

      Application deadline: January 15

      This scholarship provides young women with the opportunity to study for one academic year at American colleges and universities.

      Eligibility:

      -Must be a non-U.S. citizen living outside the United States

      -Must be in or planning to enter the field of education.

      -Must have received an undergraduate degree, and be eligible for a Master's degree.

    • Award amount: $5,000

      Application deadline: January 31

      The Dinah Shore Scholarship is granted to a female high school senior who is pursuing a college education.

      Eligibility:

      -Must have at least a 3.0 GPA

      -Must be passionate about golf, but not planning to play in college

    • Award amount: $2,000 - $3,000

      Application deadline: January 31

      The Norma Ross Walter Scholarship provides financial assistance to female graduates of Nebraska high schools.

      Eligibility:

      -Must be a female high school senior and incoming college student

      -Must plan to continue your education as an English major at an accredited college or university

    • Award amount: Varies

      Application deadline: February 1

      The SME Education Foundation offers scholarships for graduating high school seniors and current college students. A number of these scholarships are open specifically to women and minorities.

      Eligibility:

      -Must have at least a 2.0 GPA

      -Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the US or Canada

      -Must be on the path to a degree in manufacturing engineering or technology

    • Award amount: $10,000

      Application deadline: February 3

      Eligibility:

      -Available annually to college graduates who will be entering into the first year of graduate school

      -Must be seeking admission or have been accepted into a sports administration program at an accredited NCAA member institution

      -Must have a GPA of 3.2

    • Award amount: $6,000

      Application deadline: February 15

      Eligibility:

      -Must be an African American female

      -Must be a resident of the Denver metropolitan area

      -Must be a graduating high school senior

      -Minimum 3.0 GPA

    • Average amount awarded: Varies

      Application deadline: February 15 for college sophomores, juniors and seniors; March 1 for incoming/current college freshmen.

      The SWE Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to those who identify as a female/woman and are studying in preparation for careers in STEM fields.

      Eligibility varies.

    • Average Award Amount: $2,000

      Application deadline: February 17

      Eligibility:

       -Must identify as female or non-binary

      -Must be aged 35 or older

      -Must have demonstrated financial need

      -Must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States

      -Must be pursuing an associate or first-time bachelor’s degree

    • Award amount: $2,500 - $5,000

      Application deadline: February 17

      The Women in Accounting Scholarship was created to encourage women to pursue a career in accounting.

      Eligibility:

      -Open to undergraduate sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as graduate students

      -Must have demonstrated financial need

      -Must plan to pursue an accounting career in Massachusetts.

    • Award amount: $2,000

      Application deadline: March 15

      This scholarship award is open to female college sophomores and juniors studying physics, including space physics and geophysics, or geoscience. 

      Eligibility:

      -Must be a US citizen and attend college in the US

      -Must be a member of the SPS national organization

    • Award amount: $1,000

      Application deadline: March 15

      The Claes Nobel Future Female Leader award was established to encourage and empower young women to assume future leadership roles in all aspects of life.

      Eligibility:

      -Open to high school seniors who identify as female 

      -Must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

    • Award amount: $2,500

      Application deadline: March 19

      Eligibility:

      -Must be a California resident or attend school in California

      -Must major in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and land planning, interior design, or environmental design

      -Must have completed 18 units in your major by the application date

    • Award amount: $2,500

      Application deadline: March 31 

      Eligibility:

      -Open to undergraduate and graduate female students studying architecture or architecture-related engineering 

    • Award amount: $1,000

      Application deadline: April 1 

      Eligibility:

      -Must be an undergraduate student

      -Must be pursuing a degree in computing/computer science/related field 

    • Award amount: up to $5,000

      Application deadline: April 15

      Eligibility:

      -Open to undergraduate and graduate students

      -Must be pursuing a degree related to automotive management, business, automotive education, or similar field

    • Award amount: $1,000 - $5,000

      Application deadline: June 15

      The Girls Impact the World Film Festival is a film festival and scholarship program. Students submit 3-6 minute short films that focus on a variety of global women’s issues.

