Scholarships and Support Programs for Women in STEM Fields Studying in the US
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
Several established fellowships fund international women pursuing STEM degrees in the US. Many US government programs, like NSF fellowships, require citizenship, so check eligibility first.
💵 The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship gives up to $12,500 to women from outside the US and Canada for graduate study.
🎓 AAUW International Fellowships fund women who are not US citizens or permanent residents, for full-time graduate or postgraduate study.
🌍 The Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship funds PhD study in STEM for women from developing economies who plan to return home to teach.
🤝 Groups like the Society of Women Engineers and IEEE Women in Engineering offer mentorship and some scholarships. Citizenship rules differ by individual award.
🏫 Ask your target university's women-in-STEM or diversity-in-engineering office about internal funding open to international students.
Start with your eligibility, not the scholarship name
Many well-known US STEM funding sources, including National Science Foundation fellowships, require US citizenship or permanent residency. Before you spend time on an application, confirm the funder accepts international students on an F-1 or J-1 visa. The programs below are established options that explicitly fund women who are not US citizens.
| Program | Who it funds | Level |
|---|---|---|
| P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship | Women outside the US and Canada | Graduate, any field |
| AAUW International Fellowship | Women who are not US citizens or permanent residents | Full-time graduate or postgraduate |
| Schlumberger Faculty for the Future | Women in STEM from developing and emerging economies | PhD or postdoctoral |
| Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship | Women in aerospace-related science or engineering, open globally | PhD |
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund gives graduate scholarships to women who are not citizens of the United States or Canada, for study at an accredited college or university in the US or Canada. P.E.O. caps awards at $12,500 per recipient, as of 2026. It is open to any graduate field, including engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences, so competition includes students from every discipline, not only STEM.
AAUW International Fellowships
The American Association of University Women funds international fellowships for women who are not US citizens or permanent residents, for full-time graduate or postgraduate study. AAUW International Fellowships currently fund STEM fields exclusively (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), not a general range of academic fields. Check the current application cycle dates on the AAUW site, since fellowship competitions run on an annual calendar.
Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future
This fellowship targets women scientists from developing and emerging economies who want to pursue a PhD or postdoctoral research in STEM fields at a strong university abroad, including in the US, then return home to teach and mentor the next generation. The Schlumberger Foundation reports it has funded fellows from about 95 countries. Applicants commit to returning to their home country to teach after finishing the fellowship, so this suits students planning an academic career at home rather than staying in the US long term.
Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship
Named for the aviator, this fellowship funds women pursuing a PhD in aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering at a university anywhere in the world, including the US. Confirm current eligibility and deadlines directly on the Zonta International site, since fellowship terms get reviewed each cycle.
Professional networks with scholarship and mentorship programs
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) runs one of the largest scholarship programs for women in engineering and computer science in the US, but individual scholarships within the SWE portfolio carry different eligibility rules. Some require US citizenship or permanent residency, while others accept any student at an accredited program. Check each SWE scholarship listing for its specific citizenship requirement before applying.
IEEE Women in Engineering and the AnitaB.org network, which runs the Grace Hopper Celebration, both offer conference scholarships, mentoring, and community for women in tech. Membership and many programs are open globally, not restricted to US citizens.
ACM-W, the Association for Computing Machinery's council on women in computing, gives out travel scholarships that help students attend research conferences and present work, open to computing students worldwide rather than only US citizens. Check the current scholarship cycle on ACM-W's site, since deadlines follow the academic conference calendar.
University-level programs
Departments increasingly run their own women-in-STEM offices, often funded partly by National Science Foundation ADVANCE grants that support broadening participation in a department rather than fund an individual international student directly. These offices still run mentoring circles, research assistantship postings, and small travel grants that are usually open to any enrolled student regardless of citizenship. Search for "[university name] women in engineering" before you apply, and ask whether international students can use their services.
Where to search for more options
IIE Passport, a scholarship search database run by the Institute of International Education, lets you filter results by field of study and check the citizenship rules on each listing before you apply. WEPAN, the Women in Engineering ProActive Network, connects member university programs, some of which post scholarships or research stipends open to any woman in an engineering program. Confirm citizenship eligibility directly on each listing, since general databases sometimes include US-only awards mixed in with international-eligible ones.
Also check general international student scholarships
Gender-specific STEM funding for international students stays limited, so pair one of the fellowships above with a broader international scholarship search. University financial aid offices sometimes list merit scholarships open to all admitted international students, not restricted by gender, and some cover a meaningful share of tuition. Ask the graduate admissions office directly which of its scholarships skip the US citizenship requirement.
How to apply well
Confirm citizenship eligibility on the funder's page before you start an application.
Ask your department for a letter of recommendation early, since most of these fellowships require two or three references.
Apply to more than one fellowship in the same cycle. Award rates for named international fellowships stay competitive and low.
Keep your CV, transcript, and personal statement updated in English, since most applications require English-language documents even if your coursework happened in another language.
Fields where funding stays thinnest
Computer science and data-heavy fields attract the most sponsor interest right now, so funding competition runs highest there. Civil, mechanical, and environmental engineering see fewer dedicated women-only awards, which sometimes means less competition for the general international scholarships a department controls. Ask your target department directly which of its internal awards, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships stay open to first-year international students, since these often fund a degree fully without a separate outside application.