Women in college, as well as all students, should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid. This will help determine their eligibility for student grants, scholarships, loans or work-study program. While eligibility for the FAFSA is not based on gender, it is based on your finances and sometimes your parent's finances and how many other family members are currently attending college.
According to the College Scholarships website, many women's colleges offer need-based and merit-based grants and scholarships to their students. For example, in Georgia, both the Spelman College and Anges Scott College specifically focus on the needs of minority women and often offer scholarships based on financial status or course of study.
Some of the scholarships that Spelman College, a historically black women's college, offers include the Women in Science and Engineering Scholarship (WISE) for first-year applicants who are interested in pursuing a major in engineering, physics, computer science, chemistry, or mathematics and the Presidential Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship, for a limited number of first-year students based on merit, leadership abilities and involvement in the community.
Anges Scott College offers the Goizueta Foundation Scholarhip to Hispanic/Latina women who both excel in academics and personal achievement, as well as demonstrate financial need.
Unfortunately, women are still highly underrepresented in fields of study such as science, math, business and technology. Many schools and organizations now offer scholarships and grants to encourage and attract women to study in these normally male-dominated fields. For example, the Society of Women Engineers issues scholarships to freshmen women studying engineering or computer science, and maintain a high GPA.
According to the College Scholarships website, there are several opportunities for women who not only lack the financial support to pursue higher education, but also suffer from other disadvantages. For example, there are several grants awarded by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which promote women in college by giving preference to economically disadvantaged women, and those returning to college after pursuing careers or family. These grants are awarded for students who exhibit extraordinary community service or ambition to develop their careers.
In addition to scholarships that focus on financial and family status and age, there are a few grants available to women who are single mothers or have experienced domestic violence. The College Scholarships website lists Raise the Nation, an organization dedicated solely to single mothers, and the Women's Independence Scholarship sponsored by the Sunshine Lady Foundation, a fund for the education of battered women.