As a woman interested in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), you’ve likely run into more than one obstacle on your quest to pick up a STEM education. Along the way, you’ve discovered that one of the significant hurdles to overcome on your way to getting your degree is the financial challenge college presents. Living expenses, tuition, books—the expenses pile up quickly, and they can get in the way of your education. That’s why it’s essential to research any available scholarships or coding bootcamp stipends for women in STEM when starting your college career or to consider a return to school.
We want to help you find the right scholarship for you. In this guide, we highlight six great scholarship programs aimed at women studying in a STEM discipline–separate from our list of coding bootcamp scholarships. The programs we examine range in eligibility requirements, but all of them are designed to assist women who want to get some serious STEM book learnin’ but might not have the cash to make it happen on their own. The money is just sitting there waiting for someone to grab it, so why shouldn’t you be the one doing the grabbing? Don’t let financial concerns prevent you from getting the STEM education you crave!
1. Interested in Engineering? Apply for the Carrier Scholarship
Engineering isn’t just one of the four words that make up the STEM acronym; it’s also a perfect field for people who like to figure out how things fit together and make the world go ‘round. And, it pays pretty damn well. The cost of getting an engineering education is high, though, and that’s where the Willis H. Carrier Scholarship enters the picture.
Willis Carrier was the founder of the Carrier Corporation and an avid engineer (he developed the air conditioner, so he’s okay in my book), and you can reap the benefits of his success with his scholarship. It’s aimed at students in engineering disciplines and provides $10,000 to defray school costs. If you dream of being an engineer, check out Willis’ scholarship.
Get Help Earning Your Science Degree with the Lorentzen Award
Maybe you’re less of an engineer and more of a scientist. Do you picture yourself wearing a white lab coat, peering through a microscope lens, and nodding thoughtfully while saying something sciencey like, “I concur with your assessment?” If so, and you’re worried about how to pay for your science education, fret not. There are some tremendous scholarships for women in STEM aimed at those who focus on scientific disciplines, such as the Kristen R. Lorentzen Award.
The Lorentzen Award is given annually to an eligible female sophomore or junior studying a physics or geoscience discipline. The award is $2,000 toward your school and expenses, which is a nice chunk of change. When choosing the award recipient, the selection committee looks for a well-rounded individual, so make sure to highlight any volunteer experience or extracurricular activities in which you participate.
Get Support for Your Computer Degree with a Women Techmakers Scholarship
Studying computers will make you one of the hottest prospects in the job market. I’m not giving anything away when I say that computers sure do seem to be here to stay, and it’s even possible that they might continue to grow in importance. Hard to believe, I know. Anyone with a degree in computers is only going to become more attractive to employers as time goes on. You might be considering this career path; if so, the Women Techmakers Scholars program has got you covered.
The program aims to support women enrolled in computer science or computer engineering college courses. The beautiful thing about this program is how in-depth it gets—the $10,000 award is a fantastic feature, but it doesn’t stop there. The Women Techmakers program wants to support its recipients in every way possible, so they host retreats and seminars designed to help its members establish networks and create a web of people ready to help them reach the finish line.
Get the Help You Need to Succeed
As our survey of some of the best scholarships for women in STEM shows, there’s a ton of scholarship green out there just waiting for someone with your ambition to claim it. College can be a difficult period in a person’s life, with the whole having-to-grow-up thing and all, so take the help where you can get it. The same thing applies if you are looking for ways to pay for a coding bootcamp.
We hope that this guide to the best scholarships for women in STEM is useful and helps you find some extra college money. If so, put that cash to good use and let it contribute to your future. Before you know it, you’ll be paying your good fortune forward and helping a young woman make it through her STEM studies.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
