The Business and Professional Women Foundation provides funds for nontraditional students (over the age of 24) to receive continuing education in order to advance in a career or to choose a new career. According to FinancialAidFinder.com, this program has given more than $6 million to more than 8,000 older women.
The Jeannette Rankin Foundation Women’s Education Fund has created an awards program designed specifically for older women returning to school. The grants available through this program are only awarded to women who are 35 years or older and who are working toward an undergraduate education. This program benefits women who did not have the opportunity to go to college but who want to now, and are showing great academic promise but may not have the money to succeed. The grants are worth $1,500 each.
The American Association of University Women offers a number of grants for women returning to school. These grants cover a wide range of goals and educational backgrounds.
AAUW offers American Fellowships, which are directed solely to American doctoral candidates. These candidates must be completing their doctoral dissertations or preparing for postdoctoral research. Grants can range from $6,000 to $30,000, depending on the project.
For women with less educational history, Career Development Grants from AAUW support women who only achieved their bachelor’s degree and are now seeking to change careers or to simply advance their education through graduate work. These grants award between $2,000 and $12,000 to women who apply.
Women who step outside the box in terms of their educational path can also receive a Selected Professions Fellowship from AAUW. These awards are granted to women who enter a field in which women are generally underrepresented, such as architecture and computer science. Awards range from $5,000 to $12,000, with up to $30,000 available for an engineering dissertation program.