Best Graduate Scholarships for 2026: Apply Now to Fund Your Degree

Top scholarships for graduate students with upcoming deadlines

Tannenwald Writing Competition

The Tannenwald Writing Competition is available to undergraduate and graduate law students. You must submit a 25- to 50-page typewritten paper on any federal or state tax-related topic to be considered for this award. Deadline: 7/11/26
Award Amount: $1,500 - $5,000

Dr. Gregory D. Bossart Memorial Scholarship

The Dr. Gregory D. Bossart Memorial Scholarship is available to graduate students. You must be majoring in wildlife biology, epidemiology, veterinary medicine, medical science, public health, basic or social sciences, or in another postgraduate program focusing on the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment using a One Health framework to be eligible for this award. Deadline: 7/31/26
Award Amount: $5,000

Schwarzman Scholars Program

The Schwarzman Scholars Program is open to graduate students. This is 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: 9/9/26
Award Amount: Full-Tuition

Marshall Scholarship

The Marshall Scholarship is available to American students who wish to pursue their master's or doctorate degrees at a university in the United Kingdom. You must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited four - year college or university in the U.S. with a minimum 3.7 GPA to be eligible for this award. This award covers university fees, living expenses, daily travel grants, fares to and from the U.S. and, where applicable, a contribution toward the support of a dependent spouse. Deadline: 9/29/26
Award Amount: Full-Tuition

Summer 2026 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: 9/30/26
Award Amount: $1,000

Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Award

The Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Award is available to undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in a career as a foreign correspondent. You must submit a cover letter, a resume, and a 600- to 800-word writing sample to be considered for this award. Deadline: 11/15/26
Award Amount: $3,000 - $4,000

MdNect Medical Student Scholarship

The MdNect Medical Student Scholarship is open to medical students attending a U.S.-accredited medical school. Deadline: 12/15/26
Award Amount: $2,500 - $5,000

Wealth Wise Scholarship

The Wealth Wise Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in the finance industry. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 to be eligible for this award. You must also submit a 500- to 900-word essay on the following topic: "How the U.S. Credit Scoring System Can Be Improved." Deadline: 12/31/26
Award Amount: $1,000

Union Plus Scholarship

The Union Plus Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students. You must be a current or retired member of a participating union, or the spouse or dependent child of a member, to be eligible for this award. Deadline: 1/31/27
Award Amount: $1,000 - $4,000

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. Learn how July 1st Federal Loan Changes Will Impact Your Graduate Funding. Many college graduate students secure fellowships or assistantships as a way to pay for their advanced degrees. 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.

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 on an assistantship will, in most cases, work 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 scholarship 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!