Scholarships for Single Moms: Being a parent and pursuing higher education can be challenging and expensive. Here are some scholarship programs made to lessen the financial burden on parents, notably single parents, who are struggling to pay their bills.
It’s no secret that parenting can be challenging, especially if you’re working alone. However, despite (or perhaps because of) the added workload that comes with raising children, many ambitious individuals also decide to pursue further education.
Amazing Scholarships for Single Moms
The most prestigious scholarships for parents pursuing higher education are listed below:
Ford Opportunity Scholars Program
Hallie E. Ford (1905–2007), a founding member of The Ford Family Foundation, created the Ford Opportunity Program, in the beginning, to help single parents pursue a college education.
All parents, regardless of age, as well as other persons older than 25, are now welcome to participate in the program. Still strongly urged to apply are single parents.
The number of scholarships given to students from Oregon and Siskiyou County, California, each year ranges from 96 to 96 renewable ones.
Scholarship Amount: Based on the college’s Cost of Attendance (tuition, fees, room and board, personal charges, etc.), less any other grants and scholarships, the award covers 90% of unmet college costs.
Who is Qualified to Apply
- Residents of Oregon or Siskiyou County, California
- Parents of any age (single parents strongly encouraged to apply)
Or
- Adult learners over the age of 25 as of March 1 of the application year
- Students seeking an associate or bachelor’s degree at an eligible public or private (nonprofit) college
- Students with at least one year remaining in their degree program
- Students who plan to enroll full-time in their state of residence (Oregon or California)
Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
1. For residents of the following states: California, Oregon
2. Must currently be Single
3. The type of institution award is open to a two-year college
4. The type of institution award is open to a four-year college
5. The type of institution award is open to trade/technical school
6. The award is available to U.S. citizens
Application Requirements
1. Application form required
2. Transcript required
3. Essay required
4. Recommendations or references required
Read Also!!
- Graduate School Scholarships Programme
- International Scholarships for Women
- Coca-Cola Scholarship Programme
- Bright Futures Scholarship Programme
Osher Reentry Scholarship
Osher Scholarships are available at many institutions of higher education around the country.
The Foundation does not directly award funding to students. Scholarship programs are managed by colleges and universities after receiving funding from the Foundation.
Students must always submit their scholarship applications through their institution or university and not the Osher Foundation.
The Reentry program, established in 2005, provides financial assistance to students who have had a cumulative educational gap of five years or more, are undergraduates pursuing their first baccalaureate degree, expect to work for a significant amount of time after graduation, have financial need, and exhibit academic promise and a desire to finish their degree.
Eligibility Requirements
1. The type of institution award is open to a four-year college
2. The award is available to U.S. citizens
Application Requirements
1. Application form required
2. Transcript required
3. Financial need analysis required
Women’s Independence Scholarship Program
The Women’s Independence Scholarship Program is intended to assist women who identify as abuse victims in intimate relationships, but preference is given to applications from single mothers with young children who face “the greatest barriers” to finishing their education, such as the need for childcare.
For undergraduate studies, recipients earn between $500 and $2,000 per semester or quarter, while for master’s degrees, the scholarships average $1,000 per semester or quarter.
New Applicant Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the Women’s Independence Scholarship Program all potential applicants must:
1. Identify as a female survivor of intimate partner abuse
2. Be physically separated from her abuser for a minimum of one year but not more than ten.
3. Have contacted a non-profit organization that aids victims of intimate partner abuse for at least six months in a row.
In the event that a scholarship for living expenses is granted, this organization is prepared to serve as the applicant’s sponsor by serving as the student’s mentor and source of support during her academic career. It is also prepared to take money on the applicant’s behalf.
Returning Student Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for continued WISP funding, you must:
1. Maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher
2. Show satisfactory progress toward program completion
3. Maintain monthly meetings with the sponsor
4. Continue to meet WISP initial eligibility criteria
Although every effort is made to approve renewal applications, eligibility is not a guarantee of funding.
Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund
The Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance every year to low-income female undergraduate students in the US.
Scholarship Award: $2,000 Value
To qualify for a JRF Scholarship, a candidate must be:
- A woman who is 35 years or older
- Low earnings (based on income guidelines listed on the official page)
- A citizen or lawful permanent resident of the US.
- Pursuing a first bachelor’s degree, an associate degree, or technical or vocational education.
- Accepted or enrolled in a regionally accredited, non-profit university.
Scholarships are given directly to the recipient and are renewable for up to five years. The applicant must be registered at or accepted into a not-for-profit university with regional accreditation.
Eligibility Requirements
1. Must be Female
2. The type of institution award is open to a two-year college
3. The type of institution award is open to a four-year college
4. The type of institution award is open to trade/technical school
5. The award is available to U.S. citizens
Application Requirements
1. Application form required
2. Transcript required
3. Financial need analysis required
4. Recommendations or references required
5. Special requirements exist (These are specified in the text.)
6. Resume Required
7. Acceptance Letter
Application Deadline: 17th February 2023.
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- Gilman Scholarship Programme
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Patsy Mink Foundation Education Support Award
The Foundation will give five low-income women with children who are pursuing school or training awards in 2022, each worth up to $5000.
In the late fall, recipients are contacted by phone or email. The list of awards will be published on this site’s Awardee page shortly after recipients are notified.
Only grantees will be contacted by the Foundation. We are unable to speak with every applicant to let her know how her application is progressing.
Awards are given out throughout the course of the academic year in two distinct installments, one for each semester. They can be used for living expenses while enrolled in school or for direct school expenses.
Awardees will be selected based on:
- Financial need.
- Personal circumstance.
- Educational path.
- Vocational or occupational goals; and
- Service or activist or civic goals.
Applicant Eligibility Criteria
1. Must be a woman, at least 17 years of age.
2. Must be a mother, with minor children.
3. Must be pursuing a first degree at a postsecondary level of education (e.g vocational, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral) AND degree program must add to the level of education accomplished (ex: bachelor’s after associates, or advanced degree after a bachelor’s)
4. Must be pursuing a degree/credential at an institution that does not discriminate based on sex/gender, lgbtq+ status/identity, race/ethnicity, religion, disability, or immigration status.
5. Must be enrolled in a not-for-profit, accredited institution or program in the U.S. during the 2022-23 academic year.
6. Must be low-income (all annual family income less than $20,000 for a family of 2; less than $24,000 for a family of 3; less than $28,000 for a family of 4).
Application Deadline
August 1, 2022, the edit/submission deadline for 2022-23 has passed. Information on next year’s process will be available on this page in May 2023.
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