Historically, women have not had the same educational career opportunities as men. Many colleges did not even admit women until relatively recently. Luckily, colleges and other educational organizations have created a number of programs aimed at supporting women. There are also a number of scholarships for women to pay for undergraduate or graduate education. These scholarships help level the playing field for all women to pursue their education!

Jump ahead to:

• Top Scholarships for Women in 2021
• Scholarships at Women’s Colleges
• Summary of Scholarships for Women
• Upcoming Scholarships

Also, if you are a mom or a single mom, you can check out our top scholarships for moms and single moms!

Keep on reading to learn more about our top scholarships for women!

Top scholarships for women in 2021

$3,000 Nervo “Revolution” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female students in the US at all levels of study are eligible to apply for this scholarship
• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline: September 1, 2021

$1,000 Raquel Merlini Pay it Forward Scholarship

• Eligibility: Single mothers or divorced women pursuing or considering pursuing a degree in the medical field
• Amount: $1,000 
• Deadline: August 1, 2021

$1,000 Women in Music Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women interested in or already engaged in a career in the music industry
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: August 15, 2021

$1,000 3Wishes Women’s Empowerment Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women planning to attend college in the next two years
• Amount: $1,000 
• Deadline: November 30, 2021

$1,000 Newsette No-Essay Leadership Scholarship for Women

• Eligibility: Open to all female college and graduate students who sign up, read, and apply what they learned from the Newsette, a free daily newsletter that celebrates women
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 31, 2021

$500 Anne DiSerafino Memorial Arts Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female artists who are pursuing a fine arts education at any four-year college or university
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: April 10, 2022

$500 Cocoa Diaries Scholarship

• Eligibility: Black undergraduate female students with a commitment to providing safe spaces and uplift other Black women
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: September 22, 2021

$500 Elevate Women in Technology Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women at any educational level and in any field of study who hope to enter a tech career.
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: October 1, 2021

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
• Deadline: July 1, 2021

MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female students who are currently enrolled or accepted to study full-time in a STEM degree program 
• Amount: $500 to $3,000 (three scholarships are awarded!)
• Deadline: July 20, 2021

Patsy Takemoto Mink Award

• Eligibility: Low-income mothers pursuing an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: August 1, 2021

Paliwal Club of 100 STEAM Scholarship

• Eligibility: Females college and graduate students in S.T.E.A.M related majors
• Amount: $750 to $1.500 (five scholarships are awarded!)
• Deadline: October 15, 2021

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarships and Grants

• Eligibility: Women who are pursuing graduate education
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: November or December 1, 2021

Markforged Distinguished Women Engineers Grant

• Eligibility: Females studying engineering at top-tier technical undergraduate or graduate university programs in the United States
• 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 at 3:00pm CT (Opens on July 30th, 2021, but start reading now!)

Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female high school seniors who are the child, grandchild, niece or nephew of an Army service woman
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: February 2, 2022

KnowBe4 Women’s Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female students who are planning on pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, information assurance, or a similar field. Students must be high school seniors, college students, or masters students.
• Amount: Up to $10,000
• Deadline: February 22, 2021 (Opens November 14, 2021)

Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female residents of the United States or Canada and who are admitted to full-time study in a graduate statistics program
• Amount: $1000
• Deadline: February 23, 2022

AWSCPA Scholarship Award

• Eligibility: Open to female accounting students as undergraduates or graduates.
• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline: March 1, 2022 (Opens December 1, 2021)

Philanthropic Education Organization for Continuing Education Grant

• Eligibility: Women with financial need who are within 18 months of completing an educational program
• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline: Rolling

Women in Skilled Trades Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female students enrolled in an RSI (refrigeration training) program with demonstrated financial need after applying for the FAFSA
• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline: Rolling

Scholarships at women’s colleges

Women’s colleges and universities are single-gender colleges that aim to support women. Below are the top women’s colleges that offer merit scholarships to students.

Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA)

• Agnes Scott College offers a variety of scholarships to first-year freshman students that range from $15,00 to $25,000 per year.
• To qualify for merit scholarships at Agnes Scott, students must submit their Common Application and supporting materials by January 15th.

Barnard College (New York, NY)

• Barnard does not offer merit scholarships, but has a generous need-based financial aid program that meets 100% of demonstrated need for all students.
• To qualify for need-based aid at Barnard, students must submit the CSS Profile and the FAFSA.

Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)

• Bryn Mawr offers merit scholarships of up to $40,000 per year to prospective first year students.
• To qualify for Bryn Mawr merit aid, students simply need to submit their admissions application.

Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)

• Mount Holyoke offers three major merit scholarships to students: the Trustee Full Tuition Scholarship, the 21st Century Scholars program, and the Chin Scholars program.

Scripps College (Claremont, CA)

• Scripps College offers merit scholarships that range from $15,000 to $28,000 per year.
• All applicants are considered for merit scholarships and no other application is necessary.

