College Grants for Women

To help women college students pay for their university studies, there are several programs offering college grants for women. In addition to school grants for women, women can learn how to pay for college by looking into the Pell Grant, FSEOG, and undergraduate grants. Women may also qualify for special funds, grants, or scholarships. Some individual state college grants offer programs specifically for women. It is a good idea to check with your high school counselor and the financial offices of the college you wish to attend to find out the latest information about grants for women in your state.

In Georgia there is the Helping Outstanding Students Educationally (HOPE) Grant of $3,500. In addition there is the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant, which awards an additional $600 to help women pay for college.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a network with more than 100,000 members and donors, partnering with roughly 500 colleges and universities in the United States. The AAUW has several grants for women, including Career Development Grants, and Community Action Grants. The AAUW’s Career Development Grants range from $2,000 to $12,000 and are for women to continue their higher education, either with a master’s degree, a second bachelor’s degree, an accredited distance-learning program, or specialized training in their field. The grant may not be used for doctorate degrees. For more details e-mail aauw@act.org.

The Zeta Phi Beta Sorority has a general scholarship for recent high school graduates who can prove acceptance into college in the United States. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority National Educational Foundation, Phone: 856-2345-3160 • Fax: 856-234-5595 for more information.

College Grants and Scholarships for Women in Mathematics, Science and Technology

The Association for Women in Science Educational Foundation (AWIS) has several grants to help women in the fields of engineering, mathematics, science and technology. After completing a bachelor’s degree in a related field, it is worth investigating the possibilities for a grant to help pay for further research, education, specialization, and professional development. Financial help towards a graduate degree is also available.

The Association for Women in Mathematics has several programs, grants, and workshops to help women pay for their education and gain a foothold in a career that involves use of mathematics.

The Center for Women & Information Technology is a great source of information for women to find out about grants and scholarships if they are in this field of study.

The National Science Foundation sponsors the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. They award research-based grants for students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. They encourage applications for women, ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities as a way of increasing diversity in the fields of science, mathematics, technology and engineering.

Help for Women to Pay for Graduate School

The Altrusa International Foundation has a grant to help women pay for graduate school. They have provided more than 10,000 women so far through their Grants-in-Aid Program and the Founders Fund Vocational Aid Program.

The Mary Louise Roller Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded annually for a woman who has recently completed, or is soon to complete, a bachelor’s degree, and will be attending graduate school. You can apply online.

Philanthropic Educational Organization, P.E.O. International has several grants and scholarships for women. They have a foundation that issues low-interest loans to help women in the United States and Canada fund their college education. They also have the International Peace Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships from women outside of North America to study in the United States and Canada. Their Program for Continuing Education awards college grants to women in the United States and Canada on the basis of demonstrated financial need. They also award merit-based scholarships to women in the United States and Canada who are studying for a Ph.D. or post-graduate research projects. Here are their contact details: P.E.O. International Headquarters · 3700 Grand Avenue · Des Moines, Iowa 50312 · Phone: 515-255-3153 · Fax: 515-255-3820

Women’s Colleges Offer Help for Women to Pay for College

Spelman College, is an historically Black college for women, located in the Atlanta area of Georgia. They offer bachelors degrees in several disciplines, including the sciences, arts, foreign languages, social sciences and humanities. Nearly 90 percent of the students receive financial aid of some sort, including grants, loans, or work-study programs. There are also scholarships available, both merit and need-based.

Agnes Schott College is another women’s college in the Atlanta area that can help students pay for their undergraduate education. Here you can see a list of merit-based scholarships to help women pay for college. The Society of Women Engineers in Philadelphia awards $1,000 to a full-time female applicant majoring in engineering, engineering technology, or computer sciences at a college or university in the Philadelphia area. To apply contact Andrea Manning: scholarship@philaswe.org.

For graduates of the all-women’s Wellesley College, there is a grant to help them continue their studies. The deadline is in early January. They have some other fellowships as well.

Barnard University is a liberal arts college for women in New York City. They practice an admission policy that is not aware of the financial ability of a student. So all students who are academically qualified and motivated should apply. During the month of January of the academic year students will enter college for the first time, students should apply for the Pell Grant and the FSEOG. Once need is established, the university works with the student to make tuition, fees and living costs affordable for the student in the form of a combined grant, loan, and work-study program.

Women’s Studies and Women’s Resource Centers to Help Women Pay for College

The University of Michigan in Dearborn has several college grants for women they award each year. The Women’s Resource Center to help women find grants, scholarships, and other financial assistance for studies. They update a manual every year with details.

The Towards Self Reliance Scholarship by the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse is awarded to help female undergraduate students who seek a women’s studies certificate.

The Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Institute of Women’s Studies and Services has a website with an impressive list of scholarships to help women pay for post-graduate degrees.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has an open course, free of charge. You can download lectures and learn at your own pace, from a variety of subjects. No tests and no access to professors. Of course, no degree is awarded.

College Grants for Women over 40

It is worth noting that filing an application for a Pell Grant is a good place to start to seek out a college grant for women over 30. Consider it as a way to help pay for undergraduate studies as they can be considered as college grants for women over 40 as well. Until recently the American Association of Retired Persons had college grants for women over 50. In an effort to help more women, now AARP’s Women’s Scholarship Program offers college grants to women over 40. The Pell Grant is still a good place to start if one is looking to complete an undergraduate degree. AARP’s college grants for women over 40 are awarded on the basis of financial need, range from $500 to $5,000, and are sponsored by several corporations such as Bank of America and Walmart. Not only do they award college grants to women over 40, but the Women’s Scholarship Program also has a mentoring program.

Scholarships for Women Who Have Been Victims of Abuse

Women’s Independent Scholarship Program – aims to help women who have been victims of abuse from their partners, have been separated from their partners for at least a year, are in financial need, and have been accepted into undergraduate studies. Funds for a master’s degree or post-graduate studies are extremely limited.

Women college students should plan in advance and learn how to pay for college by applying for the kinds of college grants for women that can help them pay for college and graduate school.