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Top 399 Scholarships for Graduate Students in January 2023
One of the biggest misconceptions about student debt is that it is mostly impacting college students. The reality is that the graduate school student debt is growing at an even more rapid pace. Luckily there are a number of great graduate student scholarships available!
So whether you are a masters student or a doctoral student you can receive funding to help pay for college (and also eliminate your student debt burden).
Jump ahead to…
- Top scholarships for graduate students
- Program-specific graduate school scholarships
- How to win scholarships for grad students
- Grad school funding sources
- Tips for paying for grad school
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 399 Scholarships for Graduate Students in January 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Baer Reintegration Scholarship
Offered by The Center for Reintegration
Open to postsecondary students in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder.
Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group Research Grant
Offered by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Open to registered dietitians and dietetic student members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund
Offered by Philanthropic Educational Organization
Open to international women students who wish to pursue graduate study in the U.S. or Canada. U.S. and Canadian citizens are ineligible.
NAJA Graduate Scholarship Program
Offered by National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc.
Open to students who are pursuing graduate level studies for one year in fields which address the special needs of children and youth.
La Caixa Foundation Postgraduate Fellowships
Offered by La Caixa Foundation
Individuals of Spanish or Portuguese nationality who wish to pursue postgraduate study in North America, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific region.
L. Dwight Schwartz Travel Scholarship
Offered by American Association of Avian Pathologists
Open to students enrolled in a DVM/VMD program at an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine.
SWSIS Scholarships
Offered by Applied Computer Security Associates (ACSA) & CRA-WP
Women pursuing bachelors and masters degrees in fields relating to information security.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
SAVMA Economics Initiative Essay Contest
Offered by American Veterinary Medical Association
Open to veterinary school students who submit an essay about how to alleviate students' financial stress.
Libbie H. Hyman Memorial Scholarship For Courses & Research at a Field Station
Offered by The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology
Advanced undergraduates and first/second-year graduate students looking to do research at marine, freshwater, or terrestrial field stations.
ACECNJ General Scholarships
Offered by American Council of Engineering Companies
Open to college upperclassmen and graduate students pursuing a degree in an ABET-accredited engineering or a land-surveying program in NJ.
Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program
Offered by Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
Open to college sophomores and graduate students pursuing degrees in accounting, business administration, criminal justice, or finance.
American Council of the Blind’s (ACB) Scholarship Program
Offered by American Council of the Blind
Open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are legally blind and maintain a strong GPA.
Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program
Offered by American Traffic Safety Services Foundation (ATSSA)
Open to dependents of roadway workers killed or permanently disabled in roadway work zones who want to pursue higher education.
Thz Fo Farm Scholarship Fund
Offered by Hawaii Community Foundation
Open to postsecondary students of Chinese descent who are studying gerontology. Preference will be given to residents of Hawaii.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
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Program-specific graduate school scholarships
If you are pursuing a specific graduate program, you can check out these program-specific scholarship guides:
- Accounting Scholarships
- Computer Science Scholarships
- Law School Scholarships
- MBA Scholarships
- Medical School Scholarships
- Nursing Scholarships
- Dentistry scholarships
- Pharmacy school scholarships
How to win scholarships for graduate students
As someone who has already gone through the process of earning your undergraduate degree, you probably have some experience with applying for scholarships. However, students applying for graduate scholarships would do well to emphasize a few different points to help ensure successful applications.
Graduate students typically have a more specific idea of their future career goals than undergraduate students. Make sure to emphasize this in your application and include all the particular things you hope to accomplish. If you have gained work experience between undergraduate and graduate school, frame your pursuits in this context. The more you demonstrate that you are working towards the plans you hope to further with your graduate degree, the more impactful your applications will be.
Writing strong applications
While your circumstances may have changed since undergraduate, the principles of writing a strong essay haven’t! We have a whole host of guides for writing strong scholarship essays and applications. That includes writing 250 word essays, 500 word essays, writing essays about yourself, or starting or finishing your essays. We also have a guide on writing a winning scholarship essay and can help you with finding local scholarships.
Graduate school funding sources
Students will generally pay for graduate school using a few different funding sources. The most common sources are private scholarships, need-based financial aid and grants, and university-specific scholarships.
Private graduate school scholarships
There some great private organizations that offer scholarships for students pursuing their masters or doctoral degrees! These scholarships support graduate students of all stripes including medical school students, law school students, business school students, masters students, and doctoral students!
Need-based financial aid for grad school
Need-based financial aid is another important way to pay for graduate school. For graduate school, need-based aid can include both grants (that don’t need to be repaid) and student loans (that do need to be repaid).
For need-based graduate school financial aid, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. This allows students to be considered for both need-based grants and federal student loans. Some colleges may also require additional forms, so always check with your specific graduate program for more details about their financial aid process.
Many colleges may also require students to submit the CSS Profile, which is a financial aid application that is hosted by the College Board. The CSS Profile is how students can access institutional financial aid from the universities.
University-specific merit scholarships
Many graduate schools will also offer university-specific scholarship opportunities. You should check with the graduate programs that you are applying for for more information about scholarship opportunities that you may be eligible for.
Some graduate students may qualify for fellowships or assistantships that allow them to gain valuable experience and also receive funding to pay for grad school.
Tips for paying for graduate school
Paying for graduate school has a few key differences from paying for undergraduate. Here are some tips to help you take advantage of every form of financial aid out there:
Look for scholarships and fellowships at your school
Check out your school’s website and reach out to the financial aid office to learn about scholarships and fellowships. They may refer you to institutional opportunities, or, since they are experts in the field, they may know about specific opportunities that suit your interests or demographics. You can’t go wrong by reaching out to the financial aid office for advice.
Also see: How to win local scholarships
Apply for scholarships early and often
Remember, it’s never too early or late to apply for scholarships. Each opportunity has a different deadline, so you should be looking for opportunities regularly. Our scholarship finder is a great way to keep up with the latest opportunities. We will match you with vetted scholarships that automatically update as deadlines pass and new scholarships open.
Proofread your application essays!
Essays are one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd in a scholarship application! Check out our guides to writing about yourself, writing a 250 word essay, and writing a 500 word essay. We also have a guide to writing a winning scholarship essay. Even if you are a confident writer, it’s a good idea to check out these guides. Scholarship essays are written with a different intent than the essays you write in school.
Check with your employer about tuition reimbursement
An increasing number of employers now offer tuition reimbursement. With tuition reimbursement, your employer will help pay for your continued education. Since employers generally prefer hiring from within instead of hiring new employees, this works out for both employer and employee.
Some employers only offer opportunities to pursue education to advance your career at their company. But others, such as Starbucks, Chipotle, or Amazon, allow you to pursue different fields of education that you can use to get hired elsewhere.
Consider inexpensive online options
Online educational programs are becoming increasingly popular, especially after the pandemic. You can find a lot of reputable online graduate programs through Coursera. Schools offer a wide breadth of programs through Coursera, including iMBAs. There are also many scholarships available specifically for online students.
Consider certificate programs as an alternative
For some students, graduate school might not be a financial option at the moment. But there are still ways to advance your career through further education. College alternatives, such as certificate programs and coding bootcamps, can raise your earning potential with significantly less time and financial commitment.
Frequently asked questions about graduate school scholarships
Related: Grad school financial aid options
