The best scholarships for single moms are those that provide understanding and generous support, financially and beyond when possible. Single mothers are an important part of the national workforce and economy, and access to a great education is as important to this part of the population as it is to any other. Connecting you with the sponsors that care, here is our list of 45 great scholarship options for single moms today.
Related resource: Top 40 Historically Women’s Colleges in the U.S.
1. Ford Opportunity Program
Eligibility
- Must be residents of Oregon or Siskiyou County, California.
- Must be single parents with custody of dependent children filing as “head of household” with the IRS.
- Must be students who have a high school diploma or GED or about to complete high school or continuing college.
- Must be students seeking an associate or bachelor’s degree.
- Must be students with at least one year remaining in their degree program.
- Must be students who plan to enroll full-time in their state of residence.
The Ford Opportunity Program honors the late Hallie E. Ford and founder of the Ford Family Foundation. This generous gift offers select single parents with up to 90-percent of total tuition coverage in the pursuit of a college degree. Up to 50 students are chosen for this excellent scholarship each year.
2. Deblinger Family Scholarship
Eligibility
- Applicants must be single, female parents who are Head of Household.
- Must be currently enrolled, or have been enrolled in the past year, in a community college to obtain an associate’s degree or certificate or in a four-year college transfer program.
- Students who already have an associate’s degree and are planning to transfer to a four-year college are also eligible.
- Applicants must already be accepted into a school/program before submitting the application.
- Applicants must be current residents of Alameda County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, and San Mateo County.
- Must have a minimum, cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- Must demonstrate financial need.
Description
Single moms in select counties of California are eligible for the Deblinger Family Scholarship. This scholarship offers those with financial need a payout of one-time disbursement of $10,000 in tuition coverage. Some select versions of this scholarship are also renewable. Apply by April 16th for consideration.
3. Bethel Foundation Grace Scholarship Fund
Eligibility
- Be a single mother.
- Citizens of the USA.
- Be a high school or GED graduate.
- Claim single head of household status (single, legally separated, divorced, widowed) with sole custody of one or more children under the age of 18.
- Be pursuing a career-oriented course of study (full or part-time) to ensure a better standard of living for your family. Applicants must not have an undergraduate degree.
- Must be a low-income person at or near the poverty level.
- Must be a recipient of a Pell Grant or in the process of obtaining a Pell Grant.
The Bethel Foundation Grace Scholarship Fund is designed to help single moms who are at or below poverty markers today to receive higher education. In pursuit of that goal, the organization offers three scholarship awards each year going up to a max of $1,500 in award amounts. While not renewable in the typical sense, applicants are welcomed here to reapply for the same awards repeatedly.
4. The Toby Merrill Scholarship
Eligibility
- Demonstrate a history of community involvement and leadership.
- Demonstrate financial need based on household income or deceased or ill parents/guardians.
- Hold a minimum GPA of 2.5.
The Toby Merrill Scholarship is the name of a great scholarship opportunity for single moms and others as well as a nod to the name of the charitable organization specifically set up to facilitate it. The goal of this opportunity is to promote positive change in youth lives through education. You can be the recipient of this valuable, $9,700-per-school-year, renewable award if you meet the above eligibility requirements and apply by the annual April 1st deadline.
5. The Kentucky Colonels Better Life Scholarship
Eligibility
- Prospective applicants must inquire with the scholarship website to obtain their local KCTCS institution’s information and application instructions/requirements.
In conjunction with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, The Kentucky Colonels Better Life Scholarship works to fill voids in the single parent demographic of college attendees today. They do this by, among other approaches, offering their namesake scholarship to help cover the single parent student’s tuition costs. This scholarship alone has awarded over $1,000,000 in tuition coverage over the years.
6. BYU Marriott Scholarship Program
Eligibility
- Full-time undergraduate students officially admitted to BYU Marriott may apply.
- All MAcc and MISM students as well as continuing MBA, MPA, and EMPA students may apply.
- Students in any BYU Marriott program may apply.
- Must be also applying to the BYU Single Parent Scholarship.
Also helping to keep single parents from falling through the cracks in the educational system, the BYU Marriott Scholarship Program has been helping these students cover school costs for years. BYU Marriott itself is a college specializing in business academics. Apply by the February 1st application deadline for consideration to this great, tuition-covering offer.
