Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Lori Pace
Many women over 40 years old want to change careers or achieve their educational goals. Women spend decades tending to their families, maintaining a comfortable home and working outside of the home. However, they often decide to stop their dreams of going to college. Luckily, women over 40 can return to school with scholarships. This money is available for women to use to pursue their professional goals. Women have the golden opportunity to take care of their own health and create a life that is based on their goals once their children are grown.
List Of Scholarships For Older Women
The AAUW Career Development Grants Program
Women who hold a bachelor’s degree in career development grant funding. These grants are for women who want to change careers, or re-enter education. Health and medicine, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, (STEM), and social science. Women of color and women who are seeking their first degree or credential in an unconventional field will be given preference.
You can use the reward amounts from $2,000 to $12,000 to pay tuition, supplies and books, as well as fees and local transportation. Deadline December 15.
- Funding: $2,000-$20,000
- Every August 1, 2008
- Deadline: November 15, every year
Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation For Low-Income Older Women
Patsy Takemoto Mink, Congresswoman, dedicates itself to education opportunities for low-income women. She primarily focused on mothers. And also dedicates itself to the enrichment of children. Mink was the first woman of color to join the United States House of Representatives and is committed to civil rights.
For women with children, awards up to $5,000 may be available for those who are pursuing education or training. The Mink Education Foundation has given many women the boost they needed. Deadline for applications is August 1.
- Award: Up to $5,000 for low-income women who have children and are pursuing education or training.
- Deadline: August 1, 20,23
Go go! Grant – The Girlfriend Factor
Go! Grant is an organization that offers financial aid and emotional support for women to help them live better lives. The organization has granted grants totaling $700,000.0 to more than 180 women from Coachella Valley, California, between 2006 and 2015.
Candidates must be at the least 25 years of age, have financial means, and a passion to pursue a career in education.
- Awards: Over $700,000.000 in grants to 180 local women
- Deadline: December 15th or June 15th
The Educational Foundation For Older Women In Accounting Awards Scholarships
These scholarships are available to women who wish to study accounting at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate. With the exception of transition women or women in financial need, you can apply for more than one scholarship. Please review the eligibility criteria for each scholarship in order to determine your eligibility.
They award 11 scholarships for a total of $21,500 The scholarship application period is January to April 30 each year. Graduate scholarships are available for applications from May 15th.
SWE Scholarships Support Older Women Pursuing Bachelor Or Graduate Student Programs
SWE Society Scholarship Program provides multiple scholarships each year to women who are ABET-accredited undergraduate or postgraduate students. This program prepares them for careers as engineers, engineers technology, and computer scientists. SWE granted 290 new and renewed scholarships totaling over $1,220,000 in 2021. All eligible scholarships will require only one application.
Deadlines:
- Freshmen: March 1, 2023 – May 2, 2023
- Sophomores and Graduate Students: December 1,2022 to February 15, 2023
Sophie Greenstadt Scholarship For Mid-Life Women
The Sophie Greenstadt Scholarship to Mid-Life Women is available to residents and students in Greater Los Angeles. This scholarship is available to residents of Orange and Ventura Counties.
The National Council of Jewish Women- Los Angeles sponsors it. The award is open to freshmen and seniors. The award can be up to $1,000. Applicants must submit essays detailing their goals and plans for achieving them.
- Award: up to $1,000
- Deadline: March 2023
Jeanette Rankin Foundation
The Rankin Foundation offers these scholarships each year. The application process begins on November 1. They have been awarding the scholarship since 1978, over 500 scholarships. The program aims to help low-income women aged 35 and older – unfortunately a group that is often home to many African American women – return to school to improve their lives and those of their families.
- Status of the application period: Applications are closed currently. For the 2023-2024 Grant Cycle, applications are open November 2022.
- Deadline for applications and recommendation letters: February 17, 2023
Osher Reentry Scholarships For Older Women
You are between 25 and 50 years old with a gap of five or more years in education. The Bernard Osher Foundation could sponsor the Osher Reentry Scholarships. The Osher Reentry Scholarships are available to undergraduate students enrolled at universities that have received Osher grant funds. Candidates must demonstrate financial need and have a strong academic record. You can only use the scholarship for your tuition fee.
