Over the decades, women have fought against gender inequality and tried to carve a niche for themselves in this male-dominated world. Education has played a major role in empowering women, economically as well as professionally. At present, a large number of female students are better performers compared to their male counterparts. In order to encourage female students to continue with their education and achieve success professionally, various women scholarships have been introduced. These scholarships not only assist them in pursuing higher studies, but also help them in debt reduction in the long run. Such scholarships are a great way to avoid student loans and still continue higher studies.
6 Top scholarships available for women students
The various scholarships available for women students are mainly funded by the colleges and universities, various professional organizations, research institutes and the corporate world. If you want to pursue higher education, then you can apply for scholarships by contacting the Admissions Office, rather than taking out a student loan. Check out some of the top scholarships available for women:
American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA) Scholarships: This scholarship is available to women students pursuing Undergraduate and Master’s courses. To get this scholarship, you should be pursuing studies in accounts or finance, attending an accredited college or University. You should be in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th year of study.
SWE Society Scholarship Program: The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) offers scholarship to women pursuing education in the fields of biomedical engineering, aeronautical engineering, engineering technology or computer science. The Brill Family Scholarship is a part of this program which amounts to $1000 and is given out every year. It has helped quite a large number of women students to avoid educational loans thereby helping them in debt reduction. In the long run they don’t have to worry about paying off student loans.
The AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships for African American Women: The American Association of University offers these scholarships to women students pursuing studies in the field of business, law, or medicine. The funds offered in these fellowship programs range from $5,000 to $12,000. Both graduate and post-graduate students can apply for these fellowships.
The AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program: This scholarship program is mainly available for low income, 50-plus women. It offers funds for education or training for upgrading their skills for better employment and increased financial security for their families. Most women don’t want to take out student loans at this age as they want to reduce their already existing bills and debts. Such scholarship programs will help women recover their families from the recession.
Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program: This scholarship is mainly available to the female students who want to pursue graduate studies and research in the fields of oceanography, marine biology or maritime archaeology. These fields of study are quite expensive and it will lead to considerable amount of debt if you don’t get the scholarship. So, if you’re planning for debt reduction and want to pursue studies in any of these fields, don’t forget to apply for this scholarship.
Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: If you’re a female student pursuing studies in the field of computer science, computer engineering, or any related technical field, you can apply for this scholarship. The scholarship amount is of $10,000. The selection of candidate is based on her academic achievement and leadership qualities.
Apart from these top scholarships available for women, there are various other scholarships offered by the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc., Girl Scouts of America, Jewish Foundation, Zonta International, National Physical Science Consortium, etc. All these institutions are playing a major role in empowering women and are also helping them in debt reduction by assisting them in avoiding student loans.