You’ve finished your undergraduate studies (or are about to) and are toying with the idea of attending graduate school. The thing is, graduate school financial aid, especially scholarships, is a bit harder to come by. At the graduate level, there are scholarships to be won, but you’ll have to do some digging. A quick Google search is out of the question, and you must prepare to read through several of the articles you encounter for solid ideas. Additionally, you will find that the graduate school scholarships available are more neatly categorized, typically career-based or organization-sponsored. The sampling of graduate school scholarships that follows should get the wheels turning and point you in the right direction toward finding graduate financial aid.
Career-based
Similar to how certain scholarships were available only to undergraduate students in a specific major, graduate school scholarships provide funds to individuals pursuing a particular career path.
- Saul T. Wilson Scholarship Program. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Saul T. Wilson Scholarship provides graduate funding in veterinary medicine. Although this program is available to undergrads, providing $5000 in funding, the graduate level scholarship offers $10,000 each year for tuition and other school-related expenses. This program operates a bit differently, as a sort of internship as well. In exchange for grad school funding, recipients of this award must agree to a paid employment arrangement with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) during school breaks and summertime, as a Veterinary Student Trainee. Additional qualifications for this graduate-level scholarship include U.S. citizenship and no more than 1 year of completed study in a veterinary program.
- American Copy Editors Society (ACES) Scholarship. Graduate students pursuing journalism/copy editing are given a fantastic scholarship opportunity through the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) Scholarship. This scholarship gives students the chance to get their hands on $2,500 (or one of four $1,000 awards) just for being outstanding in this discipline. If you’re still progressing though your undergraduate work and are simply thinking about grad school right now, you might still be eligible for this opportunity. Scholarships are awarded not only to graduate school students, but also to juniors and seniors studying in undergraduate journalism programs. Additional requirements for this award include 5 copies of each of various writing samples, as well as professor recommendation letters. And you still have time! Applications are due by November 15th.
Organization
So many groups provided scholarship funding when you began your undergraduate studies (YMCA, ethnic organizations, various companies, etc.), and many continue this help beyond the bachelor’s degree.
- AMAF Valuing Diversity Ph.D. Scholarship Program. The American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) seeks to further diversify the marketing profession, thus the scholarship affords greater opportunities to African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans to study in marketing doctoral programs. 5 or more $1,000 scholarships are awarded to current marketing Ph.D. students each year at the Marketing Doctoral Students Association Annual Conference. Applicants must be of one of the above minority populations, be U.S. Citizens and submit an essay regarding research pursuits.
- Howard Penniman Scholarships for Graduate Study. Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, selects five members annually to receive this award. Scholarships provide $2,000, and they are designated only for first year political science graduate students. Candidates for this opportunity must be recommended by chapter advisors, provide a statement about career goals, and describe any volunteer activities in the department or university.
There you have it. Short though it is this graduate school scholarship list will provide some ideas for graduate school financial aid. Need more? Go Financial Aid is here to provide solutions for you.
