Top 5 overall scholarships for women
Our editors selected these scholarships due to the strong reputation of their organizations, the value of their awards, and the fact that they are open to a wide number of students. Apply with confidence to these 5 top scholarships for women:
- Generation Google Scholarship – For HS seniors, college, and grad students who plan to study computer science or engineering. Worth $10,000. Preference given to women and ethnic minorities
- Navisite’s Next Steminist Scholarship Program – For women who are HS seniors or college students and submit a 60-second video about their dream STEM career. Worth $10,000
- More Women Leading Scholarship – For women in undergrad who identify as leaders and respond to a prompt about leadership. Worth $1,000
- “Mom to Scholar” Scholarship for Mothers – For mothers who are seeking a technical or BA degree. Worth $1,000
- Hyundai Women in STEM Scholarship – For HS seniors and college undergrads who identify as female and are pursuing STEM. Worth $10,000
Also see: Top Women in STEM Scholarships
Related: Top scholarships for Black women
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)
Related: Full list of women’s colleges
How to win scholarships for women
Like any scholarships, scholarships for women receive a huge number of applications, so it’s important to make yours stand out if you want to win. Before you start writing your application, it’s a good idea to give the scholarship prompts and background a very thorough read-through.
Try to identify the values and principles that the organization values, and emphasize those in your writing. Make sure you are answering the prompts directly, and speaking to how your experience as a woman has shaped your choices. If you have experienced discrimination or setbacks as the result of your gender, try to frame these setbacks as learning opportunities rather than emphasizing the unfairness which they caused. This shows that you have found ways to increase your impact in the face of adversity.
Writing strong essays
One of the best ways to make your application stand out is to write some strong essays. Luckily, we have a host of resources to help you fine-tune your writing. These include guides on how to write about yourself, how to start and end scholarship essays, and how to write a winning scholarship essay. We can also help you tailor your writing to 250 or 500 word prompts, and respond to the most common scholarship essay prompts. Good luck!
Resources for women in underrepresented fields
Despite the many advances towards gender equality, there are still many academic and professional fields where women are very underrepresented. Luckily, there are great professional organizations out there to help women who decide to pursue these fields.
Women pursuing STEM and engineering degrees should check out the Society of Women Engineers. They offer many scholarships and professional opportunities for women in engineering. There are many other more specific organizations aimed to support women in subfields of STEM. For example, computer science majors should check out the ACM Committee on Women in Computing.
The American Association of University Women, or AAUW, is another great resource fighting for gender equality in academia and the professional sphere. They offer a wide variety of scholarships, fellowships, grants, and workshops for women pursuing higher education. No matter your field of study, be sure to see if they have any resources to help you out.
Make sure to look for an organization that matches your interests to find new scholarship and networking opportunities!
Frequently asked questions about scholarships for women
What GPA do you need to win scholarships for women?
Can you get a grant for being a woman?
Are there scholarships for women in STEM?
Many local organizations also offer local scholarships for women in STEM. You should also keep in mind that, since women are underrepresented in STEM, many STEM scholarships will prioritize giving awards to women. So, even if the award is not only for women, you might have a better chance than a man.
Other scholarship lists to explore
- Scholarships for high school seniors
- STEM scholarships
- Scholarships for moms and single moms
- Scholarships for minority students
- Easy scholarships to apply for
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