Scholarships for women, especially those designed to help moms return to school to complete their abandoned degree, are plentiful. Some are specific to situation, while others are focused on geographic region or industry. Unlike competitive scholarships for high school students heading off to college for the first time, many scholarships for returning female students are less about academic history and scholastic scores than they are about need and determination to dedicate oneself to re-entering the job market. Those who administer these scholarships understand that many of these women have greater motivation now than they did when they were young and perhaps a little foolish.
Of course, not every mom whose children are finally old enough and independent enough to allow her to advance her education has been to college before. For many of these mothers college is a brand new and sometimes frightening experience. The classroom was many years in the past, the other students look incredibly young and perhaps a little menacing and she might be feeling well out of her depth. Many organizations and websites devoted to scholarships for women even help with adjustment. Beyond money, these resources help women choose the right type of campus for them, the right degree and program and the right school. Some offer mentoring programs to help new students learn to study, and pair them up with others in the same situation and age group.
One of the big advantages that women in the working world have when they compete for scholarships for women is that they have a proven track record of self-discipline and accomplishment. They can clearly show themselves as devoted to advancing their careers and capable of doing so if only they had a little financial help. Often their employers can also step in to confirm that yes, she would get a promotion if she earned her degree. This is a powerful message to deliver when competing for a scholarship.
There Are Many Scholarships for Women To Non-Traditional Universities
Online classes have really made it possible for mothers of young children to get their degrees as well. Even federally funded scholarship and grant programs give considerable money to moms who want to stay home when their children are home from school, but take online classes from their home, as they are able. Scholarships seldom discriminate against online degrees, as long as they are suitably accredited educational institutions.
As an example of some hefty scholarships for women, the Talbots Women’s Scholarship fund is open to female undergraduates who graduated from high school or got their GED on or before September 2001. While academics is part of the consideration for worthiness, career goals and financial need are important criteria as well. This scholarship gives $30,000 to women in need, no matter what course work they are pursuing. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation provides a scholarship for females age 35 or older who are considered low income, and want to pursue technical or vocational training. They can be working towards an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. The amount of this scholarship for women varies. In 2009, well over 50 Rankin scholarships were awarded.