Smith College (Northampton, MA)

• Smith College offers merit scholarships of up to $25,000 per year to prospective students.
• All Smith applicants for admission are automatically considered for merit aid.

Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)

• Spelman offers merit scholarships to outstanding students in their applicant pool. To be considered, students must have a minimum weighted GPA of 3.8 and minimum testing of 31 on the ACT or 1330 on the SAT.

Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)

• Wellesley College does not offer merit scholarships, but offers generous need-based financial aid.
• Wellesley is also a Questbridge partner, so students can be matched to the College through their Questbridge application (which aims to support high-achieving, low income students)

Summary of Scholarships for Women

1. $3,000 Nervo “Revolution” Scholarship
2. $1,000 Raquel Merlini Pay it Forward Scholarship
3. $1,000 Women in Music Scholarship
4. $1,000 3Wishes Women’s Empowerment Scholarship
5. $1,000 Newsette No-Essay Leadership Scholarship for Women
6. $500 Anne DiSerafino Memorial Arts Scholarship
7. $500 Cocoa Diaries Scholarship
8. $500 Elevate Women in Technology Scholarship
9. Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship — College Award
10. MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship
11. Patsy Takemoto Mink Award
12. Paliwal Club of 100 STEAM Scholarship
13. American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarships and Grants
14. Markforged Distinguished Women Engineers Grant
15. Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
16. Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship
17. KnowBe4 Women’s Scholarship
18. Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship
19. AWSCPA Scholarship Award
20. Philanthropic Education Organization for Continuing Education Grant
21. Women in Skilled Trades Scholarship

Upcoming scholarships for women

$500 Brynn Elliott “Tell Me I’m Pretty” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school and undergraduate females who write about a woman or women in their life that they admire
• Amount: $500

$500 “Fight for Equality” Women in STEM No-Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Females in high school who plan to pursue a degree in STEM
• Amount: $500

African-American Entrepreneurs Grant — Female Award

• Eligibility: Open to current or aspiring Black female entrepreneurs at any level/field of education who share their business ideas
• Amount: $1,000

Amplify Women in STEM Scholarship

• Eligibility: The scholarship is open to female high school seniors and undergraduate students who plan to or are currently pursuing a STEM degree. To apply for this scholarship, share about a woman in STEM (past or present) whom you admire and then explain what you hope to achieve in STEM
• Amount: $2,500

Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation Education Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female, North American citizens, with a passion for a career or advancement in the automotive and its related industries.
• Amount: $2.500

BHW Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women who are pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree in STEM fields
• Amount: $3,000
• Opens: January 2022

Boosting Women in STEM Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to women at all levels of study who plan to or are already taking courses toward a STEM degree. Essay required. 
• Amount: $1,000

Cynthia Lennon Scholarship for Girls

• Eligibility: Open to female high school students who submit a drawing, painting, or photograph that represents an interpretation of the phrase “Conserve Life” and submit a link to where it can be viewed
• Amount: $3,000

Engineer Girl Writing Contest

• Eligibility: Females (and males) in elementary school, middle school, and high school.
• Amount: $500

Future Leaders in Technology Scholarship – College Award

• Eligibility: The scholarship is open to undergraduate college and university students pursuing a degree in computer science, electrical engineering or data science. You must also be a member of an underrepresented group, including: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian or Native American, LGBTQA+, and Women
• Amount: $2,500

Hyundai Women in STEM Scholarship

• Eligibility: The Hyundai Women in STEM Scholarship is for graduating seniors and college women planning on a career in STEM related fields.
• Amount: $10,000

Islamic Society of North America Scholarships

• Eligibility: Students must be Muslim (some of the specific scholarships are for women)
• Amount: Range from $250 to $60,000

Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women who are 35 or older
• Amount: Up to $10,000
• Opens: November 2021

Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship–High School Award 

• Eligibility: Open to all high school level single moms, children of single moms, or people whose lives have been impacted in positive ways by single moms 
• Amount: $1,000

Najal Judd Women in STEM Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to females at all educational levels who write a short essay about the lessons they’ve learned through their journey in STEM. Applicants must also provide a short video about their goals/ambitions in STEM
• Amount: $500

NeW Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Female students in senior year of high school and undergraduate students
• Amount: $500

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

Raytheon’s Women Cyber Security Scholarship Awards

• Eligibility: Females pursuing a degree in cybersecurity or information security.
• Amount: $10,000

Sara Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female golfers who are high school seniors
• Amount: $2,000

Society of Women Engineers Scholarships

• Eligibility: Women studying in community college, baccalaureate, or graduate programs in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science
• Amount: Varies

Women in Aerospace Foundation Scholarship

• Eligibility: College junior or senior women working towards a STEM related degree
• Amount: $2,000

Women in Aviation International Scholarships

• Eligibility: Females who plan to pursue a degree in STEM. Applicants must be a member of Women in Aviation International
• Amount: $500 to $14,800