7. Single Parent Scholarship
Eligibility
- Have primary physical custody of one or more minor children.
- Be enrolled full-time at an accredited college or university.
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher or be a first-semester student.
The Custody Xchange is an online resource many utilize to help plan custodial and visitation arrangements among separated parents. This organization also offers an annual scholarship that provides winning recipients with up to $1,000 in tuition funding. There are three award periods each year with at least that many winners being selected across the three.
8. EFWA Undergraduate Scholarship Program
Eligibility
- Be a female US citizen attending an accredited US school pursuing an accounting degree.
- Demonstrate commitment to the goal of pursuing a degree in accounting in preparation for a career as an accounting or finance professional, including evidence of continued commitment to this goal after receiving the award.
- Demonstrate aptitude in accounting and business as evidenced by prior course work and/or work experience.
- Show clear evidence that goals and a plan for achieving those goals, both personal and professional, have been established.
- Demonstrate financial need.
The EFWA Undergraduate Scholarship Program provides a great lineup of scholarship options courtesy of The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting. This series of offers provides winning recipients with tuition coverage of up to $16,000 based on the specific scholarship being awarded. In all, there are six, different scholarships offered by the EFWA through their website.
9. The David A. Hicks Scholarship for The Arts
Eligibility
- Must have at least a 2.5 GPA and plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the arts.
- Must demonstrate financial need.
The David A. Hicks Scholarship for The Arts is a scholarship opportunity specifically for high-schoolers in Berrien County, Michigan. The Berrien Community Foundation administers the fund, and winners of it receive a one-time $1,000 award. This award is based on need and the quality of the essay response.
10. Washington-Nixon Nursing Scholarship
Eligibility
- Applicants must be single mother nursing students who are currently enrolled in a bachelor’s of science in nursing program in the Houston or surrounding area nursing schools.
- Applicants must demonstrate financial need and a 3.0 GPA or better.
The Washington-Nixon Nursing Scholarship is an annual offer courtesy of the Nurses Helping Nurses organization. This scholarship provides tuition coverage through the organization to Houston-area bachelor’s program nursing students. January 5th and June 5th mark the spring and fall application deadlines respectively.
11. LouEllen Dobbs Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a student who is a single parent and interested in pursuing a career in business, banking, or finance.
The LouEllen Dobbs Scholarship is a great opportunity for single mothers and fathers that is administered through the Holyoke Community College Foundation. Students interested in pursuing educations and subsequent careers in business, banking, or finance are welcomed to apply. HCC Foundation Board Member William Bagshaw and Attorney Frank Fitzgerald graciously and personally make this fund possible.
12. Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program
Eligibility
- Be admitted to a Virginia public college or university and the spouse or the child, between the ages of 16 and 29, of a qualifying veteran.
The Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program is a program instituted by the Virginia Department of Veteran Services in an effort to aid in military survivors’ and their dependents’ college endeavors. Chosen recipients receive a range of possible educational benefits. Once chosen, however, all winners receive funding for a four-year span of school.
13. Ellen M. Cherry-Delawder Memorial Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a student who is a single parent with dependent children. Preference is given to those pursuing a business degree.
If you are a single parent pursuing a degree in business, the Ellen M. Cherry-Delawder Memorial Scholarship may be worth checking into. This offer provides winning applicants with tuition coverage of varying amounts each year. The annual deadline to apply for this one holds firm at January 31st.
14. American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation Family Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a full-time or part-time student enrolled in a university, community college, trade/vocational school, or high school.
The ASSPF Family Scholarship is a generous offer courtesy of the American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation. This fund was established in 2013 to honor families touched by workplace tragedies of all types. Award amounts vary each year, and potential applicants are recommended to inquire directly with the organization for these details in the current application year.
15. Bernice Murray Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a single parent to a child 12 years of age or younger.
- Demonstrate financial need.
- Be in pursuit of an undergraduate degree from an accredited US college.
The Bernice Murray Scholarship is just one of many scholarship opportunities found within the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation’s catalogs. This particular offer by the non-profit provides winning applicants with up to $4,000 in child care expense coverage for the purposes of attending school. If you’re a single parent in pursuit of an undergraduate degree, you very well may be eligible to apply.
See also: 25 Great Scholarships for Young Moms
16. Traditional Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be pursuing an education in teaching, cosmetology, or massage therapy.
- Be a resident of the organization’s Northwest Arkansas service area.
The Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas sponsors a number of great opportunities for single parents in the region seeking to further their educations. One such offer comes by way of the organization’s Traditional Scholarship. The Traditional Scholarship provides chosen recipients with tuition aid for their pursuits in teaching, cosmetology, or massage therapy specifically.
17. Allied Health Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a student enrolled at Petra Allied Health in the dental assistant, medical assistant, or medical billing and coding/insurance specialist programs.
- Be a resident of the organization’s Northwest Arkansas service area.
Another great funding opportunity through the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas is the Allied Health Scholarship. The Allied Health Scholarship provides recipients with tuition coverage provided they attend school at Petra Allied Health or another approved location in an approved medical or medical billing concentration. This is a one-time, $2,000 award.
18. Professional Certification Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be in pursuit of an approved certification at one of the organization’s approved area colleges. See the website for further details.
- Be a resident of the organization’s Northwest Arkansas service area.
The Professional Certification Scholarship represents yet one more opportunity afforded by the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. In this one, chosen winners will receive a $500 award to cover certification costs. As with this organization’s other, generous scholarship offers, there are no deadlines to apply associated with this offer.
19. Live Your Dream Award
Eligibility
- Be a Soroptimist member.
- Be a single mother in pursuit of a college education.
Soroptimist is an organization dedicated to helping women all over the world to attend college. To that end, the organization’s Live Your Dream Award is a chance for applicants to receive a valuable education grant from the organization. Each year, this group distributes an impressive $2.6 million in education grants to about 1,700 women via this particular award program.
20. 1P Single Parent Scholarship Fund
Eligibility
- Must be a single parent.
- Must live in the state of Arkansas or in Bowie County, TX.
- Must be a legal US resident with a previous GPA of at least 2.0.
- Must be planning to attend an ASPSF-approved school or training program.
The 1P Single Parent Scholarship Fund is a great offer that has been actively extended for 30 years now. For those living in the State of Arkansas or in Bowie County, TX this fund can help pay for significant portions of your upcoming college education. Chances to win this one come in both spring and fall every year.
21. Patsy Takemoto Mink Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a low-income single mother in pursuit of higher education.
For a chance at up to $5,000 in scholarship monies, single mothers are certainly recommended to apply to the Patsy Takemoto Mink Scholarship if eligible. If you are a low-income single mother in pursuit of higher education, you are likely eligible. August 1st marks the annual deadline to apply for this offer.
22. Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a low-income single-parent over the age of 35 in pursuit of a college degree.
The Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship comes courtesy of the Rankin Foundation and provides $2,000 in tuition funding to eligible applicants. Few eligibility requirements greet applicants to this offer with the application only requiring an age of 35 or older and a status of being a single parent with low income. Apply by the annual March 1st application deadline for your chance to win.
23. Primary Provider Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be in pursuit of an associate’s degree from Oklahoma City Community College.
- Demonstrate financial need and reside in the south Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
- Be a primary provider/single parent.
- Hold a GED or high school diploma.
The Primary Provider Scholarship is an offer that comes to us via the Women of The South organization, a group dedicated to women striving toward achieving higher educational goals. A full scholarship for an associate’s degree from Oklahoma City Community College is the valuable reward at stake here. In addition to the Primary Provider Scholarship, Women of The South offer numerous, other funding opportunities as well.
24. D’ymond Shant’yl Dantzler Legacy Scholarship
Eligibility
- Must be a single parent residing in Maryland.
- Must have 100 hours of verifiable community service and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Must be a graduating high school senior already accepted to an accredited US college.
The D’ymond Shant’yl Dantzler Legacy Scholarship is an honorary offer in the name of the late D’ymond Shant’yl Dantzler. In her name, winners will receive a one-time $1,000 tuition award. Apply by the annual May 5th deadline for your chance at consideration here.
25. Sidney High School Alumni Scholarship Fund #2
Eligibility
- Hold a 2.8 GPA or better.
- Be a Sidney High School graduate enrolling in a trade school or college.
- Demonstrate financial need and a history of academic and community excellence.
The Sidney High School Alumni Scholarship Fund #2 offers single parents and the like who graduated from Sidney High School a chance at a one-time, $1,000 scholarship award. If you hold a 2.8 GPA or better, have financial need, and attended this school, you could be eligible to apply. The deadline to signup for a chance at this one is May 28th.
