Scholarships for Women

Updated on March 21, 2025

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Many scholarships for women are available, but finding them can be daunting. Browse our list of the best scholarships for women by field and degree.

Scholarships for women in STEM and medicine can create greater opportunities for women in those fields.
MBA scholarships can give women the tools for leadership roles.
Scholarships for women of color at the graduate and undergraduate levels are on the rise.
Graduate scholarships, grants, and fellowships for women are available in most fields.

College and university attendance for women is at an all-time high. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), women made up 58% of undergraduate enrollment in fall 2021. By 2030, the NCES projects roughly 2.6 million more women to enroll than men.

While most students and degree earners are women, a larger percentage of them than men took on student debt in the 2019-20 school year. Scholarships can help cut the costs you’d otherwise have to cover with loans.

Scholarships for women range from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to business to arts and humanities, as well as graduate studies and scholarships for women of color. Here, you’ll find some of the top grants, fellowships, and scholarships for women across different fields.

STEM Scholarships for Women

Women made up only 35% of the STEM workforce in 2021, despite representing about 47% of the total U.S. workforce that year. The gender gap is greatest in math-intensive STEM majors, engineering, and leadership positions, according to a Labour Economics study. While STEM is a historically male-dominated field, these scholarships for women in STEM can help shift the balance.

Young Women in STEM Scholarship

Eligibility: High school senior and undergraduate women in STEM fields can apply.

Deadline: June 10

Award amount: $5,000 each for three winners

Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: You must be an undergraduate woman enrolled in a four-year accredited college majoring in engineering, math, or physical or biological sciences.

Deadline: April 1

Award amount: $4,000 each for four winners

Learner Tutoring Women in STEM Scholarship

Eligibility: Undergraduate mathematics majors in a two- or four-year college or technical school in the U.S. and high school seniors intending to study mathematics or related fields can apply. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

Deadline: Oct. 20

Award amount: $1,000

BHW Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is available to women pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree in STEM fields. Applicants must attend a college or university based in the U.S.

Deadline: April 15

Award amount: $3,000

Learn more about the BestColleges Black Women in STEM scholarship.

Scholarships for Women in Liberal Arts and Humanities

Women in liberal arts or humanities fields can also find scholarships. Popular majors include visual and performing arts, English and foreign languages, theology, philosophy, history, and religious studies.

Careers in some humanities fields are on the rise, such as media and communications jobs, and many Americans value the soft skills gained in a liberal arts program.

Liberal arts scholarships provide women with greater opportunities in these essential fields.

NWSA Women of Color Caucus Frontiers Student Essay Award

Eligibility: Women and nonbinary people of color who are National Women’s Studies Association members can apply.

Deadline: June 1

Award amount: $500

The Valorena Publishing & Cocoa Kids Collection Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is available to multicultural and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) women who are high school, undergraduate, or graduate students planning studies related to developing children’s books.

Deadline: March 24

Award amount: $500

Scholarships for Women in Medicine

While there are fewer women than men in STEM fields, medicine is the exception. More women than men are currently enrolled in medical school.

Financial support is available for aspiring women medical professionals. Here are some of the best scholarships for women in medicine and healthcare.

Women in Healthcare Scholarship

Eligibility: Women who are high school seniors, undergraduates, or graduate students pursuing a career in healthcare can apply.

Deadline: July 1

Award amount: $1,000

Women in Medicine Academic Leadership Scholarships

Eligibility: Women and LGBTQ+ individuals at least six months into their allopathic, osteopathic, or naturopathic medical programs can apply.

Deadline: April 30

Award amount: $1,000

Scholarships for Women in Business

Women’s enrollment in business education programs has been increasing. Women made up about 42% of master of business administration (MBA) candidates in 2024 — a higher total than in previous years. MBA scholarships for women aim to build on that momentum. These scholarships help women earn business degrees and close the gender gap.

Institute of Management Accountants IMA Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is open to undergraduate women pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Deadline: March 30

Award amount:Varies

The Stephen Bufton Memorial Educational Fund Scholarships

Eligibility: Women pursuing a business degree at a licensed, accredited, or state-approved institution can apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Deadline: May 15

Award amount: $2,000-$10,000

Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award

Eligibility: This scholarship is available to women ages 18-35 who demonstrate exceptional leadership and entrepreneurial spirit.