      Eligibility:

      -Open to high school and undergraduate students

      -Filmmakers must be between the ages of 13 and 25

    • Award amount: $1,000

      Application deadline: October 31 

      Eligibility:

      This scholarship is open to female college or university students pursuing STEM, or other technology-related studies and careers.

      -Minimum 3.0 GPA 

    • Award amount: $750

      Application deadline: November 15

      This is a scholarship opportunity for young women or gender non-conforming individuals of color who are actively working to change the world.

      Eligibility:

      -Applicants must be young women or gender non-conforming individuals of color who are currently enrolled in college/university.

    • Award amount: Full-ride!

      Application deadline: December 13

      The Science Ambassador Scholarship is a full-ride scholarship for undergraduate women studying science, technology, engineering, or math. 

      Eligibility:

      -You must be a high school senior or an undergraduate college student to apply

      -You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to apply. However, you do need to attend college (or plan to attend college) in the US

    • Award amount: $1,250

      Application deadline: December 31

      Eligibility:

      -Open to female college students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year 

      -Must be AIAA student member to apply

      -Course of study must provide entry into some field of science or engineering encompassed by AIAA

      -Minimum 3.3 GPA required

    • Award amount: Varies

      Application deadline: Varies (specific to each chapter)

      The EWISP scholarship is an annual program that awards more than $200,000 in college scholarship money each year to qualifying high school seniors.

    • Award amount: $5,000

      Application deadline: Rolling  

      The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance to promote medical education for women attending college in Texas.

      If seeking a degree, the applicant must have completed at least two semesters of studies. 

    • Award amount: $1,500

      Application deadline: November 1 and April 1

      These merit-based scholarships are awarded twice per year to support and encourage women to study all aspects of International Trade. Specific disciplines include commercial relations, trade policy and negotiations, economic development, women’s economic empowerment, and more.

      Eligibility:

      -Applicants must identify as female

      -Must be currently enrolled at an accredited U.S. university or college, either full-time or part-time

      -Applicants must be an undergraduate junior or senior, or enrolled in graduate school.

    • Award amount: $2,000

      Application Deadline: March 15 and September 15

      This scholarship is open to any female high school or college student who wants to start her own online business. 

    • Award amount: $5,000

      Application deadline: Not set

      Brown and Caldwell values equality in the workplace and support the great work of organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers. This scholarship supports female students that are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental profession.

    Frequently asked questions about scholarships for women

    While there are hundreds of scholarships out there open specifically for women to apply for, they are usually based on additional criteria as well, such as your intended major, grades, or passion for a specific cause or career-path.

    So, while you likely will not come across any scholarships that provide awards just for being a woman, you will certainly find many scholarships that have identifying as a female to be a prerequisite for applying.

    General scholarship tips

    After listing all of these awesome scholarships for women, I’d be remiss to not include some tips for applying to help you succeed in the next step of this journey! A few quick tips:

    1. Be UNIQUE, Be YOU! This is one of the most important pieces of advice I impart on students applying for scholarships. Unleash your individuality! When writing essays for any and all scholarship opportunities, the goal is to make your essay stand out from the rest, so that the scholarship committee remembers your application when it’s time to narrow down and pick winners.  
    2. Make sure you're eligible (and aware of all application requirements) before you apply. It is so important to double check all requirements for each and every scholarship you find before you start working on the application. Doing so will minimize the likelihood that you apply for an opportunity you're not eligible for, or apply without all of the necessary requirements!
    3. Ask for help when you need it. We all know that the process of searching and applying for scholarships can be confusing and sometimes even stressful. So, whether you have questions about application requirements (i.e. essays), your eligibility, or anything else, don't be afraid to seek out your resources and ask for help!
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