It is true that college opens many doors in life. That is why about two-thirds of all high school graduates choose to continue their studies in colleges and universities.
However, even after finishing the college-level program, you may struggle to find employment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, among 20- to 29-year-olds who received a bachelor's degree in 2019, only 76 % were employed. That means nearly one-quarter of fresh graduates don’t have a job readily available.
Indeed, with a bachelor’s degree being deemed by many a “new high-school diploma” you may need to search for a job longer, or think of some other competitive advantage. One of the ways to make your candidature more attractive for potential employers is getting a post-grad degree. The price tag, however, can be a real deal-breaker.
Fortunately, there are many opportunities to find a scholarship for graduate students helping you toward meeting the tuition costs. On this page, we have gathered some of the most lucrative grad school scholarships available for the 2020-2021 academic year.
2020-2021 Graduate Student Scholarships
Before you start scrolling down and going through the list of grad student scholarships, can I get a bit serious for a moment? Although a Ph.D. can fetch you more opportunities compared to a standard college diploma, obtaining it, even with a scholarship, is not easy. Therefore, it is best to consider will the post-graduate degree indeed improve your career opportunities.
- Is it needed for promotion?
- Will you earn more with a Ph.D.?
- Will it grant you access to a research program you look forward to?
- Are you excited about the field and ready to work there for years to come?
Scholarship or no scholarship, getting a Ph.D. is quite a feat that requires work, discipline, planning, and careful time and money management. This is not one of those things worth taking up just for the sake of experience. You invest a lot in it, so make sure the payoff is adequate.
Note that all of the listings below are USA-based scholarships, but the list includes opportunities for international students. If you are looking for international programs outside of the USA, you might want to visit the websites of the target schools or your own university’s study abroad office since many programs are exchange-based and depend on what schools and countries your university collaborates with.
Albert W. Dent & Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarships
Amount awarded: $5,000
Application deadline: March 31, 2021
Who awards: American College of Healthcare Executives
Qualifications: U.S. or Canadian citizen, final year of a graduate program, GPA 3.0 or higher, majoring in a field related to healthcare administration.
Who to contact: contact@ache.org
Harriet and Leon Pomerance Fellowship
Amount awarded: $5,000
Application deadline: November 1, 2020
Who awards: Archaeological Institute of America
Qualifications: Must be a citizen/permanent resident of the U.S. or Canada OR be enrolled in a graduate program at a North American college or university, pursuing an advanced degree majoring in archaeology.
Who to contact: fellowships@aia.bu.edu
Apply here: https://www.archaeological.org/programs/professionals/grants-awards/applications/aia-fellowships/
Dr. Robert Hawkins Memorial Scholarship
Amount awarded: $1,000
Application deadline: November 5, 2020
Who awards: The John Philip Sousa Foundation
Qualifications: International and U.S. students working toward a degree in instrumental (band) music.
Who to contact: vicki.schmidt50@gmail.com
Apply here: http://www.sousafoundation.net/mediafiles/PDF/35.PDF
AAUW Career Development Grant
Amount awarded: $12,000
Application deadline: November 15, 2020
Who awards: American Association of University Women Educational Foundation
Qualifications: Female U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, holding bachelor degrees at the time of application with the desire to change or advance their careers or re-enter the workforce.
Who to contact: aauw@act.org
Apply here: https://aim.applyists.net/aauw
Worthy Women's Professional Studies Scholarship
Amount awarded: $2,500 – first place, $1,500 – second place, $1,000 – third place
Application deadline: December 1, 2020
Who awards: Worthy Inc.
Qualifications: Female undergraduate or graduate students 30 years of age or older, U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Awarded to promote professional growth, submissions judged by their originality, creativity, and focus on the topic.
Who to contact: scholarships@worthy.com
Apply here: https://www.worthy.com/about/scholarship/form
Women Techmakers Scholars Program
Amount awarded: $10,000
Application deadline: December 5, 2020
Who awards: Google Inc.
Qualifications: Female undergraduate or graduate students at a college/university in the USA or Canada, pursuing a career in computer science, computer engineering, or related field and demonstrating academic excellence. For international or U.S. students.
Who to contact: wtmscholars@google.com
Apply here: https://cseduapplication.withgoogle.com/applications/wtmna2019/create-application/edit
Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program
Amount awarded: $42,000
Application deadline: December 6, 2020
Who awards: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Qualifications: Full-time U.S. students (citizens), intending to/currently pursuing master’s or doctoral in oceanography, marine biology, maritime archaeology, including the curation/preservation/display or maritime artifacts. Preference may be given to women and minorities.
Who to contact: fosterscholars@noaa.gov
Apply here: https://fosterscholars.noaa.gov/media/docs/2020-foster-scholar-notice-of-federal-funding.pdf
Bienenstock Design Competition
Amount awarded: $5,000 – first place, $1,500 – two second places
Application deadline: December 11, 2020
Who awards: Bienenstock Furniture Library
Qualifications: Undergraduate or graduate students majoring in design. U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
Who to contact: info@furniturelibrary.com
Apply here: https://www.furniturelibrary.com/academics/design-competition/
Kush Arora Federal Justice Reform Scholarship
Amount awarded: $500
Application deadline: December 31, 2020
Who awards: Price Benowitz LLP
Qualifications: Undergraduate, graduate, or law school student, and incoming college freshmen, U.S. citizens or permanent residents. GPA 3.0 or higher. Submit a 1,000-word essay on whether certain laws are just or unjust.
Who to contact: scholarships@maryland-criminallawyer.com
Apply here: https://maryland-criminallawyer.com/
Healthy Living Scholarship
Amount awarded: $500
Application deadline: December 31, 2020
Who awards: Greenwich Gynecology LLC
Qualifications: Undergraduate or graduate U.S. or international students with 3.0 GPA, who can articulate clearly the ways they embody the principles of healthy living and what ideas they have for wellness initiatives for their community.
Who to contact: info@greenwichgynecology.com
Apply here: https://www.greenwichgynecology.com/2020-dr-edward-jacobson-healthy-living-scholarship/
How To Get Scholarships For Grad School
The majority of grants and scholarships for graduate students have a set of requirements and describe in detail who qualifies for this aid. As a rule, they are merit-based and take into consideration your field of interest, prior experience, degrees, GPA, etc. However, many organizations and private individuals support deserving students from specific demographics, so your location, gender, age, ethnic heritage, religion, sexuality, etc. may become a qualifier. How to find something just for you?
First of all, check listings on the sites of universities you are interested in. There are also aggregators like Unigo or CollegeXpress, where they ask you to fill out a profile and, based on that, match you with scholarships you qualify for.
Usually, you can apply for any scholarship online by ticking the boxes in the pre-made form. However, you will need to write a statement of intent or an essay and attach it to your application together with all the documents. For many scholarships, this is just the first stage. If you pass it, you will also be interviewed. To secure a face-to-face, you must impress the admission officers not only with your stats but with your personality and determination. That is why you may want to ask a scholarship essay writing service to help you with the winning wording or a simple write my essay assistance in case you struggle with your homework.