26. Spouse Education Assistance Program
Eligibility
- Be a police or firefighter surviving spouse in pursuit of a college degree.
The Spouse Education Assistance Program comes courtesy of the Silver Shield Foundation, a broad-reaching, charitable organization administered by George Steinbrenner, the principal owner of the New York Yankees baseball franchise. While offering a variety of services and benefits for all types of needing students, the organization’s Spouse Education Assistance Program seeks out to specifically aid police and firefighter surviving spouses in gaining further education. Widowed single mothers are especially invited to apply for aid.
27. LaVerne Lewis Moss Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be working on a law degree full-time at Louisiana State University.
The LaVerne Lewis Moss Scholarship offers a chance at valuable college funding to the tune of full and complete tuition coverage for those pursuing a law degree at Louisiana State University. Single parents are even given preference come decision time for this award. Patti Moss Melker Richards is the actual private funder of this opportunity in honor of her mother, LaVerne Lewis Moss.
28. Dr. W.A. Frazier “Sister to Sister” Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be at least 21 years of age.
- Be an African American Woman in the pursuit of post-secondary education and already accepted into such an institution.
African American women, in their pursuit of post-secondary education, are the intended recipients of the Dr. W.A. Frazier “Sister to Sister” Scholarship. This one offers $500 to winning applicants. The National Hook-Up of Black Women, a non-profit aimed at helping black women succeed educationally and vocationally, is this offer’s sponsor.
29. Michael S. and Jeffrey C. Hagler Scholarship Fund
Eligibility
- Applicant must enroll in a degree or certification program at Boise State University or the College of Western Idaho.
- Applicant must be a single mother who can demonstrate financial need.
The Michael S. and Jeffrey C. Hagler Scholarship Fund was set up to help single mothers to obtain fair access to education despite financial shortcomings. To help further facilitate that goal, this scholarship fund offers winning applicants who are single mothers an annual, $4,600 scholarship payment. Apply by the March 15th deadline and the Idaho Community Foundation will consider your application for the scholarship award.
30. Dr. Dean K. and Helen S. Christensen Endowed Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a full-time nursing student at Westminster College.
- Be a single mother.
- Hold a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Westminster College, in Salt Lake City, Utah, provides a very wide range of scholarship opportunities for its students, and the Dr. Dean K. and Helen S. Christensen Endowed Scholarship is one of those that target single mothers specifically. This opportunity affords each of its annual winners with $1,800 in tuition coverage. Since 1995, this one has helped get many deserving students through school.
31. Calvert Family Endowed Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a single or married parent.
- Be a full or part-time junior or senior attending Westminster College.
- Hold a GPA of 2.5 at the minimum.
Another of Westminster College’s great scholarship offers that specifically targets single moms, and even single dads, too, is the Calvert Family Endowed Scholarship. Winning recipients of this award each receive a one-time tuition credit of $1,000. This opportunity was established in 2005 by way of a generous funding gift from a private donor, Hayden Morgan Calvert.
32. Teresa Evans Callahan Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be an enrolled student at Lord Fairfax Community College.
- Be a single parent.
- Demonstrate financial need.
The Teresa Evans Callahan Scholarship represents yet another great opportunity for the single parent student or aspiring student out there. This opportunity rewards winning applicants with extensive tuition coverage for attendance at the Lord Fairfax Community College. Those enrolled in the school’s Information Systems Technology Program will receive additional consideration for this award’s designation.
33. Nancy A. Hardesty Memorial Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a college senior or graduate student in pursuit of a religion or theology degree.
- Exemplify good overall morals and values.
Christian Feminism Today, previously popularly known as the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women’s Caucus, is the provider of the Nancy A. Hardesty Memorial Scholarship. Hardesty herself was a much-beloved, founding member of the organization. In her honor, this scholarship annually awards a college senior or grad student studying in religion or theology with a $1,000 award.
34. Dorothy Montgomery Scholarship
Eligibility
- Must be a major in science or nursing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Must be a single parent with the ability to demonstrate financial need.
The Dorothy Montgomery Scholarship was first established in 1997 in honor of the late Dorothy Montgomery and has helped many students to achieve their educational goals since. All chosen recipients of this scholarship award go on to receive a $500 tuition credit. December 1st marks the annual deadline to apply for this opportunity.
