Top Scholarships for Graduate Students in September 2021
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.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:
- Paying for graduate school
- Top scholarships for graduate students in 2021
- Is graduate school worth it?
- Summary of scholarships for graduate students
- Upcoming scholarships
Keep on reading to learn more about paying for graduate school with financial aid and scholarships!
Paying for graduate school
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!
Jump ahead: Top scholarships for graduate 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.
Top scholarships for graduate students in 2021
Scholarships360 $1,000 No-Essay Scholarship
- Eligibility: Easy scholarship open to any student who creates a Scholarships360 account!
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: September 30, 2022
$2,000 College Repayment Grant
- Eligibility: Open to college graduates who are paying back student loan debt. Parents who took out student loans for their children who have graduated are also eligible!
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: September 30, 2021
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school, college, community and graduate students
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: September 30, 2021
$1,000 Daily Upside Business News Scholarship
- Eligibility: Graduate students majoring in Business Administration/Management
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: September 30, 2021
National Healthcare Heroes Grant for Nurses
- Eligibility: Open to aspiring or current nurses to aid with the cost of their tuition or student loans.
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: November 1, 2021
Markforged Distinguished Women Engineers Grant
- Eligibility: Open to all college and graduate students who share a project they are/have worked on that demonstrates their ability as an engineer
- Amount: $1,500
- Deadline: November 19, 2021
Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
- Eligibility: These scholarships are open to female undergraduate and master’s students studying artificial intelligence/machine learning, data science, computer science or mobile/web development at North American universities, including Canada and Mexico
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: December 4, 2021
Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors, college students, community college students, or graduate students who write an essay about cyberbullying
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: December 31, 2021
Greater Than Gatsby Annual Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors accepted to college, undergraduate and graduate students in the USA interested in photography
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: May 1, 2022
Michael Moody Fitness Scholarship
- Eligibility: High seniors, college students, and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in health, wellness, or fitness
- Amount: $1,500
- Deadline: August 1, 2022
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
Is graduate school worth it?
Because of the cost, students who are considering graduate school need to give it serious thought before making the commitment. Primarily, students should ask themselves: “is graduate school necessary or worth it for me?”
Assessing return on investment (ROI) is an extremely important part of the grad school search and selection process. In some cases, it is better for students to go to the more expensive grad school if the payoff is higher. Employment statistics and average starting salaries are important metrics to look at when comparing different masters and doctoral programs.
As far as the necessity of graduate school, you should figure out whether your aspirations require it. If you want to become a doctor, lawyer, or professors, then yes, graduate school will be required.
If your aspirations are unclear or you are interested in a field that does not absolutely require a master’s degree or doctoral degree, then you may want to hold off on grad school. For many students, work experience will be more valuable than a graduate degree.
Related: Grad school financial aid options
Summary of scholarships for graduate students
- $2,000 College Repayment Grant
- $2,000 Nitro College Scholarship
- $1,000 Daily Upside Business News Scholarship
- National Healthcare Heroes Grant for Nurses
- Markforged Distinguished Women Engineers Grant
- Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
- Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship
- Greater Than Gatsby Annual Scholarship
- Michael Moody Fitness Scholarship
Upcoming grad school scholarships
John Lennon Scholarships
- Eligibility: Current student or alumnus/alumna at a U.S. college or university between the ages of 17 and 24 who submit an original song in any genre
- Amount: $20,000 (three will be awarded!)
Goldman Sachs MBA Fellowship
- Eligibility: First-year Hispanic/Latino, Native American, or women MBA students pursuing a 2021 Summer Associate position at Goldman Sachs
- Amount: Fellowship recipients receive a $35,000 award in addition to the Summer Associate salary. Upon successful completion of the summer internship and acceptance of a full-time offer, Fellowship recipients will be awarded an additional $40,000, plus any full-time Associate signing bonus, as applicable.
Little Bundle Superdad Scholarship — College Award
- Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate level students who are either single fathers or are the children of single fathers are eligible to apply
- Amount: $2,000
Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship — College Award
- Eligibility: Open to undergraduate or graduate level single moms, children of single moms, or people whose lives have been impacted in positive ways by single moms
- Amount: $2,000
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship
- Eligibility: Applicants must be qualified for admission to full-time graduate study and working toward graduate degrees in an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada. Students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada are not eligible
- Amount: $12,500
Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to students between the ages of 16 and 26 who submit a video entry about their life’s passion
- Amount: $5,000 to $25,000 per year
