Colleges

Top Scholarships for Graduate Students

Find a list of current scholarships for grad students. Discover the other methods students use to pay for graduate school and learn the difference between assistantships and fellowships.

Shawna Newman

April 15, 2024

Top Scholarships for Graduate Students
Even after securing a fellowship or assistantship, graduate students can still find a financial gap exists.
Many college graduate students secure fellowships or assistantships as a method of paying for their advanced degree. Grad students apply for an assistantship or fellowship at the program department level, or college level (for instance the College of Science and Technology at XYZ University). Both opportunities help students fund a graduate-level degree while providing practical field experience. Jump to Top Scholarships for Graduate Students

What is a graduate assistantship?

Like work-study programs, an assistantship provides money and/or tuition reimbursement to help grad students pay for college. However, a graduate assistantship program includes work tied directly to your graduate degree or area of interest. A graduate student working an assistantship will, in most cases, be working for the college or university they're attending. Assistantships are considered part-time paid work.

What is a graduate fellowship?

A graduate student fellowship earns a stipend, or payment, and/or a tuition waiver as they work on a grad-level research project related to their field of study. Many grad students select a faculty member to work alongside on the assigned research project; this is often called their faculty adviser. Fellowship funding could be provided by private organizations or through universities. Even after securing a fellowship or assistantship, graduate students still find a financial gap exists as they plan to pay for their master's degree.

I'm a Graduate Student. Is it too late to apply for scholarships?

There are many scholarship opportunities for graduate students. A first-, second-, third- and even, fourth-year grad student has access to scholarships to help them pay for an advanced degree. Some colleges offer graduate school scholarships specific to graduate programs, too.

What's the easiest scholarships grad students can apply for?

Between research, thesis proposals, lectures, and reading, students pursuing a master or doctorate degree are busy! Grad students are in survival mode. Yet these advanced-level college students are searching for ways to pay for graduate school so that funding their degree doesn't feel like a full-time job. Fastweb's Featured Scholarships are some of the easiest scholarships grad students can apply for.
In addition to graduate fellowships and assistantships and/or student loans, there are other forms of financial aid available for grad students. Scholarships are a form of financial aid you're not required to pay back!

Top scholarships for graduate students with upcoming deadlines

Sony Pictures Scholarship

The Sony Pictures Scholarship is available to graduate - level students. You must be studying moving image studies or production, library or information services, archival administration, or museum studies; and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be eligible for this award. Deadline: 5/17/24
Award Amount: $4,000

Herbert Roback Scholarship

The Herbert Roback Scholarship is available to full - time graduate students enrolled in a master's degree program in public administration, public and international affairs, or political science. To be eligible, you must be attending the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, Brandeis University, the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, John Jay College at CUNY, Albany / SUNY - Albany, Binghamton, Brockport, New York University, or any university in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Deadline: 5/31/24
Award Amount: $7,500

CIA Graduate Scholarship Program

The CIA Graduate Scholarship Program is available to full - time students who have a genuine interest in contributing to the Central Intelligence Agency's mission. You must be a U.S. citizen and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be eligible for this award. Students will be required to go through a medical and security process. In addition to tuition assistance, recipients of this award will also receive an annual salary between $49,659 and $59,653. Deadline: 6/30/24
Award Amount: $18,000 - $25,000

My Life as a Lawyer Scholarship

The My Life as a Lawyer Scholarship is available to first - and second - year law students. To be considered, you must submit a 350 - word essay detailing how you plan to use your legal education to foster diversity in the legal profession. Deadline: 6/30/24
Award Amount: Varies

Spring 2024 Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes

The Fastweb Invite a Friend Sweepstakes is open to registered Fastweb members who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and who are at least sixteen (16) years of age. You must log into your Fastweb account to obtain your personal referral link. For each person who registers for Fastweb via your personal referral link during the Promotion Period, you and your referral will be entered as a pair into the current drawing. Deadline: 6/30/24
Award Amount: $1,000

American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scholarship

The American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scholarship is available to graduate students engaged in, or planning to begin, a research project in which diving is or will be used as a principle research tool. You must be a current, student member of AAUS to be eligible for this award. One award is for a master's degree student and one award will be for a Ph.D candidate, and the remaining two awards will be for the next two proposals that have been ranked the highest. You must submit a research proposal and a letter of recommendation along with your application. Deadline: 6/30/24
Award Amount: Varies

ForEverglades Scholarship

The ForEverglades Scholarship is available to full - time graduate research students. You must be majoring in earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering, geography, planning and resources management, or economics to be eligible for this award. A proposal and personal essay must also be submitted. Deadline: 7/1/24
Award Amount: $30,000

Tannenwald Writing Competition

The Tannenwald Writing Competition is available to undergraduate and graduate law students. You must submit 25-50 page typewritten paper on any federal or state tax-related topic to be considered for this award. Deadline: 7/10/24
Award Amount: $1,500 - $5,000

Schwarzman Scholars Program

The Schwarzman Scholars Program is open to graduate students. This a fully funded one - year master's degree program in global studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Applicants must be proficient in the English Language and demonstrate extraordinary leadership skills, the ability to anticipate and act on trends and changes in their context, strong intellectual capacity, and exemplary character. Deadline: 9/12/24
Award Amount: Full-Tuition

John Conley Ethics Essay Contest

The John Conley Ethics Essay Contest is open to U.S. medical students. To be considered, you must submit an essay of up to 1,500 words on the following topic: "Since talking about poverty can feel awkward, taboo, or stigmatizing to a child - patient or to a child's parent or guardian, how should clinicians' follow-up about responses or nonresponses to mandatory SDOH screening questions?" Deadline: 9/23/24
Award Amount: $5,000

Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship

The Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship is available to college juniors, seniors, and graduate students who are pursuing a career in international journalism. You must submit a cover letter, a resume, and a work sample to be considered for this award. Deadline: 12/1/24
Award Amount: $3,000 - $4,000

David M. Dolan Scholarship

The David M. Dolan Scholarship is available to graduate students who are conducting graduate research in statistics, mathematical modeling, data analysis, and/or quantitative decision support that advances understanding and management of Great Lakes ecosystems. Deadline: 12/1/24
Award Amount: $3,000

Siebel Scholars Program

The Siebel Scholars Program is open to the most talented students at the world's leading graduate schools of business, computer science, bioengineering, and energy science. Deadline: Varies
Award Amount: $35,000 Find more scholarship matches specific to your field of study, grad-school year, and more by creating a free Fastweb profile.

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