35. Capture The Dream Scholarship
Eligibility
- Be a low-income single parent who is also a San Francisco Bay Area resident.
Finally, in our list of the best scholarships for single moms, the Capture The Dream Scholarship, by the namesake, Capture The Dream charitable organization, offers a single parent funding opportunity to the tune of $1,000 per winning recipient. Financial need, academic performance, and community service record are some of the determining factors used to decide this award’s distribution each year. Apply by the April 1st or June 30th application deadline to receive full consideration.
Single Mother Student FAQ
When it comes to college scholarships and how they work, there are often many questions that potential applicants can find themselves asking about these offers. The following represent some of the most common scholarship questions as well as the answers that clear them up.
“How will winning a scholarship affect my student aid and other educational loans?”
Any time a student wins a scholarship award, they are recommended to report that winning to any student aid subsidies they may be in receipt of. In most cases, however, scholarship awards do not affect student aid and loan arrangements that have already been made.
“How will winning a scholarship affect my WIC and other forms of public assistance?”
It’s a common misconception that winning a scholarship award will have an effect on the recipient’s WIC or other forms of vital public assistance. Unless the award money goes directly to the winning recipient as opposed to their college account directly, public benefits such as WIC, food stamps, and Medicaid are never affected by a scholarship award. If the scholarship funds are awarded directly to the recipient, however, it is then best to report these winnings to any public assistance providers.
“What are my real chances of winning a scholarship?”
It can be tough to say exactly just what chances one may have to win any one scholarship. One important factor to consider here is scholarship popularity. The most well-known and popular choices will naturally draw many more applications thus reducing each applicant’s chances at a win individually. Other components to the applicant’s chances at a win remain largely in that candidate’s own presentation of a quality application, their personal achievements, qualities, and so on. Some scholarship funds can provide more specific winning odds upon inquiry.
“Grants, scholarships, fellowships, and mentorships/internships – I hear these terms used in academia a lot, but what are the differences between each?”
There are numerous terms used to represent the different types of opportunities found in the educational world, and it’s common that these can become confused with one another. Here are the basic definitions of each of the four most common terms people run into.
Grant
A grant is a common funding opportunity that is always based on need and that can be designated to anyone for some specific purpose. Grants can be awarded for virtually any purpose, such as for research or even creating a small business, and do not typically renew based on the satisfaction of some achieved criteria.
Scholarship
Scholarships are funding awards that go to students only and that must be maintained through some sort of achieved criteria. These can be decided based on merit, financial need, or other factors and are all for the specific purpose of a student receiving education.
Fellowship
In the educational world, a fellowship is an offer made via a student’s school and/or some outside organization in which the student gains access to entry-level work experience while also finishing the final steps in their education. Chosen participants are referred to as “fellows” and then typically receive financial and other resources otherwise required of them in order for them to attend the work and school options herein opened.
Mentorship/Internship
Mentorships and internships are both opportunities in which the chosen participant is given a conditional job placement in a select organization. Typically, internships are a pre-requirement for some sort of subsequent licensure to take place. Mentorships usually do not carry that same licensure-satisfying weight.
“Does my receipt of one scholarship reward affect my ability to apply for and win others?”
In most cases, the receipt of one scholarship will not affect the application for and receipt of other, different scholarships. For this reason, many in-the-know students will smartly apply to as many different scholarship opportunities as they can find eligibility for. The best way to confirm the compatibility/incompatibility of multiple scholarship awards among each other, however, is to inquire directly with each scholarship’s administrator.
“Can you actually lose a scholarship for any reason?”
Scholarships can, in fact, be lost. This usually requires some sort of severe event such as the commission of a crime, forced removal from a school, or some other highly detrimental occurrence.
“Can I share part of my scholarship benefit with someone else? What about if I end up with leftover funds once finished with school?”
Scholarships are not transferable or shareable. In cases where there could potentially be leftover funds at the conclusion of the recipient’s schooling, those funds are then returned to their origination point by the school of attendance.
“Is it possible to apply for scholarships for another person. Do they need to be aware and give consent?”
In most cases, scholarship applications must be completed and submitted by the actual intended recipient of said scholarship offers. In some less-frequent situations, one person may be able to apply for another. For anyone considering trying to apply for scholarships for another person, they are highly recommended to confer with the scholarships’ administrators first and explain the situation in order to possibly gain approval for such an application.
See many more valuable scholarships here.
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