Undergraduate Scholarships

 

The University of Montana Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers two $800 scholarships through the Louise Greene/Elizabeth Smith honorary awards program. The two scholarships are for excellence in either 1) academics (Spring semester) or 2) WGS-related activism (Fall semester).

Criteria:

  1. Open to undergraduate students with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
  2. Applicants must have Junior status by the time of their application. Transfer students must be in their second semester at The University of Montana.
  3. Students must be either a Liberal Studies Major with an emphasis in Women’s and Gender Studies or a Women’s and Gender Studies Minor. It is possible to apply for either the major or minor concurrently with the application.

Application Process:

Applicants for the scholarship are to submit the following for consideration by the Women’s Studies Scholarship Committee:

  1. A letter of application specifying for which scholarship you are applying; academics (Spring) or activism (Fall), including a 300 – 350 word essay discussing your community and University activities related to Women’s and Gender Studies and a brief statement of your projected career goals.
  2. A letter of recommendation from a supervisor and a WGS affiliated faculty member.

The committee requests that students collect their letter of recommendation and submit it with their application packets. Please ask your recommender to place the letter in a sealed envelope and sign over the seal. Students who have previously been awarded a WGS scholarship are not eligible.

 

 

Graduate Scholarship

The University of Montana Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers one $800 scholarship through the Louise Greene/Elizabeth Smith honorary awards program. The scholarship is awarded in the Fall of the academic year.

Criteria:

  1. Open to WGS Graduate Certificate seeking students.
  2. Applicants must be officially enrolled as a certificate seeking graduate by the time of their application. It is possible to apply for the graduate certficate concurrently with the scholarship application.
  3. Applicant must be currently working on or have completed a research paper in their field.

Application Process:

Applicants for the scholarship are to submit the following for consideration by the Women’s Studies Scholarship Committee:

  1. A letter of application including a 300 – 350 word essay discussing current research and how it relates to Women’s and Gender Studies and projected career goals.
  2. A letter of recommendation from a WGS affiliated faculty member.
  3. A current academic transcript.

The committee requests that students collect their letter of recommendation and submit them with their application packets. Please ask your recommender to place the letter in a sealed envelope and sign over the seal. Students are not required to submit a transcript, but should be advised that the Women’s Studies Program will review applicants’ academic record online. Students who have previously been awarded a WGS scholarship are not eligible.

 

 

 

Other Scholarships

The following organizations and programs may offer scholarships for furthering students’ educational goals. Because these are not programs within WGS, students should check each organization to determine their eligibility.

WISP Scholarship

The objective of the Women's Independence Scholarship Program is to help survivors of intimate partner abuse obtain an education that will in turn offer them the chance to secure employment, personal independence and self sufficiency. Support is available for full or part-time students interested in attending accredited programs at educational institutions listed below, in order of preference:

 

-State supported community colleges

 

-State supported colleges or universities

 

-Technical/vocational schools

 

-Private colleges or universities

 

-For Profit schools

 

 Requests for assistance are accepted on an ongoing basis. Please visit http://www.wispinc.org/ for more information and to apply.

 

AAUW Scholarships

AAUW (the American Association of University Women) is dedicated to education, and many of its branches offer scholarships. The AAUW also contributes to the Education Foundation, which supports graduate students and funds national research studies.

In Montana, the AAUW has twelve branches. Check out their website for details and possible scholarship information: http://www.aauw-mt.org/

Jeanette Rankin Foundation Grant

The Jeannette Rankin Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for, and awarding grants to, low-income women, age 35 and older. Each award recipient has a vision of how a college education will benefit herself, her family, and her community. Most recipients are in truly meager financial circumstances and may have other hardships or disabilities. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation is one of the very few organizations in the country whose educational awards target this large segment of the population. Visit http://www.rankinfoundation.org/ for more details.

Montana Business and Professional Women Grants

The Montana BPW (Business and Professional Women) Foundation also awards scholarships to meritorious students. Applications are available on-line at www.montanabpw.org, or by sending a letter of inquiry to: Montana BPW Foundation, P. O. Box 303, Great Falls, MT 59403, or by calling Faye James at (406) 265-2119.

Third Wave Foundation Scholarship

The Third Wave Foundation Scholarship Program is available to all full-time or part-time young women and transgender activists age 30 and under who are enrolled in, or have been accepted to, an accredited university, college, vocational/technical school or community college. Visit their website for more information and scholarship applications. www.thirdwavefoundation.org

The Women’s Opportunity Awards, Soroptimists

The Soroptimist Club also offers scholarships. Eligible applicants must be female heads of household, who are enrolled in or have been accepted to a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, and cannot have already earned an undergraduate degree. Only residents of Soroptimist International of the Americas’ 18 member countries and territories are eligible to apply. For individuals interested in applying for this award, contact the Soroptimist Club near you or visit the Soroptimist International of the Americas website at www.soroptimist.org.

For more scholarship information visit http://womensissues.about.com/cs/scholarships