School Grants For Women

While there have been numerous strides taken in the quest for gender equality, women remain a minority in colleges and universities across the country, as well as in numerous industries in the “real” world.

This is quite ironic given the fact that more female students finish college compared to male students, as numerous studies have shown. Many in the educational sector in fact feel that most institutions tend to neglect certain women’s needs with regard to education, and there is still a generally less support given to furthering non-traditional education and career paths for women. These are serious obstacles that most women have to face, and they are even more challenging for women who belong to certain minority groups.

With the establishment of numerous private women’s colleges, there appears to be at least a partial solution to the lack of support for women in the coeducational sphere. These educational institutions offer a broad range of activities that are ideally suited to women’s needs, and they are typically financed by donations from private organizations. Such colleges offer financial aid packages to women that would not have otherwise been able to afford a college education.

College Grants From Women’s Colleges

In addition to the academic, social and even athletic opportunities offered by women’s colleges, many also offer college grants that take academic performance and/or financial needs under consideration. Some of the colleges that offer such programs for women are:

• Spelman College.
  Located in Atlanta, this institution is the only college to have been established primarily with the goal of addressing the specific needs of African American women. College grants and scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, financial need and/or field of study.
• Agnes Scott College.
  This college is also based in Atlanta, and it offers merit based grants and scholarships in addition to the Goizueta Foundation Scholarship, which is intended primarily for Hispanic women. Requirements for this scholarship program include exemplary academic performance and leadership potential. The program also favors students who are most in need of financial assistance.

Recent studies have shown that as much as 40% of all women students in private institutions receive some form of financial aid directly from the colleges. These aid packages are offered to low-income as well as middle-income students. Virtually all of these colleges maintain active alumnae associations that constantly strive to provide funds for the education of women students. Some of these colleges are outlined below.

• Wellesley College.
  Based in Massachusetts, this college offers grants and scholarships to students regardless of academic merit. In fact, nearly all of the college’s students receive financial aid in some form. Particularly noteworthy is the Davis Program, which provides non-traditional students with a means to pursue further education.
• Barnard College.
  Based in New York, Barnard offers a number of needs-based grants in addition to scholarships and grants from outside sources. The college also provides students with a list of these scholarship programs that they may be able to avail of through the college itself, but are actually funded by an outside source.


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