Deadline: Varies based on local Zonta club

Award amount: 10 awards at $10,000 each

Scholarships for Women of Color

Fewer students of color attend universities compared to white students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. These scholarships seek to address the need to combat historical disparities and provide financial support for women of color in college.

BestColleges Black Women in STEM Scholarship

Eligibility: You must be a legal U.S. resident who is at least 17 and identifies as a cisgender, transgender, or gender-nonconforming Black woman. You also need to be enrolled in or accepted to an undergraduate or graduate STEM-related program.

Deadline: July 15

Award amount: $6,000

The National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc., ‘Elaine Davis-Nickens’ Atlanta Metro Chapter Scholarship

Eligibility: Metro Atlanta-area African American high school seniors and college students are eligible for this scholarship. Requirements include at least a 2.7 GPA, participation in your community, and written communication skills.

Deadline: April 6

Award amount: Three $500 awards

Chicana Latina Foundation Leadership and Scholarship Program

Eligibility: Chicana and Latina women from and enrolled in an accredited college in select Northern California counties are eligible.

Deadline: March 31

Award amount: $1,500 for community college and undergraduate students, $2,000 for graduate and Ph.D. students.

Graduate Scholarships for Women

Nearly 60% of all graduate students are women. Women also outnumber men in seven major doctoral degree categories. Popular graduate degrees for women include:

Arts and humanities
Biological and agricultural sciences
Education
Health sciences
Medicine
Public administration

These graduate scholarships help women earn higher degrees with less of a financial burden.

Jeanne E. Harris Chrysalis Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is open to geoscientist women whose education was interrupted by life circumstances. The award is intended to support completion of a dissertation or thesis beyond traditional research funding.

Deadline: May 31

Award amount: Up to $5,000

Institute of Management Accountants IMA Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is offered through The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting for one woman beginning graduate studies. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Deadline: March 30

Award amount: Up to $1,500

Women in Finance Scholarship

Eligibility: This scholarship is open to women worldwide who are enrolled in a postgraduate program in finance at an accredited university. Preference is given to women pursuing careers in financial risk management, market risk management, and derivatives within the capital markets.

Deadline: Applications open in April

Award amount: $20,000

Grants for Women

Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award

Eligibility: Women with dependents enrolled in vocational training or undergraduate programs.

Deadline: Nov. 15

Award amount: Up to $16,000

Go Girl! Grants

Eligibility: Women 25 and older attending school in the Coachella Valley, CA can apply for these grants.

Deadline: June 15

Award amount: Varies

Amber Grants

Eligibility: WomensNet awards a grant to one winner each month to create their business dreams. Must be a woman-owned business or startup. Additional grants are available quarterly and annually.

Deadline: Monthly application deadlines

Award amount: $10,000-$25,000

Fellowships for Women

Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Eligibility: This fellowship is awarded to women of any nationality pursuing Ph.D. degrees in aerospace-related sciences, aerospace-related engineering, or space sciences.

Deadline: Applications open in July

Award amount: $10,000

Forté Fellows Program

Eligibility: Forté Foundation awards this fellowship to women pursuing MBAs full time or part time at participating business schools.

Deadline: MBA application deadline at participating universities

Award amount: Varies

Learn about the disparities women in academics face and how to honor them during Women's History Month.

Additional Resources

The American Association of University Women offers grants and fellowships to women pursuing graduate work, research, and community development goals.
Graduate Women in Science offers fellowships to support women’s knowledge and hypothesis-driven research globally. The organization awards a $10,000 maximum for travel costs, supplies and equipment, and research publication support.
The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship creates academic and professional opportunities for women in journalism covering human rights and social justice. Fellows can complete coursework at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies as well as joining top journalism internships.
The Society of Women Engineers has over 100 scholarships and grants for women in engineering. Its database allows search by year or subspecialty. Many of the grants are multiyear.
The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting offers more than 10 annual scholarships for women pursuing an accounting degree at the undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral levels.