- Deadline: 02/16/2023
Brookhaven Women In Science Renate W. Chasman Scholarship
Are you looking to go back to college after being 40? The Brookhaven Women in Science Renate W. Chasman scholarship is worth $2,500. Women who are returning to scholarship must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. They must be at least an undergraduate junior, a Long Island resident, and have a Long Island, NY residency to pursue a degree in natural science, engineering, or mathematics.
Visit their website or write to Chasman Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 183, Upton, NY 11973.
- Award: $2,500
- Deadline: March 14, 2023
Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL) Scholarship For Adult Students
The Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society offers scholarships to adult students who are pursuing higher education. Funds will be disbursed to students and beneficiaries to students and colleges/universities. (*need-based scholarship)
- Award: six (6) $3000 and fifteen (15) $2500 scholarships
- Deadline: May 13, 2023
P.E.O. Program For Continuing Education (PCE)
The Program for Continuing Education aims provide financial assistance to eligible women who need to return to school to support their families.
- Award: $3,000
Soroptimist Live Your Dreams Award
The Soroptimist Live Your Dreams Award, an educational award that recognizes women who support their families financially, is unique. The Live Your Dreams Award gives women the tools they need to enhance their education, skills, and career prospects.
- Award: $1,000 – $16,000
- Deadline: November 15 Every Year
Federal Pell Grants And Scholarships For Older Women
Students who are returning to school or older often forget that they can still apply for federal grants, such as the Pell Grant. There are no age restrictions. If you are currently in prison or subject to a civil obligation for nonforcible or forced sexual offenses, you will not be eligible for a Pell Grant. Funds may be available to undergraduate students without a professional or bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled in post-baccalaureate teacher certification programs may also be eligible for the Pell Grant.
For the 2022-23 year, the maximum Federal Pell Grant award will be $6,895. This is based on cost of attendance and financial need. It also depends on whether you intend to attend school full-time. The Pell Grant is available for 12 semesters starting July 1, 2012. They give the grant either directly to you, the school or both. To be eligible, students must complete the FAFSA (Application For Federal Student Aid).
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is another federal grant program that women over 40 may be eligible for. To help students with low incomes pay for higher education, these grants do not have age restrictions, but they award the scholarship depending on their need. The grant program is available to more than 3,800 postsecondary institutions.
Students with exceptional financial need (e.g., those with the lowest expected family contributions (EFCs) at the school) are eligible for priority. Federal Pell Grant recipients are also considered to be recipients. Applicants need to submit FISAP (Fiscal Opera Report and Application for Participation) to the United States Department of Education. The allocation of funds is based on a formula and institutions contribute 25%.
Teacher Education Grants
Teachers who are over 40 and want to become teachers may also be eligible for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grant (TEACH). They require the TEACH Grant Agreement To Serve (ATS). It is possible to receive one or more grants to help pay for higher education.
The TEACH Grant is for students who plan to pursue a teaching career and are willing to teach for at least four years. They must be highly qualified teachers in a high-need area that is taught at schools serving low-income students or educational service agencies. The program must be completed within eight years. Students must have a Federal Student Aid PIN to apply.
LEAP Grants And Scholarships For Older Women
LEAP grants are another program that older students may not be aware of. These need-based grants can be used to help pay for higher education or gain valuable work experience. Federal grants are given to states by the Federal government for their administration of these grants.
They can be used to provide work-study and community service assistance to eligible postsecondary students. The program is administered by a single state agency and must meet certain criteria.
Work Study Grants
Students of all ages can apply for a variety work study grant. Ask the college where you are applying about their work study grant programs. Every institution has its own policy and criteria. These opportunities are worth looking into. Federal Work Study (FWS), which funds part-time work to assist students in need, also offers funding. More than 3,400 educational institutions are eligible. Hourly wages cannot fall below the federal minimum wage.
This gives people who have been unemployed for many years great opportunities to return to work. You can find employment at the institution, a state or local agency, a private for profit organization or a private non-profit organization. To be eligible for this program, students must complete a FAFSA.
