Most scholarships welcome applicants of any gender, but there are special scholarships designed for women, especially in fields where they are underrepresented, often targeting those pursuing graduate studies.
According to data from the 2011-2012 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), women have a higher likelihood than men of receiving private scholarships, although the average award amount is slightly lower by $300 to $400. Among undergraduate students, 7.2% of men and 8.4% of women secure private scholarships, with average amounts of $3,610 and $3,314, respectively. In Bachelor's degree programs, 10.6% of men and 13.1% of women earn private scholarships, with average amounts of $4,244 and $3,829, respectively. Women make up 57.0% of all undergraduate students and account for 60.6% of undergraduate scholarship recipients.
The most generous and prestigious national scholarships for female students include:
- American Physical Society (APS) M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship
- Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarship Program
- Brookhaven Women in Science Scholarships
- Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting Scholarships
- Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship for Women in Statistics
- GirlFriend Factor Go Girl! Grants
- Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund
- Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund
- NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program
- P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE)
- Patsy Takemoto Mink Scholarship
- Science Ambassador Scholarship
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
- Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards
- Women in Aviation International (WAI) Scholarships
- Women Marines Association (WMA) Scholarship Program
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