Top 12 Scholarships for Graduate Students
Scholarships for graduate students can help you pay for their masters or doctoral degree!
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).
We should also add that the majority of graduate school funding for students will come specifically from the colleges themselves. This can include college-specific merit scholarships, as well as full funding for doctoral students who are pursuing their PhD. We always suggest that you check with your specific graduate program for more details about opportunities specific to their institution.
You can keep on reading to learn more about eligibility, deadlines, and amounts for these grad school scholarships.
Here are the top scholarships for graduate students in 2020:
Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
- Eligibility: Women currently enrolled as an undergraduate or masters student (students must have completed at least one year of undergraduate education)
- Deadline: September 27th
- Amount: $10,000
The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to all students, including high school, college, and graduate students
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: May 30th
The “Be Bold” No-Essay Community Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to students who register to Bold.org and has invited many friends
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: May 30th
codePost Computer Science Education Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to undergraduate and graduate students who advance computer science at their schools.
- Amount: up to $500
- Deadline: June 30th
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: June 30
Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
- Eligibility: All high school students, college students, graduate students, and adult learners
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: July 31st
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: July 15th
One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to chess players of all ages.
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: March 23rd
Philosophy Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to all undergraduate and graduate students studying philosophy.
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: May 22nd
ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program
- Eligibility: Open to all high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: May 30th
Smart Borrower No-Essay Scholarship & Loan Forgiveness Grant
- Eligibility: College and graduate students
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: May 30th
Straight North STEM Scholarship
- Eligibility: Open to undergraduate and graduate students studying a STEM subject.
- Amount: up to $1,000
- Deadline: August 1st
Summary of scholarships for graduate students:
- Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
- The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
- The “Be Bold” No-Essay Community Scholarship
- codePost Computer Science Education Scholarship
- Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship
- Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
- Michael Moody Fitness Scholarship
- One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship
- Philosophy Scholarship
- ScholarshipPoints $10,000 Scholarship Program
- Smart Borrower No-Essay Scholarship & Loan Forgiveness Grant
- Straight North STEM Scholarship
Tips for graduate students applying for scholarships
- As we mentioned, most grad school financial aid will come specifically from the graduate school. This can range from need-based financial aid to merit scholarships to tuition remission.
- Online graduate degrees through edX and Coursera offer some of the most affordable options for graduate school. Students can receive a master’s degree from a top university such as University of Illinois, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Texas for $10,000 to $30,000 total.
- In addition to cost, the return on investment 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.
